Kiwanis’ Graffiti fest moves to Muni this year

The biggest event of the annual Graffiti Summer June blowout in Modesto will draw its crowds to a different location this year.

The 17th annual Modesto American Graffiti Car Show and Festival, sponsored by the North Modesto Kiwanis Club, will be held at the Modesto Municipal Golf Course on June 13-14. The accompanying parade will be held June 12.

Previously held at the Modesto Junior College West Campus, the event has outgrown that location, car show chairman John Sanders said in a press release. Last year’s festival drew about 1,100 classic cars, including some from as far away as Texas. All event proceeds benefit the many youth programs supported by the Kiwanis organization.

According to the release, the MJC campus has been expanding with new buildings and enlarged parking lots, reducing the space available for the festival. Sanders said the new location will provide a bigger display area for classic vehicles, entertainers, and food and specialty vendors.

American Graffiti Festival activities traditionally start on a Friday evening with a free parade of classic vehicles. In 2014, the car parade was extended from downtown Modesto to McHenry Avenue as far north as Orangeburg Avenue. Sanders said that same section of McHenry will be included in the parade route this year.

The Muni golf course will be closed for the Saturday and Sunday car show, and most of the nine-hole course will be fenced off for the event.

Gene Winfield, a Modesto native known worldwide for his custom cars and paint, and “American Graffiti” cast members Candy Clark and Bo Hopkins will return as guests for the 2015 parade and festival. Retired Modesto businessman Wendell Reed, a collector of vintage cars, will be the grand marshal.

During the festival, Winfield will chop the top off a car and remake it, one of his signature styles of customizing cars. Winfield has built roadsters and created special vehicles for numerous movies and celebrities.

To participate in the car parade, vehicles must be model year 1979 or older, and owners must register for the show. Information and registration forms are available at www.americangraffitifestival.com and www.northmodestokiwanis.org or by calling (888) 746-9763.

Admission to the car show at the golf course will be $10, free for children age 12 and younger. Muni is at 400 Tuolumne Blvd., Modesto. The June 12 parade begins at 7 p.m. Festival hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 13; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 14.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Kiwanis’ Graffiti fest moves to Muni this year."