myBurbank Talks
myBurbank Talks
Chrome and Community: Inside the 34th Annual Road Kings Charity Car Show 2025
Under an overcast sky at Johnny Carson Park, the heart of Burbank comes alive with chrome, color, and community spirit. The 34th Annual Road Kings Charity Car Show transforms this peaceful park into a dazzling showcase of automotive history, where over 300 classic vehicles draw thousands of admirers while serving a greater purpose.
What makes this event extraordinary isn't just the meticulously restored hot rods or the gleaming vintage treasures—it's the people behind them. The Road Kings, established in 1952 with just 17 members, have built something remarkable: a car club where passion meets philanthropy. Every dollar raised goes directly back to Burbank charities, continuing a tradition that has contributed approximately $1 million to local causes since the early 1990s.
As we wander between rows of Nomads, Mustangs, and El Caminos with their hoods proudly raised, we discover that each vehicle carries not just passengers but stories. We meet original Road Kings member Jim Miles, who recalls racing his '49 Ford with a built flathead engine. We chat with Chris Jacobs about his journey from Overhaulin' to hosting Mecum Auctions. Burbank council members share how these community gatherings strengthen the city's social fabric during challenging times.
The beauty of the Road Kings show extends beyond metal and motors—it's in watching three generations of a family admire a '57 Chevy together, in seeing friendships renewed over shared memories of first cars, and in witnessing a community celebrate what makes them unique while giving back to those in need.
Whether you're a dedicated gearhead who can identify every engine modification or simply someone who appreciates beauty, craftsmanship and community spirit, the Road Kings Charity Car Show reminds us what happens when passion drives purpose. Come see where Burbank's heart and heritage meet on four wheels.
Good morning from an overcast but always beautiful Johnny Carson Park in the heart of the media capital of the world, Burbank, California. The Burbank Talks crew is all here at the 34th annual Road Kings Charity Car Show. This is Craig Durling and I'm joined as always by Burbank legends Craig Sherwood and Ross Benson. Join us as we bring you all the action from what is always a great event. Stay tuned and let's get this show on the road.
Speaker 2:Hello, Burbank. Craig Stewart here with you once again on location, along, of course, with Ross Benson.
Speaker 3:Wow Jazz hands.
Speaker 1:Jazz hands.
Speaker 3:This is. We're on grass, yes, we are. I didn't take my. We're not on grass, but You're on grass, yes, we are. I didn't take my.
Speaker 1:We're not on grass, you're on something.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I didn't take my allergy medicine. You guys didn't warn me.
Speaker 2:We have also, of course, with us the voice of my beret, craig Durling. Good morning everybody. And we are here for another edition of the Road Kings Car Show, the 2025 edition. We're looking out around the crowd. Right now it's forming. It's early. It's a huge crowd already. We have hundreds of cars here. How many Hundreds of cars?
Speaker 3:So I just heard somebody say they're on the other side of the river even.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I never even knew there was another side here until I got here this morning, but there's cars everywhere.
Speaker 2:Well, the Road Kings really do a great job of putting this together every year. This is a fantastic event. Every single dollar raised here goes toward Burbank Charities. Now, one dollar goes to the Road Kings themselves, so you give them a lot of credit for that. It's an outstanding thing.
Speaker 1:And we'll get into it later, but that's a big part of what the Road Kings do.
Speaker 3:Exactly, and I was just going to say they put on some fantastic events. This is their biggest. But you're right, the money that they raise as a car club, that they turn around and give it right back to the community, that is just fantastic.
Speaker 1:Not just this event, they do events throughout the entire year. Yep.
Speaker 2:Well, we're going to show you. We have some footage we'll show you. During our show today we have a lot of guests coming up. We got a roving camera out there. We have a roving camera out there. We got a rover.
Speaker 1:We actually got the X-Man out there. We have a GoPro strapped to a dog's head. He's just wandering around. No, he's not a dog, trust me. Non-union.
Speaker 2:Anyhow, we will be with you in a second with a guest, so stay tuned, can't wait. Okay, ross, we have our first guest. Why don't you introduce him?
Speaker 3:We do, we happened. The show is just starting. It's like a little after 9 o'clock and I heard that they did the flag salute and then they did the National Anthem and it was sang by Gino Guardio, and I've known Gino now over 25 years.
Speaker 1:Whoever sang it, it was like he was right here, like he was here.
Speaker 3:Almost next to you, as if you were right on key. You brought your little little thing to blow into. Oh no, you didn't. You brought a different device now there it is, but it's the same thing and you use that your rendition. I've heard you sing it many times. How do you sing at nine o'clock in the morning that perfectly? I get up at 7 30 and start vocalizing talk to paul. Paul, my brother-in-law, has been visiting since uh for a couple of weeks yeah, I'm surprised you have any voice left at all.
Speaker 1:I know, I know you gotta get warm.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, you've done this show for dawn for road kings oh, it's gotta have been I don't know, and 15 years, something like that, yeah, oh, it's a great way to start the show. And I've heard you sing. You do quite a few. We were together a couple weeks ago, yeah, doing uh something that, uh, cambridge park. That's right, that's right, yeah, and uh, it's great to you know, you know the words. You finally have them memorized. You could do Dodger Stadium and not embarrass yourself for the country.
Speaker 2:Well, we've seen a lot of people over the years mess up the national anthem. Oh yeah, no doubt Do you ever feel that pressure in the middle of it, you know, and then we were going at it. Actually it happened at.
Speaker 3:Dodger Stadium. Yeah, I sang, you know, through the Burbank Kiwanis I sang Burbank Night at Dodger. Stadium about eight times and one time I actually did go up on the words, but I kept singing and the words came out, oh good.
Speaker 1:That can happen. There are many versions out there.
Speaker 3:Don't they televise it so you can read the words? No, you're out there in the middle of the field, all by your lonesome. Well, I've talked to other people that have sung there and it's really hard because of the sound system. You're really listening to it in ear right by the delay usually right?
Speaker 2:well, it depends if you're out, and if you're out in the field, there's a delay, and so you can't listen to yourself singing, or else you'll stop.
Speaker 1:It'd be the worst thing that could go on.
Speaker 2:If you're at home plate, it's different. How many years have you been doing the National Anthem and how many different spots? What are some of the locations you've been doing it at?
Speaker 9:I started probably. I mean people need anthem singers.
Speaker 3:And I've always loved doing it. I've sung for Italian events all over Southern California. I've sung for a lot of events at Burbank. For all I'm asked to sing.
Speaker 1:Whenever I'm asked to sing, I like to sing. Have you sung it in Italian, though? No, but I've sung the Italian national anthem. Oh, that's good, yeah, hopefully we'll hear that later, yeah okay, yeah, I like the little anthem.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a good little anthem.
Speaker 3:It's operatic, it's very Italian. Yeah, it really is as it should be, yeah, and my daughter lives in Phoenix area, and so she's been singing the national anthem for spring training.
