The Classic at Pismo Beach brought people together to celebrate its 40th anniversary May 29th through May 31rst. The car show premiered in 1986 and consistently draws over 1000 classic cars from owners all over California for all to admire.
The annual car show means more to Clarence Cabreros (AGHS class of 1988). Cabreros was captain of the AGHS football team, and won the first-ever CIF championship in school history. He played middle linebacker and center as a three-year letterman.
In his mid-40s, Cabreros suffered a devastating stroke, which left him with significant paralysis on his right side. As a result, he is no longer able to manipulate manual transmission vehicles. He looks forward to attending The Classic every year to admire these types of classic vehicles that he is no longer able to drive.
“I like to attend the Pismo car show to admire people’s cars [that] they have worked on and kept clean for a long time,” Cabreros said.
He also loves AGHS and attends home sporting events.
“I loved [my years at AGHS]. I loved it so much that I thought I was going to come back and be a teacher and football coach,” Cabreros said.
Although Cabreros never became a teacher, he has close friends who work at AGHS, like Shannon and Joe Hurtado.
Locals and out-of-towners alike attend The Classic to meet people with similar interests and look at well-maintained cars. Jerry Greene, who lives in Santa Barbara, attended the car show for his third year in a row.
“I feel that [the car show] allows people to share the hard work they have put into a car that they cherish,” Greene said.
(Raden Marley)
Raymond McDonald, another attendee with a strong passion for classic cars, said that the strip of cars throughout downtown Pismo Beach brought back memories from his childhood.
“I never built these cars, but I’ve always had a romantic feeling when I see them. As a child, these cars were brand new to me,” McDonald said. “The 1950s and 1960s produced incredible machines, and seeing even better ones at the Pismo Car Show is honestly miraculous.”
