Matt Sisco carries his son Evan, 2, on his shoulders as they walk along San Benito Street and check out the cars during the Street Festival over the weekend in downtown Hollister.
Even with so many vehicle options these days, the 22nd annual Street Festival proved that locals love their classic cars.
This year's event held Saturday in downtown Hollister brought out a record number of cars and trucks - 138 - entered into various judging competitions, said Sharlene Van Rooy with the Hollister Downtown Association, which puts on the festival.
The big winner this year of the "Best in Show" trophy was Los Banos' Tony Gomes, who owns a 1969 Pontiac GTO.
"Everyone seemed to have a really great time," Van Rooy said.
Organizers will HDA hope to take their success and build on it, though. This year's event was the first at which they handed out surveys to gauge visitors' opinions so they can try to improve the Street Festival next year. Van Rooy said the HDA already has ideas, based on this year's surveys, on which they plan to move forward.
But the event's focus - the classic cars and trucks - will remain a constant. And their owners, as always, got to vote on this year's winners in three categories: Custom Modified, Street Stock and Vintage Classic.
The vehicle with the most composite points wins Best in Show, Van Rooy noted. At this weekend's event there was a tie at the top, so the HDA commissioned their tie-breaking judge, Dennis Espinoza of Merced, to pick the big winner, Van Rooy said.
Aside from the cars, the family-friendly event had plenty to offer for the many families who visited as well, with musical acts throughout the day and, of course, free watermelon.
Street Festival winners
Custom Modified
1st: Richard McAbee of Hollister; 1956 Chevy Bel Air
2nd: Art and Louise Fortin of Gilroy; 1935 Ford Woodie
3rd: Richard Garcia of Watsonville; 1932 Ford Roadster
Street Stock
1st: Desmond Dann of San Martin; 1955 Chevy Bel Air
2nd: Daniel Corral of Hollister; 1956 Cadillac Coup DeVille
3rd: Tom Watkins of Chowchilla; 1961 Ford Starliner
Vintage Classic
1st: Dave Calhous of Morgan Hill; 1955 Chevy Bel Air
2nd: Bruce Hansen of Salinas; 1953 Chevy Corvette
3rd: Linda and Max Satomba of Hollister; 1967 Pontiac GTO
Jeff Gatlin Jeff Gatlin is a staff writer at The Hollister Free Lance. You can call him at (831) 637-5566 or send him an email.
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