Speaker 1:Oh, cool For the last two or three years. Family thing, we're kind of passing it along. Yeah, you got good pipes. Thank you, the voice of a crooner, thank you well you.
Speaker 3:You know you're. You do it so professionally and I've been to a lot of events with you over the years. You always do it smack on. You sound great everybody. I mean you could hear a spare tire drop out here when you were singing. There's a lot of those.
Speaker 1:But you know we, we had your back, though we know the pro you are, nothing would have gone wrong. But if something went awry, they never would have known if the crowd would have taken over for you.
Speaker 3:Right, right in a group, a group effort horrific so now you've said you've done the car show for many years, which I know, and what's your favorite car out here? Have you got to look around yet? Well, you know, you know, they give the Singer a car, a car, great, great. Well, a friend of mine was married to somebody. I went to Whittier College with Jerry.
Speaker 2:I don't even know Jerry's last name. Yeah, you know Jerry. Yeah, jerry.
Speaker 1:With a J.
Speaker 3:Jerry, yeah, he's got the.
Speaker 1:I guess a 46 Ford or he's got that coupe, he got me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, anyway, me, yeah, anyway. That's a beautiful car, that's my favorite, I get it. Well, we're gonna have our. One of our next guests is don baldus roni. Okay, he kind of pulls his show together. We're gonna try to make you a deal. Okay, make me maybe drive the car or watch it drive out of here today. Okay, but I don't know about driving at all okay.
Speaker 1:If worse comes to worse, we'll create a distraction if the key's in it.
Speaker 5:We're gone. Yeah, you're gone, you're out of here, You're out of here, Well do you know again.
Speaker 3:always good Ross. Thank you guys, it's wonderful. Thanks for being here.
Speaker 2:Love doing it, and this is so much fun. Thank you All right. Thank you, ross. We have another guest.
Speaker 10:Please introduce the Mr Road King himself. You mean number two.
Speaker 3:Yes, number one. Number two Don Baldessaroni. You know this show wouldn't go on if it wasn't for Don Baldessaroni. Don has been a member of Road Kings. Well, give us a little history, don, before there were roads.
Speaker 10:Well, there were kings. Not quite that far, I just recently read your.
Speaker 3:you know your bio and before they had gasoline in engines. You know, and most people don't know this is a little trivia for Burbank people you owned a gas station at First and Olive and also at Olive and Glen Oaks, olive and Glen Oaks and five points for rank and victory.
Speaker 10:That was yours. I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the 76 station there. So you've pumped a lot of gas. I surely did.
Speaker 1:I had the greatest customers around because they're all burbank members that back in the day where the guy came out to your car with a big wad of cash in his pocket and peeled off the change and did the windshield.
Speaker 3:It's funny because there's a new place in town called Handel's Ice Cream and there used to be a 76 station there and I grew up Tilly's Union and I learned climb up on a milk crate, clean the windows. There were five things I had to do and I learned when I was 14. Clean the windows, check the oil, check the tire pressure that's after you put the gas in the pump and put it on slow so you can get everything done. And then when you were done, the car was full. People pulled out. That was full service. Now you don't get.
Speaker 10:Well, I'll tell you what. When I had my gas station I used to give cards out to my customers. Here Ross have a card and if you give me that card back with the guy's name that did full service on it, I give my guy 20 bill. That was back in the late 70s, but they had to do exactly what you said check the tires, hood, windows and can't really use the milk crates. Believe it or not, that's under a different jurisdiction FDA or whatever.
Speaker 2:There's a warning on there.
Speaker 1:It's all in property there.
Speaker 10:It's all in Scott's truth, because a lot of times you can't reach some of those older vehicles, right, right.
Speaker 3:But I remember women would love to come in. They don't want to be there in their nice dress, they don't want to be pumping oil or pump a gas, and um, so we're, let's, let's, let's. Jump back here. A second road kings car show, number 34 34, 34, yeah, I didn't think you were that old, but I know you're catching up to me, my grandson's, older than that.
Speaker 10:Well, you've been in road kings now, oh geez, since uh 86, 87 back in the 1900s.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the 1900s, the early days and you've you served in.
Speaker 3:you know you're not only in the road kings. You're part of the heritage commission in the city of burbank. You're part of the chamber of commerce. You're part of the Heritage Commission in the city of Burbank. You're part of the Chamber of Commerce. You're one of their ambassadors. Don is at every event. It's kind of like me. It's funny. Number one, number two, that's your carpool. It's funny because we both wear suspenders, because something's got to hold us up. I just gave Don's secret away. No wardrobe accidents here, no malfunctions. But how many cars do you have here today? Don's secret away. No wardrobe accidents here, no malfunctions, right, but how many cars do you have here today, don? Do you know?
Speaker 10:We're pushing 300, 350. Wow, can't have any more than 350 by park rules.
Speaker 1:All those park rules. Need to move your car, Ross.
Speaker 3:They did already. Oh, okay, they already towed it. No, somebody came and the park's people said you can't park where you are, you got to move it 35 feet. Rules is rules. They moved it up here already. It's right behind us.
Speaker 1:I hope I got my keys back. What an amazing use for Johnny Carson Park, though. What a great venue for this Well.
Speaker 3:Don dates back. I mean him and I go back. We've seen chili cook-offs here.
Speaker 1:We've seen concerts here we do care walk here every year, care walk, except this year we got rained out.
Speaker 10:Relay for life. We used to always do it here, best place in town for that. So I know you have what a dozen cars here, our cars, no, yours only. No only one more 55 Chevy, 55 Chevy, 55 Chevy.
Speaker 3:Well, I guess you were telling me this last week that the city came and videoed you in your car. Oh yes, and you have a classic. I mean, you've had several and you buy cars and sell cars and so forth. Which car is your favorite?
Speaker 10:of all your cars, boy, that's hard. I have two left, 55 Chevy with the flames and I have a 79 Trans Am Boke in the Bandit I bought in 1978 at Len Goodwin Pontiac when it was on San Fernando Road. Oh yeah, and I still have the car. I just restored it again about four years ago. I guess it is Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Speaker 3:You just restored the car.
Speaker 6:Again.
Speaker 3:Again. It has not left your garage in 10 years, but you restored.
Speaker 1:It's about wrenching on these cars. That's the love, right.
Speaker 10:That's the whole thing, you know I mean, it's the love of having a car. You have to have the experience of driving a car down the road, even the Trans Am or the 55, and people thumbs up. You know I mean.
Speaker 1:People appreciate it. They really appreciate it, and a lot of these cars out here were built when you could actually work on them yourself. Exactly Now you need a computer to plug into it and it tells you everything that's wrong with it. But really, the hands-on experience that these cars give you, I mean, that's where all the love is right. It really is, Because you're appreciating the result of your labors too.
