A lot of hard work and planning ensued . SVSR worked with the Downtown Association and many other volunteers to host the very first car show on July 14th , 2001 , calling it the Garlic City Fun Run . Mike Madden , one of the members of SVSR , was the drummer for the popular band ShaBoom and helped arrange for his band to play at the first car show .
While talking with Carl Swank , Rick Perdichizzi ( Rick ’ s Pump Repair ), and Mike Brownfield ( Vacuum Center of Gilroy ), I heard more about ShaBoom . They were one of the most popular local bands at the time , their forte being 50 ’ s and 60 ’ s Rock & Roll . At that time , ShaBoom had also been the biggest draw for the Gilroy Garlic Festival for years . Carl , Mike , and Rick all lit up when reminiscing about those times .
Fun facts :
• ShaBoom used to organize a 50 ’ s cruise , where the band and their fans would go on a cruise together to various destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean . How fun that must have been ?
• Carl owned and ran Gilroy Tire & Brake for 49 years , and Mike owned and ran Vacuum Center for 43 years . ( Imagine the things they ’ ve seen over the years as Gilroy grew !)
South Valley Street Rods ( SVSR ) made a list of what was going to be needed to host a successful car show and then discussed how to cover each of the items on the list . Things they needed to prepare for included parking , event registration , security , trash , logistics , concessions , advertising , insurance , raffle prizes , bathrooms , awards , entertainment , and how to get participants with cars to attend . One of the first decisions made was to limit the cars to years 1967 and older . Other decisions included making the show a no-alcohol event , allowing only participants ( car owners ) to vote for the “ Sponsor awards ”— things like best paint , best interior , etc ., and having participating local businesses award “ Merchant Awards ” to participants of their choice . A major decision came about because of nervousness from the local downtown businesses about closing the main street for a car show . They decided the show would take place in the late afternoon / early evening so the street would only be closed for a half day . held . Certified Transmission donated a transmission to be given away . Marx Chevrolet ( Gilroy Chevrolet ) donated an engine . Rick Perdichizzi ’ s wife Linda — a graphic artist — created the logo for the t-shirts that were sold . For the artwork , SVSR members threw their name in a hat . The first three names pulled had their cars incorporated into the design .
Because the show was scheduled for two weeks before the start of the Garlic Festival , many festival vendors , including Christopher Ranch , got involved to help with the car show . Carl had 250 flyers printed up ( and had to print more later ) to announce the date of the show , then he and other SVSR members attended many other car shows in the area to pass out the flyers . ( continued )
One thing stood out to me while I was chatting individually with Carl , Mike , and Rick — each of them emphasized how the community came together with so many , many volunteers contributing to help make this a success . I suspect I have only a fraction of the folks and businesses listed who contributed for that first show . It was the collective effort of SVSR , Gilroy Downtown Business Association , and all the other volunteers that pulled it off and created a very successful show that paved the way for future shows .
Cresco rental company donated a lift that was parked at one end of town that allowed you to see the entire street from the air . Marx Towing and Bracco ’ s Towing each provided a flatbed truck to be used for a stage . Travis Berry Transportation provided a backdrop for the Christopher Ranch stage that ShaBoom set up on . Rick Perdichizzi worked with Walmart to purchase items at cost to donate for the drawings that were
BOTTOM LEFT : Local favorites Sha-Boom entertain the crowds at the 1st Annual Garlic City Fun Run in 2001 . TOP : Several hundred attendees stoll Classic cars and hot rods . ABOVE : Official Garlic City Fun Run artwork , 2001 .
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