The Muckenthaler Cultural Arts Center

The Muckenthaler Cultural Arts Center in Fullerton, California, put on its annual Motor Car Festival on May 11, 2002, with a gala party consisting of dining, dancing, live auction, and a drawing for a new Mustang convertible. On Thursday and Friday, the Center hosted its Automobile Film Festival in the Outdoor Theatre, with a picnic dinner including wine and beer. On Saturday, May 18, the Center hosted its Hot Rod and Custom Car Show on the Center�s extensive lawn. The event began with a pancake breakfast and continued throughout the day with live bands, personable DJ, food stands, raffles, 50-50 drawing, beer and wine, exhibits, and fantastic Hot Rods and Custom Cars. I spoke with Nick David and his staff and they were very enthusiastic at how well the community has responded in supporting the Festival. The Muckenthaler Museum is located on a tree-lined knoll near the corner of Malvern and Euclid, in the city of Fullerton. The beautiful home, outdoor theatre and spacious grounds were donated to the city of Fullerton by the Muckenthaler family, and acts as a museum and cultural center for the surrounding Community. Parking is offsite and there is a shuttle service that brings spectators to the Festival. Nick estimated that Saturday�s crowd exceeded 2000, and included such Hot Rodding notables as Creighton Hunter, Alex Xydias, Dick Messer and Bruce Meyer.

Sunday, May 19^th, was the main attraction and the closing event for the Automotive Festival. This is the Vintage, Historic, Sports and Exotic Car Show that has given the Muckenthaler its reputation as one of the pre-eminent car shows on the West Coast. In fact, it is several car shows and concourse in one large event. Live music, emcees and special activities add to the event. Food, beer, and wine stands sell refreshments. There are souvenir stands offering a wide variety of things to buy. The day began with a heavy dew and overcast sky but that did not deter the car owners who responded with enthusiasm in showing their cars and wiping off the dew as it fell on their vehicles. Ron Henderson brought his custom made and self designed Boat-tail speedster, �The Lady Dragon,� probably the most beautifully built 1930�s style of car ever conceived. Though most of us call it a �boat-tail� design, Ron says that he prefers the term �fish-tail� instead. His car is more streamlined and not as bulky as the Auburn Speedster, and the maroon color gives a sporty, sleek and fast look to the car. A concourse within a concourse is the Jaguar Club, which awards its own trophies. Standouts were Larry Graven, Robert Baumhefner, Tim Tunnell and Bill Kling. Jack Rabell exhibited his 1954 Fixed Head Coupe Jaguar, the National Championship Points winner during the last two years. Ernie Ruelas spent 13 years restoring his 1951 Jaguar Mark 5 cream white Drop Head Touring Convertible. Over 50 Jaguars were on display and the club members patiently explained the details and history of their cars to all those who came by.

Further down the winding trails I came to Jack Belcher, who showed his 1967 VW Bug, which won the 1977 Monte Carlo Road Race. Ronald Ferguson showed his stunning 1981, polished stainless steel, Delorean. Bruce Steele brought his 1960 Austin-Healey. Andy Casale, Bob Melton and Lloyd Hendrickson trailered the newly restored and painted �Casale Engineering Special� midget. Many of you might remember the famous midgets raced throughout the Southland by the Casale family. Other outstanding cars exhibited were Bob Kehoe�s 1933 La Salle 4 door Sedan, Bill Burchett�s 1935 Packard Convertible touring Phaeton, and his 1928 dual windshield Packard convertible Phaeton, Remy Rusciolelli�s 1972 cherry red Lotus Europa, Dennis and Bridget Lambert�s 1961 green Triumph TR-3A Convertible, Bill and Denise Stocz�s 1930 Ford-A Wood Panel Truck, Cody and Dallas Bullard�s 1930 Plymouth Wood Panelled P7, one of only 94 ever built. Starting back up the hill I came to Steve Brook�s 1969 Shelby Ford GT500, and Donovan Anderson�s metallic blue 1967 Ford Mustang. By now the sun was out in full force and the cars looked awesome, with the next car being Don Tevini�s 1959 Porsche 356 �El Burro,� which he raced in the 1997-1998 La Carrera Panamericana Road Race. This is a restoration of the famous Mexican Road races of the 1950�s. Next was Tom Bertone�s 2002 firehouse red Chevy Corvette 405HP Z06, Bob Sowersby�s rare 1953 VW Deluxe, and Chuck Lakowski�s 1974 Jensen-Healey.

Reaching the top of the scenic knoll I came upon Steve and Leslie Dean�s 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, Jeff and Susan Menke�s 1965 Chevy Corvette, John Bertone�s 1997 Honda Acura Integra R-40, and Matthew Ettingers 1946 Ford Woody, one of only 185 still surviving. Ray Ostrander�s 1940 Chrysler Newport Modified Roadster, Borje Forslund�s 1959 silver sky blue Cadillac El Dorado and Bruce Meyer�s original �So-Cal Special� Bonneville Belly Tank land speed car, built and raced by Alex Xydias. Chuck Lamb brought out the #16 McLaren racecar driven by George Follmer, and Dan Gurney Jr displayed an open wheel Indy 500 car (#36) that was driven by Raul Boesel. Further down the lane was Jack Franks� 1935 Cadillac 3700, John Mallett�s 1936 cream colored Auburn 852 supercharged Cabriolet, and Michael Galassi�s 1955 Chrysler C300. Ken Curtiss brought his customized 1952 red MG Roadster with a specially built rear seat and stereo speakers. This car has appeared in five movies and in the �MacMillan and Wife� TV series.

Sponsors included the Auto Club of Southern California, who brought along a 1931 Ford Model A Pick-Up Truck, and a 1936 fire red Ford V8 Tow Truck. The Fullerton Police Department displayed their Chevy Police Cruiser and a 2002 PT Cruiser. They also had a booth with their D.A.R.E. program, outlining the types of drugs that they look for and the methods to combat drug abuse. Suburu, Dodge and Ford dealerships each had a booth and brand new cars on display for the public. This is a remarkable automotive festival and car show, and Nick David and his staff are to be commended for the high quality which they strive for. Be sure to check the Automotive Calendar of Events for next years Festival.Contact

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