Speaker 10:The camaraderie with the club is unbelievable.
Speaker 3:You have members that I know Fuzzy. You know Fuzzy's 103, now Not a big, I don't know. He's a little fuzzy, he's climbing up there. That's his trade name or his code name, um, but you have some members that are getting up there.
Speaker 10:Well, we just lost one last tuesday, don hoffman. He was 91 years old and weights on declined quite a bit. Uh, about a month ago we lost nick set q, you know when he was 85, 86, and he's been on and off ill for the last three years. So you know, we need, like all organizations, younger blood. But the young blood I mean thank God for Leno with his Leno Law. Maybe it'll help us out a little bit. You know.
Speaker 1:That's one thing I wanted to ask you. You know none of us are getting any younger. Are the Road Kings getting any younger? Are you? Are the road kings attracting any younger generations? Is there a way to attract them to, to the same passion you, you all, have you?
Speaker 10:know it's, it's difficult. I mean you could go out and buy a car, make car payments and, uh, they'll beat most of the cars here if they were racing or whatever.
Speaker 1:Then you hope, just like bell bottoms and vinyl records, everything will come back and this They'll beat most of the cars here if they were racing or whatever. You'll hope, just like bell bottoms and vinyl records, everything will come back and this will you know, everything will come full circle back to a love of these classic cars.
Speaker 10:Exactly, it really is. It really is. We have four new members coming in the club that are around the actually I was going to say under 35, which is fantastic. In fact, one kid, he said he's telling his, which I know are Kerry, a real estate broker I can't think of Kerry's last name. There's a couple of them. That's his mother-in-law, and she told him don't worry about it, just go down and see don and you know. So we sat together and everything and uh, he now started to process. He has a really nice nova and uh, nova, yeah I remember burbank police department at novas at one time they were white.
Speaker 3:Do you remember they?
Speaker 1:were one of the, might be one of those right the blue stripe on them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I remember when they went to no, everybody said that's Trevor.
Speaker 2:Nova, all Burbank cars are white and each department has its own color stripe to tell them apart, and so they didn't know. Is that a cop behind me or a parking wreck person?
Speaker 3:Yep. But you guys, road Kings, this is your big salami, your big shabang, your big event of the year, but that's what I understand you do a lot of other.
Speaker 3:Now I don't think a lot of people may realize, during COVID you guys drove around station to station and had a parade you do parades. You do stuff at Santa Anita and had a parade. You do parades, you do stuff at Santa Anita. And the main purpose of the Road Kings is not only the camaraderie of your club but it's also to raise funds that you guys turn around and give back to the community.
Speaker 10:What else, really? What else would we do? We need to do that. I mean, like during COVID, we had 200 cars. We traveled through all the streets of Burbank and visited every fire station in Burbank and by the police station Also. You know, I mean trying to give back a little bit to the. The community just says, look, we didn't make any money on doing those weeks, but we had enough people and afterwards we went to local restaurants and had lunch. It was fantastic.
Speaker 3:Well, just last week you guys put on, there's over 300 cars here. You say, oh, yeah. And just last Saturday, I know, you had a little show, a little tiny get-together at BB's they're Burbank and Buena Vista, yep, bb's, but you had a couple of dozen cars there, yeah. And then you enjoyed the meal at the restaurant. That is not only. That's doing a couple of things. You're not only helping restaurants out these days, because I know you've done that at, oh, a couple of restaurants the Hill Street Cafe, sure, alley Ranch, alley Ranch, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Buffet, sure, alley ray, alley ranch, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:And people don't realize you're just, you're not out here shining your, your chrome tie, you know rims and making sure your car. You already did that. But you know, I'm just curious. I look at some of the paint jobs on these cars and I would not want to put a rag to these cars. So you know, because I've I used to sell car wax many years ago and people don't realize if you wrote, take a rag or these brushes over a car, you're scratching it actually because there's dust on the car and you don't want to do that. And but the paint job on these in the upkeep?
Speaker 1:oh yes, anything out here original paint that you know of.
Speaker 10:You know, there's a few cars that are patinaed, Ah patina the patina, barn, find, barn, find, yeah, yeah, yeah, there are several cars like that. But you know, these paint jobs, a good paint job, will be starting at $10,000. That's a lot of money.
Speaker 1:And if you're committed here, you want top shelf restoration on these.
Speaker 10:Stop and think you pay ten thousand for a paint job, ten thousand for the motor, because now you put ls6s in. You know that's a late model, crossfire injection and everything, and, uh, you might have a forty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars in a car. I'll tell you what in 15 years you'll have a eighty thousand dollar car. You know, you've driven it all this time and it's like an investment, treated properly. It's an investment without a question, and I don't see there's a few people that drive them every day, but usually it's in your garage or you know where.
Speaker 1:No, one can see it, no one can appreciate, nobody can wave at you going down Olive or Alameda, right, right, right. Where can people find out more about Road Kings, especially if they want to join?
Speaker 10:Well, you could leave a message at 818. Write it down. Oh geez, how about the website? 523-1227.
Speaker 1:523-1227. 818-523-1247. Yeah, we'll probably throw that on the screen. Throw that on the screen and there's a website. Is it roadkingsnet? Yes, it is.
Speaker 10:Roadkingsnet and it'll tell you a lot of information. In fact, we have a booth right here today. If somebody wants to see interest in the Road Kings, we'll give them an application. We wants is interested in the road kings, we'll give them an application. We'll explain more about the club, you know, because we like to do things as a family. Uh, on the 21st we're going to be going out to um um, a mexican restaurant off of uh the 126, and probably can.
Speaker 10:Oh wow, you know it's a good little drive oh yeah, that's right, and there's a lot of little shows around and you know road kings try to be a present presenting in burbank like, uh, we helped with the excellence awards, less uh, back, we supplied water. Water there it is.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I'm gonna say most people wear different hats.
Speaker 10:You wear many shirts yeah, there you go, there you go, but I love every one of them. Yeah, you know, I really do you wouldn't do it.
Speaker 1:You're not getting paid for any of it, you know. This is all. We do this all out of love and passion. Well, you know that's it, don.
Speaker 3:You are, I see you almost. We're together usually once or twice a week at some event and so forth. You do put a lot in. You give back to this community more than a ton of people. I mean the different things you do, and that's what's so cool about not only the Road Kings, but the Heritage Commission, burbank, you know, chamber of Commerce and so forth. You know, not only here with cars today, but I'm looking over, we got an antique police car. You know we have an air engine.
Speaker 1:The Fire and Fire Society has a trolley, the trolley over there.
Speaker 3:That's a trolley and that's a Moreland Moreland. Did you take that to school? No, but Don built that. No, to be honest, that bus was built right here in this city.
