| | Published September 14th, 2011
| Orinda's Longest Weekend Car Show and Restaurant Tour, 9/23-9/27
| | By Andrea A. Firth |  | | From left: Allen Pennebaker and Charlie Petri with Charlie's 1962 Ermine White convertible Corvette Photo Doug Kohen
|
Second Life of a Corvette
As told to Andrea A. Firth by Charlie Petri
"In addition to the fine work they did, the great thing about having Orinda Motors restore the car was that I could stop in and see how the work was progressing," says Charlie Petri. The car to which Petri refers is a 1962 Ermine White convertible Corvette that he inherited from his in-laws over 35 years ago. The Corvette served as Petri's daily run about until the car proved impractical for suburban family life and it was put into temporary retirement in the garage. More than once Petri's wife Karen encouraged him to sell the Corvette to make room for their new car in the garage, but the Corvette lingered on.
After attending the Orinda Car Show a few years ago, Petri learned that Orinda Motors had been restoring classic cars for several years. Hoping to bring his classic car back to life, Petri handed the Corvette over to Orinda Motor's Service Manager John Vanek and his team. "Just about every piece on the car was examined, repaired, or rebuilt until it drove and sounded like new," says Petri, "And Karen, she loves the Corvette now and is very protective of it." Petri's Corvette will be one of the 200 cars on display at the Orinda Car Show on September 24th.
| Labor Day has passed but in Orinda another long weekend is coming. Organizers of the annual Orinda Car Show have coordinated with the Chamber of Commerce to create Orinda's longest weekend on September 23rd through the 27th. The weekend kicks off with the Dancing with the Cars pre-show party on Friday night; the Car Show follows during the day on Saturday, and the extended weekend is capped off by the Restaurant Tour on Tuesday evening.
Starting with the Car Show-so what's new? When longtime Orinda resident (and classic car enthusiast) Chip Herman worked with Orinda Motors to launch the 1st Orinda Car Show seven years ago, there were 22 cars on display and the event raised $1,600 for Seniors About Town, an Orinda Association program that provides transportation for seniors who can no longer drive. Since then an evening auction and dinner has been added and the number of cars on display and the money raised for local nonprofit groups has grown exponentially. Last year, the Car Show featured over 165 cars and raised $32,000 for the Seniors Around Town, the Educational Foundation of Orinda, and other local charities.
"The Car Show is the second most attended event in this city after the July 4th parade," says Herman, and he guarantees attendees will have a new and even better experience this year.
"There will be the flavor of Pebble Beach in Orinda with something for everyone - classic cars in mint condition, daily drivers, hot rods, custom cars, old fire trucks, and motorcycles," says Herman. The display of cars, which may top 200 this year, will be expanded from along Orinda Way to the 16th fairway of the Orinda Country Club. Road warriors will enjoy a special exhibit of race cars. For local history buffs, the Orinda Historical Society will curate a new edition of the unique "Orinda Thru the Years" exhibit located inside Orinda Motors, which will feature classic cars with historical artifacts and photos. Plus, local classic car expert Whitney Haist will exhibit his military vehicles and pre-World War II trucks.
Herman encourages residents who want to join the preshow party on Friday night to get tickets soon as the event was sold out last year. Once again the party will take place under a tent on Avenida de Orinda. Attendees will get a sneak preview of the Car Show and have a chance to bid for a get-around-car at the auction. And for party favors, the Chamber has helped to organize goodie bags with coupons from several local businesses.
And then on to the Restaurant Tour. On Tuesday, September 27th, the Chamber of Commerce will again team up with the Educational Foundation of Orinda to host the fourth annual Restaurant Tour. Foodies can explore the City's culinary offerings, riding from restaurant to restaurant in a San Francisco trolley as they are serenaded by the Orinda Idol winners. "Every year we have added new restaurants," says Chamber President Sue Breedlove, "It's a great night out." The evening starts at 5:30 p.m. in Theater Square where attendees register and munch hors d'oeuvres and moves on from there. "Interest in the Tour has increased every year, and we are excited to be able to sell more tickets this year," adds Chamber member Bob Routt, "The Restaurant Tour is a really great street party."
| | | A Car Show is Born. "My service Manager John Vanek had suggested that we start to work on classic cars over ten years ago, " says Allen Pennebaker, who has owned Orinda Motors since 1996. Not long after Orinda Motors got into the classic car restoration business, Orinda resident Chip Herman turned up with one of his vintage Mustangs. Pennebaker had been surprised by the number of classic car owners there are in the Lamorinda, and as he and Herman started to talk classic cars, the idea for a car show seemed obvious. Herman signed on as the show's organizer and Orinda Motors stepped up as the presenting sponsor providing financial support, manpower, and the use of the Orinda Motors' location.
"A great outcome of getting involved with the restoration of classic cars is the nice relationships we have developed with the local car owners," says Pennebaker...and the Car Show extends that to the community.
Up for auction at the Friday night Dancing with the Cars preshow party will be a 1997 Ford Explorer, 4WD, 6 Cylinder, Automatic Transmission, Green, with 100,000 miles; and a 1998 Saab 900 SE Turbo, Convertible, Automatic Transmission, Red, with 119,000 miles. If interested in the auction cars but cannot attend party, contact ChipHerman@OrindaCarShow.com.
For more information about the Orinda Car Show go to www.orindacarshow.com; and for the Restaurant Tour go to www.orindachamber.org/OrindaRestaurantTour2011.htm. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA