At the Carnales Unidos car show, families gathered to have fun and admire the cars on display. With 200-250 cars on display, varying from trucks and low riders to classic Bel Airs, there were many cars of all shades of color for these families to see. For the organizers and participants, there was a feeling of community at the show.
Every year the Carnales Unidos car club puts on a show. This year it was at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Every year the club helps to raise money for a charity organization, and this year they picked the Sheriff’s Activities League.
According to Harvey Reyes, the president of the Carnales Unidos club, the goal of the club is to bring neighborhoods together.
“I’m from Bakersfield, I’ve lived all my life here,” he said. “We wanted to give back to the community. We’re committed to the neighborhoods.”
For Javier Gonzalez, a three-year student at College of the Sequoias and member of the Wicked Customz car club, showing his car was a lifelong dream of his and his dad. They have had a plan for the car as long as his dad has had it.
“My dad’s had that car for 24 years,” Gonzales said. “He always envisioned having the trunk flipped suicide (trunk turned upside down) with the Virgin Mary showing out in the desert. He always liked to have that in his car.”
Gonzalez is happy about where his work-in-progress car has turned out.
“It feels good,” he said. “It’s not 100% there, it’s about 50% there, which is where my dad wants it, but I still want more than he wants.
“I feel proud because he gave me the responsibility.”
The Alanis family went to the event and had two of their children competing in the show. Yodhin, 7, competed with his blue mini-bike and Trinidae, 8, competed with a green tricycle. Monica Alanis, their mother, said that she wanted her children to be able to compete in the show. She also wanted Yodhin and Trinidae to have different vehicles so they wouldn’t compete.
Monica described getting ready for the show as a family effort.
“The night before, my sons washed their bikes and got everything ready and my husband washes cars and they all did it together,” she said.
Trinidae enjoys competing in the show.
“I like my bike because it’s green, and I won one trophy on it,” said Trinidae.
Richard Martinez, the president of car club Aztec Image, wants his 1971 Rivera to make an impression on people.
“My car’s a multi-color Rivera with flakes and patterns,” said Martinez. “That’s how I like it. If you see it, you’re going to remember it.
“You can go to a car and go ‘oh, that’s nice.’ I don’t want nice. I had a car with a lot of gold, and this guy say’s ‘that’s ugly, why’d you do all that?’ I’m getting the expression I want.
“You’ve been staring at my car for 20 minutes you don’t like it, but you can’t help but look at it.”
Other than showing off his car, Martinez enjoyed the company of people at the car show.
“I enjoy the people looking at my car,” he said. “I enjoy the people taking pictures of my car. When I was little, I envied them, and now I finally have it. So now, I want to give it back to them.”