Speaker 1:Now we've got to get B-roll of the bus. Got to put that on the list. Speaking of the website and events, I was on the website this morning and there's a calendar of all the events. Road Kings is involved in all the information. The flyer for this car show was on there, so everything Road Kings is on the website. Well, without a question.
Speaker 10:And past shows. We've gone to information about some of us members that are on the website. Getting back to the museum, we have a lot of nice things at the museum that we're just now getting ready to go the F-104, almost done. At Olive Park. We have a new edition of Amelia Earhart's statue that came from the airport. We have the 117A, a miniature model that they actually used for wind tunnels as they were building it.
Speaker 1:It's not small, it's just really far away.
Speaker 10:That's right. Well, it's actual size. It's probably quarter size. Oh wow, that's pretty big. We're going to finish it and we're going to put it on the side of the building.
Speaker 3:That'll be nice, that'll be great. It finish it and we're going to put it on the side of the building. That'll be nice, that's great, it'll be nice.
Speaker 10:Well, I know you are president currently of the. I'm president of the Burbank Circle Society, okay.
Speaker 3:There's been one that we didn't add in that list of everything that you're, you know, but the museum. We've done shows at the museum You're going to be back for coming up, I guess.
Speaker 10:Yeah, the 28th we'll be having our membership appreciation day luncheon and all it takes is to be a member and handy words June 28th.
Speaker 1:We don't know necessarily when somebody might be listening to this. So June 28th, Well, June 28th 2025 at 12 noon on.
Speaker 10:You can come the day of. If you want, we're registered at the car show today and for $20, you get a year's membership and then a great lunch from Handy Mart.
Speaker 1:Consider it a donation. It's a great donation. It really is. It pays for itself in one visit.
Speaker 10:How many museums have you gone to that you don't have to pay anything to get in?
Speaker 3:Well, Don, we're going to let you get back to changing oil on a couple of cars. I just see, walking up to us is one of our council members, Chris Rezati, who supports a lot of these things, and we're going to put him on here too. He'll be number three.
Speaker 1:All right Don. Thanks for the show Good. All right Don. Okay, thanks for the show. Good to see you Great.
Speaker 3:Appreciate it, guys and thank you very much. Buddy Number two.
Speaker 2:That really makes me feel good coming from number one, Well Ross, we have one of our city council people with us. Please introduce them and start the conversation.
Speaker 3:We happen to have our newest council member, chris Rizzotti, with us Now. I've seen we've been here doing this show a couple years and I've seen you walk by. This is in your backyard.
Speaker 9:It's literally I can walk here. I'm like one block away.
Speaker 1:Exactly, I've seen him on posters around town. A good kind.
Speaker 9:The sad thing is I'm one block away from here, one block away from St Joseph's and one block away from the cemetery. So I got to uncover it, no matter what.
Speaker 1:Every contingency Exactly.
Speaker 3:Well, mr Kresser, council member, this is good. It's just, you know, great weather so far. I mean, this is just perfect. We've been out here when it's 110 degrees. What do you think of your city today? Now, as a council member, you've got to be proud.
Speaker 9:You've got to be. I am proud, you know, before I was a council member. I came out to everything anyways, because I enjoy so much that our city has. Last week I was at the Downtown Arts Festival, Last night I was at the theater the Wedding Singer, and today I'm here, so there's something always going on. You don't have to leave the city if you don't want to, and our Parks and Rec does a great job, Our charities, the Road Kings they do a great job. Everyone kind of collaborates and they put on some really first class events for our residents.
Speaker 3:And that's you know. I'm one to be here 69 years and I say I don't go out of Burbank much. Craig will tease me if I even go to North Hollywood or go in the.
Speaker 9:B in Benson stands for bubble. Well, you know what.
Speaker 3:for I agree, you don't have to.
Speaker 9:And we got two or three really great restaurants coming out. I toured them this week.
Speaker 1:One in his neighborhood, idlewild, can't wait for that to open.
Speaker 9:The gal that purchased that. She put $2 million into that place. I missed Chalgus.
Speaker 1:Christina, so do I, looking forward to what Idlewild.
Speaker 9:It is absolutely gorgeous, top-notch. And then you got the steakhouse opening and the old K-Rock building, dalt's building, daltz building, daltz building. You know the old, I love Daltz. So there's some really good stuff happening.
Speaker 1:There's always the bedrock of the Smokehouse over there.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, like you said, our community, we put on a lot. You don't have to go anywhere. I mean, coming out to this will take your whole day if you want. But as a council member I know you make some difficult decisions. Last week you passed a budget and it's nice to say that Burbank has some reserve A little bit. We're doing good, yeah, and so forth. But you look at, our streets are paved. You don't find graffiti on anywhere in town. We have a new police chief, a fire chief. Not too long we got a new paramedic squad that is in service. Because of the number of people going on, we just have a lot going on at this. We need something to complain about.
Speaker 9:Yeah, and we're fully staffed. Both police and fire, we're fully staffed. We funded the Job Connect program, where most cities don't have the ability to do something like that, where if someone's looking to transition or maybe they've been out of the workforce, they can get back into the workforce, but our library services it's free. I mean, it's a privilege to do those things in our city, I think.
Speaker 3:And you know, like you say, there's just so much going on in our community. Every weekend there's things and it's All you have to do is look.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all you have to do is look the information's out there. This is out there, the Road King stuff. It's all online.
Speaker 3:There's always something going on. Oh, it's like we were talking to Don Baldessarani the museum. How many people have gotten to go through the museum? Or? Or you know Magnolia Park. It's free too. Yeah, you know Magnolia Park, which I'm very close to, and you know we have some great thriving businesses and stuff going on in there that are just fantastic. If you ask me, we got a great leader. Our city manager, an assistant city manager, justin Hess and Courtney are running a great ship. All the executive staff. I agree.
Speaker 9:You know, what's amazing is you can bring something up. They're always open to trying something new or experimenting with something new. That could bring something interesting, a different flavor to our residents. And I really appreciate that, because a lot of people have closed money Like we've been there, We've done that, Other cities have done it, and things are changing so quickly. Things are changing so quickly and they have an appetite for something new. Things kind of get stale over time, so you kind of have to change things around a little bit. Bring something new to the residents. You know, unfortunately the Starlight Bowl is closed this season but they're having programming at different parks and that might bring a different kind of element to what the Starlight Bowl did. So different communities will have a chance to walk to different programming, whether it's theater night or whatever. But I think it just gives everyone a chance to come out to their local parks and their community and kind of, you know, all of a sudden you discover something new.
Speaker 1:Well, it was a win-win. Sorry Ross, but the Care Walk we got rained out here at the park so the whole event moved to the Family Service Agency building offices and that was kind of an unintended win because so many people who never even knew the offices were there or that they had offices, were able to tour them and see them for themselves. So it was certainly a win-win. But that change of venue, that unintended change, gave people a whole new perspective.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it's just. We got again last night. Colony Theater Now Craig has never been there. He was my guest last night. I haven't been by it for 30 years and he was blown away by the performance.
