22nd annual event Sunday draws crowd; organizers seek ’16 sponsors

Thousands of car enthusiasts strolled to the foot of First Street Sunday to see bright muscle cars, chopped customs, vintage vehicles and a few bright-yellow Lamborghinis at the Benicia High School Panther Band Classic Car Show.

They also stopped to see members of the Panther Wedding Band who performed short spot concerts amid the aisles and aisles of show cars.

This is the 22nd year for the show that started when the band’s first director, Dalt Williams, combined his love of the band with that for automobiles into a fundraiser for the young musicians.

Jeff Arkin, Panther Band Booster president, was among those who wandered among the crowds and cars Sunday. “I was so happy to see so many new faces and new car owners at the show,” he said. “There were so many!”

He said in speaking to first-time exhibitors, each one told him, “I can’t believe how fantastic this car show is!”

That’s gratifying to hear, Arkin said. “It’s a ton of work.”

He said he was glad to see a mix of car show regulars, from South Solano County’s Boyz Under the Hood to organizations that specialize in showing specific brands of cars.

Pontiac GTO and Camaro clubs dominated the narrow parking peninsula that extends past First Street, while Mustang clubs put their metal ponies across the breadth of First Street Green — space they shared with rat rods, pinstriped hot rods, restored vintage trucks and show cars from other clubs and individual exhibitors.

Close to the Southern Pacific Depot, headquarters of Benicia Main Street, were fire trucks — among them the bright pink Solano County “Christine” that promotes women’s health concerns, as well as a tall ladder truck that provided a perch for an aerial photographer and some more conventionally colored emergency response trucks.

As of Monday high school band officials hadn’t started adding up the money raised from the event, but Arkin estimated it would range between $15,000 and $20,000 — good, but expected to be less than last year because the event lost a couple of key sponsors.

“We have no complaints,” he said, “but we’ll redouble our efforts to get sponsors.”

Benicia Classic Car Show First Place Winners

Best of Show: Vern and Marilyn Kornbrust, 1957 Chevy Pickup
Pre-1927 Car: David Bennet, 1915 Ford Touring Car
Car 1927-31: Gary Kenyon, 1931 Ford Phaeton
Car 1932-34: Marianne Knight, 1933 Willys Model 77
Car 1935-37: Ed Santos, 1937 Ford Roadster
Car 1938-42: Victor Berri, 1941 Willys Coupe
Car 1946-54: Charles Whittington, 1953 Chevy Limo
Car 1955-57: Ted Green, 1955 Chevrolet Gasser
Car 1958-63: Chris and Charleen Gilbreth, 1958 Chevrolet Impala
Car 1964-68: Bill and Sue Lewis, 1964 Chevrolet Malibu SS
Car 1969-75: Jerry Harris, 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T
Pre-1949 Truck: Jim and Yvonne Nierhake, 1940 Ford Pickup
Truck 1949-59: Vern and Marilyn Kornbrust, 1957 Chevy Pickup
Truck 1960-75: Bob and Nichele Rose, 1960 Willys Jeep FC-170 Pickup