There must be something about the end of summer that brings out the car lovers in the South Bay, as there are a bunch of car-related events rolling out over the next few weeks.
The big one is the second annual Lowrider Day celebration in downtown San Jose on Sunday, sponsored by the United Lowrider Council and several partners. This, of course, commemorates San Jose’s repeal of the decadeslong ban on cruising in 2022.
City Hall plaza will be filled with the artistically decorated and amazingly modified rides — you’ll go dizzy counting all the Chevy Impalas — from noon to 6 p.m. Santa Clara Street will be closed in front of City Hall from Third to Seventh streets, and food trucks will be parked on Fourth Street.
By the way, if you’re interested in this history of the cruising ban and how it was repealed, that’s part of the “Forever Cruising” exhibition on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, which will be up until Sept. 15.
Lowriders will also be the big draw at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose, which has partnered with the Boulevard Bombs car club to kick off National Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 14. Phillip Retamoza, also known as the Purple Car Singer, will bring his purple 1952 Mercury that’s a fully equipped mobile entertainment center to perform throughout the day. That’s a perfect match for the institution known as the Purple Museum.
Cars and other elements of lowrider culture will be on display inside and outside the museum on weekends through Oct. 13, and if you’re lucky, a car owner might be there, too, to share their history.
“I can’t think of a better way to kick off this month than by celebrating the lowriding culture that has been such an important part of San Jose’s history and culture,” Children’s Discovery Museum Executive Director Marilee Jennings said. “The Latino community has contributed so much to San Jose’s national identity.”
Lowriders will also be back at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga as it is once again partnering with the United Lowrider Council and Local Color for its second annual Lowrider Art Showcase on Sept. 22. The stylized vehicles will be posed on the Great Lawn of the historic villa during the free, family-friendly event, which will include local artists, artmaking and painting demonstrations, DJs and dancing from 1 to 5 p.m. Get more details at www.montalvoarts.org.
You know lowrider culture has hit the mainstream when you’ll find them celebrated at City Hall, the Children’s Discovery Museum and Montalvo.
MORE CAR HOPPING: You can prep for Lowrider Day by stopping by another automotive tradition in San Jose, the 18th annual Santos Family Car Show in Alviso. There should be several hundred cars on display at North First Street and Michigan Avenue from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. There’s plenty of food and entertainment, and proceeds benefit the Santa Visits Alviso Foundation.
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You can also mark your calendar for the 16th annual Goombahs Classic Car show Sept. 8 in front of Bertucelli’s La Villa deli on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen. This one’s also a food drive to benefit Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, so bring a donation of cash or canned food when you come by between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
OLD-SCHOOL RIDES: If you’re looking for vehicles that are a bit more vintage, then History Park will be the place to be Sept. 14, when the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club hosts the 24th annual Cars in the Park — the event formerly known as Antique Autos in the Park — from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring cars built through 1949.
The schedule includes music by the Rhythmaires Band and the Fabulous JewelTones, and there’ll be a crafts vendor fair, kids activities and an antique collectibles sale, too. The big draw every year, though, is the Model T put-together hosted by Mike Hennessy. You can watch a team of mechanics assemble a 1923 Model T with lightning speed, and Hennessy says San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan plans to drop by to help him with the countdown. You never know if the mayor will roll up his sleeves and help out.
Admission is $10, with discounts for kids and seniors, and you can get more information at www.historysanjose.org.
TAKE THE E TRAIN? Of course, it won’t all be about cars in the coming month. Don’t forget that Caltrain’s electrified fleet will be entirely online starting Sept. 21. And that’s a good reason to leave the car — be it a lowrider, Model T or a Tesla — at home.