Speaker 9:Probably back to my theater days. Yeah, for sure, I've supported the colony again. Before I was a council member.
Speaker 2:Um, I always thought it was important to support local arts and last night was just one of the best shows I've seen and that was a good decision the council made a couple years ago to give it back to where it belonged because there were too many outside people wanted to control it right. But they got the right person doing it now, right, who was there before and had a passion, and she's nailed it.
Speaker 9:Yeah, she's heather her team heather definitely has a passion for it and and that that shows.
Speaker 1:And today you're off duty. You're at a car show in a beautiful park in the middle of burbank. You have any favorites?
Speaker 9:yet I haven't even seen one car yet. So I'm a Corvette guy so I really want to go look at some Corvettes, some muscle cars, but haven't toured it yet.
Speaker 1:And there's some on the other side there too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you see the cars on the other side of the river. It's huge.
Speaker 9:And it's funny because I have friends in other cities that are saying hey, I'm funny because I have friends in other cities that saying, hey, I'm going to this car show. They're like you know, new hall they're, they're all over coming to burbank to see this is a big car show it is well.
Speaker 3:You know we're gonna let you get back to your family, but you know, before you go I gotta say congratulations on being one of my burbank's best. You won our contest. It goes out there. We had over two thousand. Oh, it's over three thousand. What can we say? What? What? My burbank's best is a top. You won our contest. It goes out there. We had over 2,000. Oh, it's over 3,000.
Speaker 1:What can we say? My Burbank's best is a top realtor in town.
Speaker 6:Oh, and I think I knew that.
Speaker 2:I already knew that, not the first time either.
Speaker 9:I already knew that Every year I'm humbled when I receive that award. It's not something I promote, not something I try to send out people to sign up for, but when I receive it it means a lot to me because I know a lot of people that subscribe to my Burbank. They watch it for everything and to be associated with that is Well you're sporting the Burbank's best tattoo I see, freshly inked.
Speaker 1:Just kidding, just kidding.
Speaker 3:You know, 15 years Craig and I we've been doing my Burbank and we felt the city needs its own news source and we tried to get out there.
Speaker 3:You know we have Ashley. Erickson will be with us today doing some stuff. You know, craig, we've done some podcasts together. We've been on the road, we did something at the Tournament of Roses, we've done stuff at the service days and, and you know, it's something that it's a, it's a service that craig and I feel that the city needs. And we have our readership. We are twitter followers. We're over 55,000 51,000, yeah yeah, it's, it's an.
Speaker 9:It's definitely a new source. It's very informative, especially especially during the election. You guys did a great job of covering all the candidates, interviewing all the candidates who wanted to be interviewed, so I think it's definitely become the go-to if you're looking for news in Burbank.
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny, I go places and you'll see people on their phone looking and it'll say my Burbank and I'll go like follow, subscribe.
Speaker 1:Right, you got a Corvette to go find.
Speaker 9:I can go like follow, subscribe. Right, you got a Corvette to go find. I can go find a Corvette. That's exactly right. Well, thank you for joining us.
Speaker 3:You know we stopped you, as your wife I don't know where she probably is home, if you get a text, think Uber home.
Speaker 1:She's not home. She might be buying a car. We'll be here for at least a couple hours with that kid, no doubt. Hopefully the weather holds. This is perfect. Well, thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 2:We appreciate it. All right, guys. Thanks so much, ross. We have a celebrity with us. Why don't you please introduce him? We do, chris.
Speaker 3:Jacobs, Can you believe that guy you are? I love the hat you're wearing the Road Kings hat. Thank you very much. Well, welcome to my Bur this.
Speaker 8:You know it's a great turnout every single year and this is no exception. I am a proud Burbank resident and also a proud honorary Road Kings member, so does that mean you have a car here? I don't have a car here. I brought my wife and daughter with me today, so we kind of just did the quick into the family car and came over here. I do have several cars in my collection, just, uh, didn't bring any today. But I I do love being a road king and uh, like I said, such a great turnout here, johnny cussin park, any favorites? Yet it's early, it's early. Us we just got here. So my, my daughter was into the batmobile. Oh, she's over. Yeah, right here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I scar she can get a fire helmet over there too. Yeah, I think she's got one. Oh, does she? There you go.
Speaker 2:Tell us about some of your shows and how you got into cars.
Speaker 8:Yeah, well, back in 2003, I auditioned for a show called Overhauling and was lucky enough to get the job and that kind of launched me into the television car world and the hosting world, launched me into the television, car world and the hosting world and we did 17 years of the show and about 165 episodes and, like I said, just immersed me in the car world. I host Mecham Auctions now. I love that. I've been doing that for the last six seasons. I did six years of Barrett Jackson before that, so I just have remained in the car world. I have a show on MAV TV, which is now Racer TV, called Dream Collections, which is pretty self-explanatory. We go around the country and visit amazing collections that normally people wouldn't be able to access. So, yeah, I've just kind of been living the dream and doing what I love and getting paid for it, which is out of the point, right.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I'll watch the Mecham auctions forever. Yeah, for hours, hours Eye candy. Oh, absolutely Eye candy. But what came first, the love for cars or the car shows?
Speaker 8:The love for cars, for sure. Yeah, my dad was a Porsche guy. He always had 911s, so I actually have a vintage. Wait, wait, wait You're about six something.
Speaker 3:How do you fit in a Porsche? You know what?
Speaker 8:They're surprisingly roomy. It is a Targa, but they're surprisingly roomy inside. I mean, all you got to do is sit in one to know the Lamborghinis and the Ferraris. They're a little bit harder to get into and definitely the C1 Corvettes are very difficult to get into.
Speaker 1:I say getting out is even harder. Oh yeah, Exactly.
Speaker 8:You got to break in a shoulder roll or something. You need a friend to get out. But yeah, so my brothers were into muscle cars. My brother Zach had a 66 GTO convertible, my brother Clay was a Z28 guy, and so I kind of grew up around what are now classic cars. Back then they weren't classic, it happens, yeah. So that was kind of the my introduction to it. I didn't really know a lot about cars but I knew that I loved them. And then when I got over holland and then the auctions and everything else that came along, I kind of have been, you know, sponging up knowledge for the past 25 years.
Speaker 1:You knew you loved them. Have you ever been to ever been able to pin down what it was, was it? Was it the? The mechanics, the, the coloring, the styles, the lines?
Speaker 8:yeah, well, I'm a mopar guy, so, uh, definitely the style, the colors, the sound, of course. Um, you know, I love all the high impact colors. Um, and now these paint jobs are just yeah, well, I have one. Now. I have a 23 charger, super b, which is plum crazy purple, which is a nice throwback. I didn't hear that pulling up. No, I wish I had brought it today. My daughter loves that car. She calls it the vroom, vroom car.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 8:Yeah, it's got a great exhaust note on that car. They really nailed it at Dodge, but it's one of the last calls. 2023, obviously was the end of the SRT program, and so they released seven last call models, one of which was the Super B. And then I also have the last last call, which is the D170, which is the 1025 horsepower Challenger.
