Buoyed by the success of the pandemic-driven car cruise around Seal Beach, Chamber members recently learned that the first-time event will likely be back for another go around in 2022.
Also roaring back into town post pandemic will be the summer concert series, the car show and maybe the parklets are set for a semi-permanent place on Main Street (see related story) as the Mayberry by the Sea Chamber met in the open air of oceanside on Thursday.
Officials of the Chamber expressed enthusiasm over the community’s reception of the recent car cruise.
“Once we turned the corner and started entering the neighborhoods, we couldn’t believe what we saw,” said Chamber President Rob Jahncke. “There were so many people having their bar-b-ques on driveways with their kids, cheering us on,” he said, it was heartwarming for both the public and the participants.
“We really appreciate that, and you just don’t see that very often,” said Jahncke of the “old town feeling.”
“Thank you, Seal Beach Chamber,” he said, also thanking volunteers, drivers, committee chairs, sponsors, and partners for creating a spectacular event.
Event Chairman Tim Way said the community’s first-ever Classic Car Cruise went astonishingly smooth, given there was no precedent and the sheer magnitude of the event. He said each of the committee chairs did an amazing job of organization.
Way said the group had only nine months to put the cruise together, as the Chamber decided during the pandemic to replace the annual Spring Car Show with this event, since the state’s stay-at-home order would not have allowed for a successful car show.
“We were parading 200 Classic cars through the streets of Seal Beach,” he said, “and we had to observe all traffic laws, we could not obstruct other traffic and we did it,” he said. “I was blown away.”
Moreover, Way said “I think we achieved our purpose of bringing commerce into this small, little town,” adding that “this is an event we can do every year.”
Jahncke also announced the Summer Concert series would be held this summer, even though there are still some questions that can’t be answered until the full extent of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new guidelines, expected to be issued June 15 when the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” is lifted.
Nevertheless, Jahncke said the Chamber is preparing to hold four concerts this summer. Two in July and two in August. “They will be held on the last four Wednesdays before school starts,” he said while inviting local businesses to help sponsor the summer concerts.
“I know the city has really been missing this event,” he said.
In addition, he said the Chamber has now rescheduled its traditional Spring Car Show for October 9. With the pandemic on the wane, Jahncke said the Chamber is working hard to bring back popular events as safely and quickly as possible.
