The Save Your Life Car Show
It seems like just yesterday when I went to my first Cruisin’ For A Cure Show back in 2002.
There is quite the variety of events to celebrate cars in Southern California. From the weekly local cruise night to the big shows such as the Grand National Roadster Show and Good-Guys events. Within that spectrum are independent events and none like Cruisin’ For A Cure.
Since 2000, Debbie Baker has organized; Cruisin’ For A Cure with help from over 100 passionate volunteers. The event has become the largest one-day charity car show in the nation if not the World. The show is always held on the fourth Saturday in September. Her husband was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, so that prompted her to create an event that men would go to with their cars and get tested for Prostate Cancer. Today the money raised at the event supports KSK Cancer Center in Irvine who volunteer their doctors and staff with free PSA and/or DRE testing. This year over 864 men were tested and 163 were told to go see their doctors right away and out of that 10 men had a high PSA level and urged to get treatment right away. This is why the event is known as:
“The Save Your Life Car Show”.
Open to all years, makes and models it becomes a show with a series of mini-shows within the entire Orange County Fair and Events Center. Corvettes, Exotics, Street Rods, tuners, muscle cars, each in different areas of the grounds. Specific areas are designated such as the Cars For Sale Corral, or the Meguiar’s Hangar, where top show cars are personally invited to show. All day long the mile and a half cruise route is open. Great to spectate and see, hear and smell all the cars driving around. Car clubs such as Pickups Limited, Mercifuls, Underoath and more line the cruise route and cheer on the participants. 15,000 spectators support the cause while they enjoy the 3,500 cars, and 200 vendors/exhibitors. Cruisin’ For A Cure is an event not to be missed.
I have been to nearly all 18 showings of this event and each year it is better and better. More cars, added features and seeing the cars that won the top spots to actually cruise around on the cruise route is insane. This year, Troy Ladd took out the Mulholland Cruiser on the route along with the Sinister Mustang and a cool ’57 Plymouth that won Street Rod of the Year at Autorama.
Also, this year our very own Project Riff-Raff was invited to the Meguiar’s Hangar. Since the top was just painted by Hitoshi at Cambra Speed Shop with PPG silver metalflake, blue candy with black lace panels I asked if we could park it out front in the sun.
I rolled around in a golf cart capturing the show and still missed a bunch. Check out our video on BlacktopTV! While there, be sure to catch the interview with Mitzi and a couple of her girls along the cruise. I stop and talk to Gabe Allen, President of Underoath Car Club. He shares a bit about his club and the tight knit family that they are, a great friendly group of guys and gals.
We already spoke with Debbie about next year and there are some neat changes coming up. If you missed any of the past couple of years, some of the Meguiar’s Hangar cars will be in a new area: Meguiar’s Reunion. They will be displayed in the breezeway where the Car Corral was. The Car Corral is moving up to the entrance to the Pac Amp. It’s a nice sloping area above the cruise route at the entrance of the show. This way prospective buyers may have the opportunity to take the cars out for a cruise, where they couldn’t in the breezeway.
Stay tuned to CruisinForACure.com for more details and be sure to register early. This year we will be displaying Marcus’ ’66 Mustang featured in our Kid Wrencher series.