Speaker 1:Now do you have a hanger at the airport like Jay?
Speaker 8:No, I don't.
Speaker 1:I wish I did Budgetary issues.
Speaker 8:He might bring you some space. Yeah, no, his facility is absolutely amazing.
Speaker 3:Isn't it? I expect to see him today.
Speaker 8:Yeah, usually he comes, every year he comes, and he's great to talk to, I mean like a tornado going through, though yeah, he's definitely a flame, you know, and all the moths surround him, but he is. He loves playing with cars. Yeah, he really does. He's the real deal. We shot a couple episodes of Overhauling at his shop and it was just amazing to be there, and he seems to expand it. Every time I go back there's more. But he is the real deal. He's a true car guy. He knows his stuff, he knows his mechanics and it's just always a joy to see him and I'm glad he's still doing great. Well, you know, you say you've been in Burbank a long time, burbank since 2007. Well, that's long enough for me.
Speaker 1:Still a probationer though.
Speaker 8:Oh, I'm still on probation.
Speaker 1:That's a long time I get it 69 years here. Yeah, I've been around for a while Trying to catch up to you.
Speaker 3:I had hair when I was a young kid Me too. But I was a young kid Me too. But you find the Burbank restaurants and everything else Best. Isn't this a great?
Speaker 8:city. It's the best. I mean, we love it. We walk from where we live. We can walk to Bob's on Friday nights, of course, for the car show there. We love Novo Cafe. Oh yeah, very excited about the Capitol Grill about to open.
Speaker 8:It's hard to find a good carbonara and Novo has a carbonara. They have a fantastic carbonara. Everything they serve there is amazing too. Prosecco, of course, is great. That's LA, but you know Burbank adjacent, exactly honorary Burbank, but yeah, I mean we just you know Burbank for a long time and I think it's finally breaking out of it had kind of that stigma of like, oh you know Burbank, what's that all about? Once you live here and once you spend time there, you get it. And it is the greatest city in Los Angeles and we're lucky enough to live south of Moore Park and so we're in this little kind of pocket that's totally family friendly and it's just a giant cul-de-sac. It's a great walking neighborhood. Yeah, so there's not a lot of cross traffic and tons of kids and we're just, you know, so lucky to live there and we love it. And if all goes according to plan, they'll wheel me out of there on a gurney no time soon.
Speaker 1:Not soon. No, I got to catch up to him.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I'll be around for a while. He'll still be around. Well, chris, you know we're going to let you get back to your daughter, and she was looking at some cars, looking at all the cars, for you to look she's a car person man, she loves it, she loves picking out some of the match boxes back here.
Speaker 8:Oh yeah, joe, she's got a great collection which used to be my collection and I used to kind of keep them all pristine, but now they're, you know, missing their wheels and everything. So but I I love the fact that she is so into cars and I cannot wait to teach her how to drive manual transmission in my 85 911. Jeez yeah.
Speaker 1:That's a skill. Save the manual. You need to learn early. Yep Absolutely Manual Yep.
Speaker 2:Where's that reverse?
Speaker 1:Where is it Over here, somewhere in the middle Down to the right.
Speaker 3:Isn't that what the R stands for Down to the right, that's right. Yes, well, chris, joining us. It was a pleasure. Guys, thank you very much.
Speaker 1:A lot of fun. Enjoy the show, Thank you guys, nice to meet you.
Speaker 8:Nice to meet you, guys. Thanks.
Speaker 2:There we go, Roadhouse. Well, Ross, we have another guest, but before you introduce him, I want to say one thing You're only allowed one. That's it. This is the man who took care of us, who walked me through everything we needed to walk through to be here, who bent over backwards to make sure we had a great place, and everything else which we really appreciate. So, Bruce, I'm sorry Ross, go ahead and introduce Bruce, our guest.
Speaker 3:We have Bruce Borst with us. Bruce, you and I went to school, junior high and high school and high school together, so we've known each other. You know I come to this show and being in Burbank all my life, you know and I remember you used to be a newspaper boy. Yeah, for the Daily Review. Oh, yes, didn't we?
Speaker 4:all, here we go. We have stories about Miss Trimpy and journalism. Oh boy.
Speaker 2:Going way back. Chief Campbell Jordan.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah yeah, well, this, yeah, yeah, yeah, well, this car show. You guys have pulled it off again and I I know how hard it is to do an event like this these days and you have really again over 300 cars, the people that you know they're coming out now that they're done with church and doing all that, buddy, you've done a great job.
Speaker 4:It's a challenge every year. You know there's obstacles that we have to work through. There's regulations we have to work through, Including this week.
Speaker 2:They threw regulations. They threw something at you this week.
Speaker 4:They actually did. It was additional paperwork on insurance, then a secondary insurance, paperwork on insurance, then a secondary insurance. What I kind of feel for is, like a lot of the vendors that come here, they have to ask their insurance company for an additional document and they say, okay, you want an additional document, it's an extra $50 or an extra $40. And these folks are, you know, selling recycled Lysa plate frames, they're selling toys, they're selling patches or whatever, and they just don't have the income to do it. Unfortunately, a lot of the vendors I talked to they said that they go to other car shows. Yeah, they have to get a certificate of insurance, but the secondary, uh, third documents in that is is up beyond. It's too bad. We want to stay in Burbank because it's part of our name, it's part of our culture. The guys that helped start this club one of them lived on my street, on Christmas Park Drive- they're making it difficult.
Speaker 2:They really aren't all nonprofits.
Speaker 4:I get it. I understand that we're in a culture right now where you turn on television and turn on the five o'clock news and the majority of them all about injury attorneys or lawsuits and all that, and the city wants to get protected. But it's got to be some type of compromise and I know we met with uh senior park officials of Parks and Recs who are very accommodating. The one thing we found out there was inconsistencies amongst other departments. Yes, so they're trying to come up with a citywide policy on the insurance piece and all the requirements, because if you go to Holiday Inn in the park, which is controlled by the street division, and somebody.
Speaker 2:We have somebody, the president as well.
Speaker 9:Yeah, if you go to, Holiday Inn in the park which is controlled by the street division, and somebody. We have somebody the president.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course, things that visit Burbank do, which are totally different.
Speaker 4:And then yeah, and then we have parks is different and they're trying to get it consistent, which is good.
Speaker 2:I just hope they don't make it over consistent and people should know that every single dollar you guys bring in and raise not one dollar goes to the road kings. It's the money you take turn around and it goes 100% to all the Burbank local charities.
