It could have been 1962 in Modesto on Friday evening. So, where were you?<\/p>\n
The answer very well could be that you were among those along the sidewalks from McHenry at Briggsmore avenues, into the city\u2019s downtown, where a night of cruising, \u201cAmerican Graffiti\u201d-style, took place.<\/p>\n
The North Modesto Kiwanis Club\u2019s annual American Graffiti Parade featured 1,000 vehicles making their way along the route. There was a lot of revving up and honking as onlookers cheered on the cruisers.<\/p>\n
A family drives down McHenry Avenue in a 1960\u2019s era Volkswagen bus during the American Graffiti Parade in Modesto Friday, June 12, 2026. The parade is organized by the North Modesto Kiwanis Club featuring 1,000 classic cars. Andy Alfaro aalfaro@modbee.com <\/p>\n
The Graffiti Summer event was another in a June series of tributes to George Lucas\u2019 film \u201cAmerican Graffiti,\u201d which in 1978 chronicled a night of teenage cruising in the Modesto native\u2019s hometown.<\/p>\n
The evening was a prelude to this weekend\u2019s festival and car show, also put on by the Kiwanis club.<\/p>\n
That celebration today and Sunday promises live music, some 20 food vendors and more than 30 other vendors. There will be hundreds of classic cars on display. On Sunday only, the nonprofit Valley Dream Car joins the show.<\/p>\n
A kids\u2019 zone will offer train rides, bounce houses and a water boat ride, for a separate fee.<\/p>\n
For those 21 and older, there will be a beer garden, with alcohol restricted to that space.<\/p>\n