Woodies on the Wharf, 2007 was Great!

We had over 200 wooden bodied cars driven in from as far away as British Columbia. We had people who came in from several midwest states and well as the east coast. What a great 3 day event. It started with the reception on Friday night and ended with the cruise on Sunday. Many said it was the best ever! If you missed it, make sure you join us next year on June 28, 2008.

Woodies on the Wharf 2008 is
June 28, 2008
Santa Cruz, CA
Make sure to mark your calendars and get your hotel reservations early!

Below is a recap of how it all got started over ten years ago:

This all began ten years ago, with just a couple of dozen members, the Santa Cruz Woodies were a fledgling chapter of the National Woodie Club. But because of the natural tie-in to the local surfing community, the club member's cars drew a crowd anytime two or three of them got together.

We'd participated in events with our woodies at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the cars were always met with enthusiasm, so we decided to put on an event of our own. The Santa Cruz Wharf seemed like an ideal venue, but when we presented our idea to the Wharf merchants, they weren't to sure about giving up their parking to a car show. We would have to convince them that the woodies, and the crowds they would draw would be worth it.

We found an ally in Lisa McGinnis, the Events Director for the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department. Hardworking, dedicated, Lisa is also a surfer and real fan of these cars. She helped convince the Wharf merchants to give it a go.

That was ten years ago. Today, the restaurants and shops on the wharf tell us our event is their busiest day of the year.

To be absolutely honest, we had no idea how many woodies would show up that first year. We knew roughly how many cars there were locally, but how many woodies would drive in from out of town was anyone's guess. The day before the event, we counted just over three dozen and we knew that the first Woodies on the Wharf would be the second largest gathering of woodies anywhere in the world. (The largest, Wavecrest, is held each fall in Encinitas and regularly draws over 200 woodies).

Last year, we had over 200 woodies attend, including cars from as far away as Arizona, Oregon, Washington, the east coast and Canada. But no matter where they come from, virtually all woodie owners agree, this is one of the best woodie events in the world!!!

Read more about the First Woodies on the Wharf as reprinted in the Termite Times.