Speaker 4:You know, the one thing is being when I was president from 2020, and I termed out after three years and in 2022, when we start talking about it and COVID got lifted, I said guys, gals, I said anything in this club we donate to, if I don't hear the name Burbank or they have 91506 or 502 or 504, whatever all the zip codes in Burbank, but unless they have a zip code in there, I really don't want to hear about it. And I said I kind of have the latitude to do that and you only have to get a few people that are the influential people within the club still and get them on your team. And we all agree this needs to be part of Burbank. There could be great charities that help out veterans, but they're in St Louis, missouri and all that. Right. The money needs to stay within the program in Burbank. I mean we do Jacaranda Rising, which is a housing group. They have a booth here. Got the Historical Society, they're here. We have three other girls the Burbank Police, the Boys and Girls.
Speaker 2:Club, three other the Burbank Police, the.
Speaker 4:Boys and Girls Club. They all have Burbank in their name, burbank Police. They made the Burbank Police Foundation get a permit to sell here today and Burbank's in the name and Burbank's in the name.
Speaker 1:But despite all the hoops and hurdles, it looks like a fantastic outtake. Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Now, bruce, I do know that you have a car that you usually take off blocks every year. Yeah, and it gets waxed and polished. That's correct.
Speaker 4:What do you have out here. I have a 1971 El Camino SS 454.
Speaker 3:And now I read I follow you on Facebook. Yeah, that car has one of the original engines.
Speaker 4:It's the original engine in it but I did have it beefed up. There's a fellow named Jim Grubb up in Santa Clarita. He does a lot. He actually helped develop the Coyote engine for Ford and he does a lot of dynos in that and he built my car up. The original engine put out 360 horsepower, this one now does 450. So I just remember as a kid going to Burroughs I got three speeding tickets on Clark Street or Clark Avenue in a month on the same Burbank cop. So if I would have had that car in high school I'd have been my ass with mint toast.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, but it's so cool that you've kept that car. Yes, and I, you know, like I said, we've known each other for years and you've been involved in, you know, road Kings in your car and it's just, I just love. You know, I do Holiday in the Park and I do some other organizations and hopefully we're going to bring Burbank on parade back. That'd be great, We'll be in it. Oh, I know I got Don's commitment early. We'll be in it, I'm guaranteed. 2026 we're having Burbank. That's good. We might change the name, but that's besides the point. It'll have Burbank in it, it will. It will have Burbank in it, it will. But we're going to have you guys. But you know it. Just, I love seeing the smiles on people's faces. We've had hundreds of people walk by so far today. They are just loving this show.
Speaker 1:You don't drive far from here and you just don't have events like this anymore Community events that bring people together.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's. You know, everybody has a connection with either a car. I mean, I got my El Camino at a neighbor that had an El Camino a 71. I said that is one cool car I always wanted what was yours, mine was 69. 71 was a great year 68 to 72 are the desired years for an elk. I had a 396 in it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, see what I Baseball team in the back of it and give them rides home and bouncing around yeah.
Speaker 3:I remember a place called 1721, winchell's on Olive. We used to meet in there Over. Craig taught me how you jump your foot on the emergency pedal and spin your wheel, how you pull 360s and stuff.
Speaker 1:And that was a well-known location because for years, any location in town known by its address is 1721.
Speaker 2:You also learned how to speed in the cop cops behind you. You use your emergency brake instead of your regular brake, so they don't see your brake lights go on.
Speaker 4:That was right by McDonald's, right? Yeah, I remember they built that McDonald's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, see, it used to be all outside. Yes, you remember, and they used to watch the number 3 million, 4 million, 5 million.
Speaker 6:Four million.
Speaker 2:Five million, yeah, going up. Do you have a picture?
Speaker 3:of everyone I should have. I will tell you you have pulled it off again. Yeah, it's a good man From my Burbank crew. Again, like Craig told you before, forget this Absolutely. You really took care of us. I appreciate it. You know, if you remember one thing and I'll say thank you, thank you from not only a lifelong Burbank resident, craig and I, but you know our team. We love being here, we love seeing the people come up. Thanks for taking the time and the headaches that you've had to go through.
Speaker 4:I'm going to tell you that though I'm retired, I still work two days a week. My old job called me back and I work part time. I bet you I have at least 60 hours into all the insurance and the requirements that are required for every vendor. For the road kings we always have insurance. We always name the city of Burbank as a secondary certificate holder, but then they want it for the specific date. Then just the back and forth, back and forth, and I'm trying to coach somebody that sells potholders on how to do their insurance.
Speaker 2:We're selling some T-shirts and I get a million-dollar policy to sell some T-shirts.
Speaker 4:It's a big ask. Yeah, it is, but you know, the other one is back on the car pieces. Everybody has a connection with some type of car. Yes, I mean, I saw a 55 Buick Century. I grew up in a car like that, a Volkswagen. My dad had the black Volkswagen. What was your very first car? I actually still have it. Really, it's a 1962 Volkswagen Bug. It was featured in the John Burroughs Smoke Signal. Oh yeah, I probably took the picture.
Speaker 5:I think I do recall that.
Speaker 4:And it was car of the month and Miss Trim pitcher, I think I do recall that, and it was, uh, car of the month and miss trimpy was our teacher. Uh, we all know miss trimpy oh, definitely I'll deal bungalow.
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny, the other vw that we all remember ryan hurst. Now you know who lives. Yes, yeah, across the street here now at the ivy park. His was older. Yeah, mine was a 62. He brought his over from europe. I'm in germany originally.
Speaker 1:Yeah, look at the memories and nostalgia the topic just brings up, and this park right now is full of it oh yeah, and birmingham people, the statue of limitations is over with.
Speaker 4:I'm gonna tell you, when the street used to be dead end, you know we would drink some adult beverages in high school out here and the helicopter would land for NBC Right and some of us had a few too many and you thought it was an alien craft landing.
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny I just shared with somebody yesterday. I recall when President Reagan landed over there at NBC, all the trees, all the trees out of the ground and they chased us away you couldn't shoot it.
Speaker 1:The potholder people need insurance policy.
Speaker 4:Yeah right, Exactly yeah, the guy sold at Hot Wheels.
Speaker 3:I have a picture of him and Nancy coming out of Marine One, waving you know, of this you know right here and you now look where we're sitting these iceberg buildings that are new and we're still the media capital of the world.
Speaker 4:So I got one Miss Trippity story for you. Oh, I love it, You're going to love it. You may have been in there, but you may claim immunity, I don't know. But it's like 1970. What year did you graduate? 74. Okay, 75.
