Cruise nights to go on hiatus until spring
Movie stars are known for going on hiatus between shows and movies, to catch up on life. Ramona’s first and extremely popular Ramona American Graffiti Cruise is doing the same.
The last formal cruise night will be Thursday, Oct. 1, said event organizers Jerry and Kristy Keller.
“We would really like to thank everyone who has participated — the drivers, businesses, restaurants and, of course, the spectators, it was so much fun for all of us to pull out our old cars,” said Kristy. “That is all we wanted to do is just pull out, clean up and drive our old cars. We were shocked at what it became. It was just so much fun and we’re really grateful to everyone.”
Ramona American Graffiti Cruise certainly became a bright and shining summer star, enjoyed weekly by hundreds of people.
Every Thursday evening, beginning in June, car enthusiasts were invited to pull out their prized “wheels” and drive down Main Street. The staging area was Ron’s Tire and Brake on the west end of the commercial district, and the turn-around landmark was just past Pamo Valley Winery tasting room at Sixth and Main. In a matter of weeks, Main Street businesses started staying open late and restaurants offered Cruise Night Specials.
The weekly cruises initially started at 7:15 p.m. but, as the days got darker earlier, the start time moved to 6:30 p.m.
Stacy Bart of Unicorn Books and Gifts said that she didn’t necessarily make a lot of money on Thursday nights, but she did meet many people who had not been aware of the bookstore before cruise night. Many of them did come back to shop. Sonya Steiner from Ramona Café said that her Thursday night revenue probably doubled during this American Graffiti phenomenon. From photos on Facebook it appears that every food establishment along Main Street, especially in historic Old Town, had similar results.
On June 4, Elizabeth Garcia launched a Facebook Page for the Ramona American Graffiti Cruise that now has 2,013 members. A Google search of “Auto shops in Ramona” brings up 20 shops, and that does not include car parts stores for the many “gearhead” car enthusiasts who do their own auto repair at home.
Ramona is a car loving town. Of course it has its share of “daily drive” street cars, but many of this town’s residents love hot rods, customs, antiques and unique cars, trucks and motorcycles.
BeeBee Wilson, one of the administrators of the Ramona American Graffiti Facebook page, explained that the idea for pulling out these prized vehicles and just cruising Main Street was something that members of the Ramona Cruisers Car Club had been talking about for a while.
“One day Jerry just put together a flier and handed it out to people,” she said. “We didn’t expect it to be a big deal, but when we did the Facebook page and people started posting pictures, the word got out, and Ramona got famous!”
Kristy and Wilson said many car buffs from El Cajon and other locations drove their vehicles to Ramona to participate in the experience.
Drivers who want to continue driving Main Street on Thursday nights are welcome to do so, but the official event will be dark until daylight saving time returns in March.
“Look for it on Facebook,” Jerry Keller said.
From the first steam car in the 1700s and the combustion engine in the 1800s to the 1900s when Henry Ford created a vehicle that the average American could afford, cars tell the story of the country’s history. The Ramona American Graffiti Cruise produced crowds to rival any Fourth of July parade and turned into a summer celebration of Americana. It was truly an event “by the community for the community.”
“It takes a village,” Kristy Keller said, so until next year, many in this village say thank you to the organizers and to everyone who participated in these Thursday night cruises.