Graffiti in Modesto over the years

Some notable dates and incidents in Graffiti history in Modesto:

▪ Back in the 1960s, graffiti had one meaning: spray-painting your name on a wall.

▪ The original cruisers drove 10th and 11th streets in downtown Modesto, making stops at Burge’s Drive-In at Ninth and O streets.

▪ Burge’s opened in 1947 and closed in 1967.

▪ Cruising later moved to J Street, then McHenry Avenue.

▪ Best known among cruisers were The Faros, a car club that George Lucas renamed The Pharaohs for “American Graffiti.” In the film, The Pharaohs are mischievous, semi-mean dudes, practitioners of petty crime. In reality, former club members say, they were good guys: teenagers who loved cars, driving and hanging out together.

▪ The original Faros thought of themselves as a service club centered on cars. They did, however, make one another do silly initiation stunts like dressing in diapers and riding down McHenry.

▪ The thrill of the cruise was hanging out, driving and hoping to meet members of the opposite sex.

▪ City and police officials didn’t see it that way. Cruising was an innocent pastime that grew more dangerous along with society in general. Rowdy crowds rioted as early as 1978, with 60 arrests and 500 cited. It raged out of control sporadically through 1994.

▪ Modesto officially sanctioned “Graffiti Night” cruising in 1979.

▪ One man was killed in a police shooting at Graffiti Night in 1980. That year, Modesto withdrew support for Graffiti cruise, but it continued on an unofficial basis.

▪ In 1985, the Chamber of Commerce established a Graffiti car parade with a fee for entering.

▪ In 1988, Wolfman Jack made his first appearance at Graffiti.

▪ In 1990, the City Council banned cruising, except on Graffiti Night.

▪ Graffiti USA, a classic-car and cruising festival, was launched in 1991.

▪ The Graffiti Night cruise was outlawed in 1993.

▪ In recent years, the emphasis has been on Graffiti Summer, a series of car shows, parades, concerts and movies.

This story was originally published May 23, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Graffiti in Modesto over the years."