AUGUST 16 – SEPTEMBER 5, 2022
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SANTA YNEZVALLEYSTAR.COM
Classic Car Enthusiast Puts a Lid on His ‘Legacy’
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Robert Stokes and his organization will put on one final Wheels ’N’ Windmills Car Show By Pamela Dozois Contributing Writer
T
he 16th annual Wheels ’N’ Windmills Car Show is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27. The classic car show has been in existence for 21 years. For the first six years the event was staged in Buellton as the Avenue of Flags Car Show, named after the street on which the event was held. For the last 15 years the event has been staged in the town center of Solvang as the Wheels ’N’ Windmills Car Show. The event was inspired by two classic car owners, Robert Stokes and Jerry Renelli, who wanted to put on a classic car show as a way of supporting their community. It needed to accomplish at least three things: First, the event had to cater to the classic car enthusiast; second, it had to provide revenue for the surrounding cities; and third, the proceeds from the event would go to various local chosen charities. That “charter” was, and still is, in place today. “I came to the Valley in 1997 from
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Ed Grand (left) and Dan Hogland are two of the remaining Wheels ‘N’ Windmills board members who will be retiring after the organization puts on its last show in Solvang on Aug. 27. Contributed Photo.
San Jose to be closer to my parents,” said Stokes, president of the Wheels ’N’ Windmills Car Show. “I own a 1967 Oldsmobile 442 and when we got here, I noticed that there were no classic car shows nearby. “I learned about a Thursday night get-together for classic cars at the Big Bopper Restaurant in Solvang. The first night I took my car to the restaurant, it drew quite a crowd because no one had ever seen it before. Jerry Renelli was there that night
with his ’68 Oldsmobile 442 and we became instant friends, and within a year we decided to put on a classic car show in Buellton.” In the first six years of the car show in Buellton, the number of participating vehicles went from 85 the first year to over 200 in the last year of the Avenue of Flags Car Show. When the car show moved to Solvang in 2005 and became Wheels ‘N’ Windmills Car Show, the popularity
of the event increased significantly due in part to the beautiful backdrop of Solvang and the many shops and restaurants for the participants to enjoy before, during, and after the event. The car show attracts participants and car clubs from all over the state and even out of state, Stokes said. Over 300 vehicles registered for the event in 2019. “Initially, we really had to sell the City of Solvang on our project,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
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