Route 66 Back Again

Saturday, Oct. 7, San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce (SBACC) hosted the 5^th annual Route 66 Rendezvous in downtown San Bernardino.

This year, hundreds of car enthusiast came to Route 66 Rendezvous to see over 1,000 cars, listen to music, eat good food, and have a great time with their families.

Alex Trujillo, who was raised in San Bernardino and has been coming to Route 66 since he was a kid, said he was excited because he was able to bring his ‘57 Chevy Sedan that he overhauled piece by piece over the course of several years.

Historically, the Route 66 car show started in 1990 in San Bernardino and over the decades has lasted between 2-4 days per year. Sadly, when the city went bankrupt in 2012, San Bernardino could no longer provide funding for the Route 66 car show.

Although SBACC debated on if they should restore it or not, they decided to step up and organize the city’s beloved Route 66 Rendezvous.

Tito Nieto, who was participating with his ’37 Ford Sedan, has been a car enthusiast for over 12 years. He enjoyed Route 66 Rendezvous and “hopes it will soon be restored to its former glory” of having Route 66 all weekend long instead of one day.

The family-friendly event provided something for everyone to see and do. Home Depot and the YMCA provided games and crafts for the children, while there were three beer gardens for the adults and cars for everyone to admire.

This year was the first year that Route 66 Rendezvous had a first responder row, which was held on Court Street. First responder row included fire engines, police cars, highway patrol cars, and even military trucks that were brought from the Norton Air Force Base Museum.

According to Judi Penman, the SBACC President, the vehicles were there for the children, but “big kids enjoy it too!”

Not only did people bring their families; they brought their entire car clubs too. Car clubs from all over the Inland Empire came to support Route 66 and be a part of history. Suavesitos, E St Cruisers, and L.A. Roadsters were all there, just to name a few.

Penman and San Bernardino residents love Route 66 Rendezvous because it provides something positive and a family-friendly event the entire community can be proud to attend.