The sounds of motors revving filled the air as Intercultural Leadership students set up booths for the car show on Saturday. The show was a fundraising event for the class, but it also brought community members of all backgrounds together through a shared passion of cars.
“Sometimes we focus on all of our differences: where you come from, what you look like,” senior and car show committee co-lead Tatiola Sobomehin* said. “But, to see everyone just enjoying the same cars was great today.”
“Our biggest goal today was bringing together people from different backgrounds, different communities, all of our M-A surrounding communities to come out and support students doing things that they feel passionate about,” Sobomehin added.
Auctioned off from the actual movie set, the Ghostbusters car was voted “Most Cool Car.” Students and community members alike stopped to watch the owners blast the iconic Ghostbusters theme song and flash the car’s bright lights. “I think the Ghostbusters car is awesome,” Tesla employee Jeremy Redden said. “I talked to my coworker and told him it’s actually from the movie.”
Donald Pong, a car enthusiast since 16 who brought his lime green 1970 Dodge Challenger, like most of the event’s car owners, has been interested in cars from a young age. He mainly goes to smaller car shows where he can talk to local car fanatics. “There’s such a large array of different classes and stuff. I like the Cadillac. It’s pretty cool.”
Most of the car owners were not M-A students, though some were relatives. Others saw flyers and online advertising for the show.
“My grandson told me about it,” community member Dan Pagee, who brought his 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, said. A classic car enthusiast, Pagee also owns a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, a 1965 Chevrolet Nova, a 1965 Chevrolet Malibu, and a 1969 Chevrolet El Camino.
“We really wanted to have a place where the community could come together and celebrate cars, as well as build bridges—have a space where people could meet each other, enjoy some delicious food, and spend a fun Saturday!” said M-A sophomore and co-lead Eliza Crowe.
“We were able to pull together and have some really successful fundraising in addition to our car competition,” Crowe said. “I think the lowkey environment was very appealing to many.”
Along with the $5 tickets, Intercultural Leadership also sold doughnuts, nachos, paletas, and car show merchandise. They also had a torta cart, a lemonade stand, and a hamburger and hot dog station.
Art teacher Mitzi Ulloa had an art station where attendees painted a sign that said “Unity and Community.”
“If you’re interested in joining Intercultural Leadership, we help put on crazy cool events like this,” Sobomehin said. “Come talk to Ms. Flores [the Intercultural Leadership teacher] and we’d be more than happy to welcome you!”
*Tatiola Sobomehin is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
