El Concilio of Ventura County is a non-profit community based organization that was established in 1975 to provide services and programs to the underserved Latino community of Ventura County. Since the organization is non-profit, it must raise funds annually to continue to operate and serve the community.In April of this year, El Concilio partnered with the Oxnard chapter of the Viejitos Car Club, Xtreme Entertainment and Fresh Mex to produce the first annual California Car & Cycle Show at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
The morning of the show, the indoor and outdoor areas of the fairgrounds filled up quickly. Car clubs and individual participants from the local areas and various other parts of California set themselves up, ready to compete for a trophy. Some of the clubs in attendance were Pachuco Car Club, UCE, La Gente, Traffic, Oldies, Majestics, Connected, and Los Angeles. Vendors selling everything from toys to t-shirts were set up throughout the fairgrounds, and entertainment on the main stage kept everyone upbeat as the day went on.
The hopping contest got started about noon and did not disappoint those in the grandstands at the fairground's arena. Everyone was waiting to see who could launch the front end the highest off the ground. Hoppers like Kool Aid, Nene, and Switchman brought out their best hoppers, much to the satisfaction of the packed crowd on hand.
The planning that went into the production of this show certainly paid off, as it was a huge success for the Ventura County area. Plans are already underway for another show in 2010. You can bet that Lowrider Magazine will make the drive up the coast to attend the next show.