Ramona American Graffiti Cruise Nights and Car Show organizers are taking a back seat this year to let the Ramona Senior Center be a driving force behind their events.
The seasonal Cruise Nights kick off Thursday, April 16 and the spring Car Show follows on Saturday, April 18.
Cars will be cruising down Main Street from 6 p.m. until dark starting at Kelly Avenue behind Denny’s Restaurant and continuing to Fourth Street before looping back around.
The Car Show is set from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grace Community Church of Ramona, 1234 Barger Place near San Vicente Road.
Leroy Clubb, the main organizer of the Ramona American Graffiti events, said he plans to take a step back from running the weekly cruises and the two annual Car Shows, including a fall show on Saturday, Sept. 26.
“I’m trying to get the Senior Center more involved in it,” said Clubb, who will still be engaged in the activities but to a lesser degree. “I’ve missed summer vacations with my family. I need time to travel with them.”
Clubb said it makes sense for the Senior Center to play a larger role since 100 percent of the proceeds raised at the American Graffiti Cruise events is donated to the center.
Some of the funds are raised through sales of hats, cups and T-shirts during Cruise Nights but most of the funds are raised through donations and a raffle at the Car Shows, Clubb said.
The spring and fall Car Shows last year raised just over $30,000 for the Ramona Senior Center, he said.
Regina Elling
Seasonal Ramona American Graffiti Cruise Nights and Car Show are returning in mid-April with more help from the Ramona Senior Center. (Regina Elling)
Ramona Senior Center Director Lora Yule said some of her staff, board members and volunteers will be more involved in setting up and closing down the Car Shows. The board members will also be more engaged in collecting donations from businesses for the Car Shows’ raffles, she said, adding that Senior Center volunteers can also jump in to cook free hot dogs at the Car Shows.
Some of the American Graffiti organizers are aging out and the Senior Center group are happy to help to keep the events going, Yule said.
“We don’t want to see the car shows go away because those are our biggest fundraisers for the year,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to help out as much as we can.”
Yule said last year’s $30,000 in proceeds was used for the Ramona Senior Center’s nutrition program, which provides 200 meals a day with combined delivered and cafeteria meals served on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“With the rising cost of gas to deliver the food, the cost to prepare it and the food containers everything just keeps going up,” she said. “It’s already a struggle with that money, and without the Car Shows, it would be an even bigger struggle.”
But Yule said Ramona American Graffiti organizers will still be active in the events, such as advertising the local Car Shows through area car clubs and at Car Shows around the county.
Ramona American Graffiti Cruise Nights will continue its traditional events, including a Sock Hop in June and a tribute to first responders in July, Clubb said. Cruises through Ramona neighborhoods and poker runs will also be organized this season, he said.
The Cruise’s schedule will be posted on the Ramona American Graffiti Cruise web page on Mondays and also physically posted at the Senior Center, he added.
“We’re searching for ways to do things differently,” Clubb said. “We’re looking into closing down Sixth Street on Thursdays and having a block party. It’s in the planning stages.”