Drivers, spectators enjoy a cruise down Main Street

The 2018 Ramona American Graffiti Cruise rides into the sunset Sept. 20 as another season of cruising vehicles up and down Main Street closes until the 2019 version starts in April.

Vehicles of every sort are welcome to participate in the free cruises from about 6:30 p.m. or earlier through sunset every Thursday night, said the event’s creator, Jerry Keller of Ramona.

“Everything from Model A’s to 18-wheelers,” Keller said. “Some of those truckers are everyday workers, but they keep their trucks fine-looking. You could even cruise on a bicycle if you wanted to.”

Muscle cars, classics, hot rods, motorcycles and customs are all seen parading the main drag. The event is temporarily closing as it gets dark earlier.

Keller likes to kick off the new cruise seasons with his wife, Kristy, by driving Kristy’s 1947 Plymouth Woodie. The car has been in Kristy’s family since her parents bought it in 1950.

“I got my driver’s license in this car when I was 16,” Kristy said. “There’s a lot of memories in this car. It’s been through a lot with me. My brother Milo Prodanovich converted it to a hot rod when he drove it to state college, but I returned it to its original condition.”

The car will stay in the family as Kristy plans to hand it down to her oldest son, Colin Cook, who is the second owner listed on the pink slip.

Another favorite show car the Kellers cruise in is a 2008 Dodge Viper American Club Racing car. Kristy said only 179 of these cars were made, and of those, the Kellers own the only one painted Viper Violet.

They also have an assortment of brightly colored Dodge cars from the 1960s and ‘70s in their garage, including street legal race cars.

Jerry has been driving since he was 13, as he was able to get his driver’s license that young in Kansas, and continued his passion for driving and restoring cars on and off over the years. He enjoys drag racing in his 1962 and 1963 Dodge Super Stock Cars at the Barona Speedway and the couple race throughout the western United States, winning many ribbons, plaques and trophies.

The thought of letting their cars sit idle in the garage most of the time sparked an idea among the Kellers and a group of other car enthusiasts as they talked amongst themselves at Ramona’s Sunday Car Show.

They wanted a way to keep their cars running and Jerry Keller encouraged the idea of cruising the strip based on the “American Graffiti” movie that draws on the culture of cruising in the 1960s and ‘70s.

“I was watching the movie and saw them cruise around and go in the drive-through restaurants,” Jerry Keller said. “That’s where I got the idea. We don’t have drive-through restaurants but that doesn’t matter. We cruise around like in the movie.”

And so Ramona American Graffiti Cruise started four years ago with the idea of offering a night of entertainment other than on weekends when people are busy and not conflicting with Monday Night Football. Word got around without advertising other than a Facebook page and participation in the cruise exceeded the Kellers’ expectations. They said 50 or more cars routinely turn up and on some nights as many as 200 cars have been seen cruising.

Last Thursday evening, Gus and Helen Sprong were seen cruising in their teal green 1947 Ford.

Helen said they participate in the Ramona American Graffiti Cruise just about every week because they love old cars and enjoy a night out that sometimes includes dinner at a restaurant.

“We just like being amongst people,” said Helen, commenting they’ll miss cruise night during its break. “Friends of ours came over for dinner tonight and then we’ll go to Wendy’s for ice cream afterwards.”

Regular spectators of the cruise include Ramona residents Pam Garramone and Cody Thill.

“The louder the cars and motorcycles are the better he likes it,” said Garramone, who takes care of Cody. “It’s better to see these cars out on the road rather than in a museum collecting dust.”

Among the regular cars they keep an eye open for are The Mystery Machine based on the “Scooby Doo” cartoon series and old military Jeeps.

“We never know who we’re going to see,” Garramone said. “Some of the regulars know us and will rev the engines just because they know he likes it. Some of the teenagers are someone Cody knew from Ramona High School and will wave and say ‘hi’ to Cody.”

Ramona resident Brandy Lordigyan is another cruise regular who usually watches the cars go by while picnicking on the lawn near Albertsons, sometimes with her son Spencer Lee, 12, and daughter Mercedes, 15, as her husband Steve drives by.

Brandy and Steve are members of the East County Cruisers car club that raises money for military families. At Thanksgiving, members parade their cars to deliver dinners and at Christmastime they’ll take Santa with a red fire truck to deliver dinner and gifts for the benefit of local military families.

Brandy said they own one of the real General Lee cars from the “Dukes of Hazzard” TV series. She said most of the General Lees crashed or became undriveable but they were able to get No. 7 with proceeds from selling a replica General Lee. Other cars they own include replicas of the DeLorean time machine from the “Back to the Future” movies, an “Andy Giffith Show” car, a 1987 Toyota 4Runner monster truck and The Mystery Machine. Brandy said she prefers to spectate because some of the cars are difficult to drive or have challenging steering and brake systems.

“I have more fun watching them drive, and they always turn the radio up super loud,” she said.

Ramona resident Rod Hepburn takes a more active role in the cruise by regularly taking pictures of the cars and drivers strutting on the road. Hepburn said he took an interest in photographing cruise cars after he connected with Elizabeth Chavez, who manages the Ramona American Graffiti Cruise Facebook page. Hepburn said he likes body surfing and had posted pictures of ocean waves on the wall of his mother-in-law’s care facility in Poway. Chavez was one of his mother-in-law’s caregivers who saw the pictures and suggested Hepburn take pictures of the cruising cars, too.

Hepburn said he has taken as many as 500 pictures at Ramona American Graffiti Cruise during the past four years and has posted some of them on the cruise Facebook page, which has 4,000 followers.

Also seen on the sidelines is car enthusiast Leroy Clubb, who sells American Graffiti Cruise themed hats, T-shirts and bracelets for the benefit of the Ramona Senior Center. Clubb’s last night of selling was Sept. 13 as he planned to drive in the cruise the final night of the 2018 season.

That evening Ramona resident Amy Everett came out to watch the cars with a group of a half-dozen family and friends along with their dogs. Everett said she’s been a regular spectator from her former Kelly Avenue lawn where she could watch the cruise drivers turn around. Even though she recently moved to an apartment in Ramona, she regularly posts announcements on the American Graffiti Cruise Facebook page to let the cruisers know the Kelly Avenue Crew will be attending.

“The Kellers have done a good job of keeping the event alive and making it a tradition,” Everett said. “I love that it’s so family friendly and that people can enjoy the nice weather and the beautiful cars.”

Ramona American Graffiti Cruise’s next event will be a Car Show at the Ramona Senior Center parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. The event showcasing muscle cars, hot rods and assorted other cars and motorcycles will include a raffle, silent auction and free hot dogs and drinks. All donations benefit the Ramona Senior Center. For more information, contact Clubb at 619-980-3647.