Mariposa Car Show

(Photo contributed)

The car show season isn’t quite over yet! On Oct. 20 and 21, a group of local car owners made the trip to Mariposa to attend the 7th Annual Mariposa Yosemite Hot Rod Custom Car Show.

The kick off for this event features a Friday night cruise down the main street of historic Old Town Mariposa. Car enthusiasts lined the street to take pictures and to get a preview of what to expect on Saturday at the car show. The car show itself is held at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds. After making a few laps, cruisers started parking in front of the shops on main street, some of these shops date back to the Gold Rush era. While spectators walked up and down the streets looking at the cars, many of the car owners were enjoying a meal at one of the many restaurants.

On Saturday, the gates of the fairgrounds opened at 7:30 a.m. and by 9 p.m. the grounds were full of customs, hot rods, foreign cars, etc. By midmorning, the show’s special guest “Horny Mike” from the History Channel’s “Counting Cars” was moving throughout the show. He stopped and talked to everyone about their cars and was more than happy to have his picture taken with you. He also presented the awards.

Award Winners:
Best In Show – Mario & Celeste Simoes, Tulare, 1968 C10
Best Paint – Don Wagner, Clovis, 1965 Chevelle
People’s Choice – Jack Buckle, 1941 Plymouth Classic
Best Upholstery – Rollin Silveira, Atwater, 1929 Ford Model A
Antique – Eric Weihe, 1920 Chevy Baby Grand FB50
British – Paul Hinkle, Clovis, 1948 Thames
Camaro – Richard Strickfaden, 1967 Camaro
Classic – Kimberly Long, Santa Monica, 1964 Coupe DeVille
Corvette – Raymond Martinez, Atwater, 1963 Corvette Coupe Custom – Don Wagner, Clovis, 1965 Chevelle
Firebird – Glen Hale, Visalia, 1969 Firebird
Model A – Hector & Ruth Bermea, Mariposa, 1931 Model A Tudor Sedan
Mopar – Ronnie Martin, Atwater, 1969 Dodge Dart
Muscle Car – Patrick Coico, Tracy, 1971 Chevelle
Mustang – Neal & Nancy McCarter, Fresno, 1965 Convertible
Pro Street & Race – George Thomas, 1970 AMC Javelin
Street Rod – Rollin Silveira, Atwater, 1929 Ford Model A
Thunderbird – Deborah Davis, Midpines, 1964 Ford
Tri 5 – Thomas Armstrong, Mariposa, 1955 Bel Air 2 Door
Truck – Mario & Celeste Simoes, Tulare, 1968 C10
Other – Ken Ficquette, Chino, 1965 Chevy Chevelle

Upcoming Events:
November 4: 18th Annual Toys for Tots Car Show, Clovis
November 5: Turlock Swap Meet
November 10: Dickey’s BBQ Hot Rod & Classic Car Gathering (Herndon & Fowler Ave)
November 11: Clovis Veterans Car Show
November 11-12: GoodGuys 28th Autumn Get-Together, Pleasanton
November 17-19: Central Valley New Car Show

If your club or organization is putting on a car show or motorsports event we are always looking for interesting cars, people and events to share. You can reach Paul Hinkle at clovisparkinthepark@gmail.com or call (559) 970-2274 or Eric Hinkle at ehinkle11@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter@clovisparknpark and on Instagram@clovisparkinthepark.

For more information on upcoming events, past events and articles, go to www.clovisparkinthepark.com.