Cruzin Cars Cruiz into Verdue for Annual Route 66 Rendezvous....

Its that time of the year again, at least for the 18 th annual Stater Bros Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino. Starting next Thursday, the 13th, over 500,000 people are expected to line the streets of Verdue to watch 1,900 classic cars cruiz Fifth street. A 35 block area on the north side of downtown will be blocked off for the 4 day event. This includes the area around Fifth to the north and Rialto Ave. to the south, G street to the west and Sierra Ave to the East.

In years past 2,448 cars were allowed to take part, the number of miles in Route 66. This year the number has been reduced to 1,900 so every car will have a reserved parking space. All cars will be models from 1973 or earlier with the exception of any Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Corvette or Plymouth Prowler.

Stater Bros. has been the title sponsor of the Rendezvous for the past 10 years and has been involved with the event since it began in 1990. The boss of Stater Bros says and I quote, "Truly, we have the best auto show in the country and one of the best street fairs."

Here is an idea of what to expect at this years Rendezvous. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile will be on hand for the Oscar Mayer "Sing a Jingle, be a Star" contest. The contest will take place at Court Street Square and give kids the chance to win a role in an Oscar Mayer commercial. Plus there will be hundreds of vendors and other attractions, and lots of contests for adults and kids alike.

And there will be live Entertainment as the classic cars cruize on down the street - and the whole affair begins with an opening ceremony that begins at 5:30 on Thursday. Think your car is "hot stuff". There will be a Burnout contest at the Orange Show Speedway, Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m.. It will cost $5 to enter the contest, and $6 to sit in the seats and just watch. Cars compete to see which can burn the most rubber for the roaring crowd.

Then there will be a Neon light contest at Meadowbrook Park (on Third Street between Arrowhead Avenue and Sierra Way) Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. There is no cost to enter this competition. This is for the car buff who decorates his car with hundreds of Neon Lights and participants compete to see who has the most creative and decorative neon lights.

On Saturday, there will be a Poker run at check-in location at National Orange Show Events Center. Check-in is from 8 to 10 a.m. and it cost $5 to enter the contest. What happens is that the Participants of this contest get a Mystery Map and they drive through downtown stopping at various businesses. As they go into each store they look for and collect poker cards and the driver who shows up at the end of his route with the best hand, wins the contest.

Also on Saturday there is a Open header contest at Meadowbrook Park, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. There is no cost to enter, But you have a valid drivers license and must be registered in the event to participant. Free admission to the general public. The loudest engine wins this contest as participants rev it up for the crowd and judges, so bring your ear plugs if you must or hearing aids in my case.

For more information on the Route 66 Rendezvous, call the San Bernardino Convention and Visitors Bureau at (909) 388-2934 or visit www.route-66.org.

The last time i went was in 1996 and we had a great time. It is a way to show the kids what the classic cars of yesterday looked like while at the same time instilling in them a sense of pride at what this country and people can build when we put our minds to it. I hope you have a good time if you decide to go - and remember to take the kids.