Speaker 4:And we are in journalism class, which was the bungalow off the main campus, Right across the street, and Miss Trimpey had a 57 T-Bird yeah, Black and white. I remember that. So, anyhow, she goes and she says I have to go see Mr Rouse over at the print shop. Oh, good old Gordon, I'll be back. So she wanders off and you know she's not very fast. No, she wouldn't. So she had to walk all the way across campus. So it was like, you know, when the what's that saying about the birds, of a way the chicks will play or something whatever. Um well, the cats away, the cats, cats, chicks. Uh. So once she left, we turned the music up a lot, and I think it was on case J. She had probably, I don't know news channel. We turned that on, you know, and all of a sudden any of the Jets comes on. So we had Patty Giannetti, we had Wendy McElhinney as cheerleaders in there, Clint Howard was there.
Speaker 4:I was just with Clint last week. He's in our class, you can ask him. He probably remembers this. But anyhow, the cheerleaders got up on the tables and started dancing, you know, and I'm supposed to be writing articles and I'm like, oh okay, so it was getting out of control, and who walks in who's? The principal was a shavor, oh yeah, sherm shavor brown suitrolet he walks in.
Speaker 4:That was the last year, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah, and they're dancing up there and all that, and the music's playing and we're doing a whole lot of nothing and and chevrolet comes in with the burbank fire department to do a inspection and they're going to town dancing, like they have a different type of job, but dancing and they're going crazy and they were dancing, it's like five seconds seems like five hours. And finally the cheerleaders make eye contact with Chivori. The fire department was like, oh damn. So so they leave. Where's Miss Trimpy? Oh, she went to the print shop. So they leave, they go. Where's Miss Trimpy? Oh, she went to the print shop. So they take off and Miss Trimpy comes back and we tell her what happened and her face rocked like she lost her job. God love her. That white hair yeah, the white hair, but she was, in total, awe.
Speaker 1:Well, here I'm going to need you to stay after class.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm just an observer.
Speaker 3:I had Mr Rouse for printing and I had him right before lunch and if you were cool to him he'd let you leave a couple minutes early because he knew some of us would want to get to Clint's. Oh yeah, and he had to have that head start and he'd let us go. I always remember Mr Rouse letting us go to Clint's a little early. We don't have Clint's anymore. Or go to GML's, yeah, or Pizza Pie, pizza Pie, pizza.
Speaker 4:Pie 27 cents a slice.
Speaker 3:Well, again, you know, we could talk Burbank stories.
Speaker 1:You guys need to plan a lunch to get together.
Speaker 2:But again Puppet Taco, of course. Thank you, yeah, Puppet.
Speaker 3:Taco, Magnum, Million, Olive and Point of Vista.
Speaker 4:Point of Vista, but thank you for you know, commanding the ship on this and doing it again. Yeah, and it is a whole. You know Gary Arilano and Mike Worme and Karen Arilano Karen's car is right behind us. Karen's car is right there. Credit where credit's due, right yeah, and there's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that happens In fact.
Speaker 3:Gary's just driving by being chauffeured on his golf cart, Like a maniac.
Speaker 1:Look at him go.
Speaker 4:That guy, i'm'm gonna tell you you gotta pick a worker tree. You got a number one pick. You want to pick that guy? He's a horse. He sees, oh, you got a good team here all together almost as good as a clydesdale not at all.
Speaker 3:Not you, I know, could tell us stories with the clydesdales. You've been with them many, many times. I tell you I love reading some of your history.
Speaker 4:The best Clydesdale story is when they asked me to be in a commercial and it was a community event for Panorama City and they wanted to show how Anheuser-Busch gives back to the local communities. And Anheuser-Busch bought them a massive fake tree, something that would be at the grove, and decorated it. And they did a thing to where we had the Clydesdale hitch out, in front of the brewery and they put me on top and the brewmasters down below and they handed us fake cases of Budweiser put on the wagon, handed us fake cases of Budweiser put on the wagon. So it was faced in the parking lot on Roscoe Boulevard, facing east, and it was, oh damn, how are we going to turn this thing around? And I says I know. So I called my buddy who was on duty LAPD motor. He came over and they blocked Roscoe Boulevard down so the Clydesdales could make you turn and come back.
Speaker 1:No permits. That would take now how many permits?
Speaker 2:What are?
Speaker 4:you doing.
Speaker 2:Those Clydesdales are treated like royalty. I was lucky enough to go back into St Louis and I went to the farm. Were they taking care of them and everything? Oh my goodness, it's amazing what they do for those horses in St Louis, I mean I had a good job.
Speaker 4:You had different band levels with Aaron. The band one, it was like the BP, and I was a band five, which I always said it was like a captain at a fire station. That was about what my job was, and those horses I always used to joke. I went down to SeaWorld and they had like air conditioners blowing on them and I go. I think this horse is like a band four. I'll rank you. Yeah, and all of the bedding, the shavings, comes from one farm and I think it's in Oklahoma and they have it shipped all over the United States, the shaving's just for the horses to have and the feed has to be at a certain quality.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're very the only horses that come with a rider, not the jockey car.
Speaker 4:Yeah, those things are massive and they're a great symbol of our company.
Speaker 2:And they can only have red M&Ms or something they have to have certain markings or they get rejected.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, they sell the horse. They sell the horse for $5,000 a piece. If you want one. If they're miscolored you need a horse, Let me know.
Speaker 3:Well no, but you know, down the road when we talk about whatever the parade's going to be, I want to talk about maybe bringing an Anheuser-Busch ever-rolling stage that I might want to borrow.
Speaker 4:Good luck on this one. Their number one criteria, though are you going to sell beer at the event? If you sell beer, you've got a better chance.
Speaker 3:I'll have to figure that out.
Speaker 1:You're working on it. I've got room in my garage.
Speaker 4:I don't think there can be any opposition. But you have to take and they have criteria on it A lot of it is a lot to do with the military.
Speaker 3:I mean they're big with Folds of Honor program, the way you can tie that into it for veterans and that that helps they have causes you have to get your well, this information, you and I need to go to tali ran one of these days and talk and give me some notes with that what I need to do.
Speaker 1:All right, we can do that.
Speaker 3:So get the calendars out well bruce, we're gonna let you get back to check on on your car show again. Thanks for all you did for us. Thank you for for us and for the citizens of burbank.
Speaker 1:Gotta go get started on next year, all right, yeah, yeah you know we're actually gonna to do that.
Speaker 4:I any good, any big project like this, you always want to do a post-mortem right. You go through and you say what went well and what went bad. You know, and we, there's a lot of stuff that went bad today that you don't even know that happened. Don't tell anybody, don't say it here.
Speaker 1:Like cars driving down the pedestrian, you have to come to the show and find them for yourselves.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, that's the thing, craig, and I've been in theater and what happens behind the curtain, yeah, and when you, when that curtain goes up, and today when the curtain went up here, most of the couple thousand people here don't know the headache. So you went through all the little things, oh, the one main, we ran out of donuts.
Speaker 4:Oh god, oh. You know the headaches that you went through All the little things.
Speaker 1:Oh, the one main we ran out of donuts, oh God, oh, you know, I had that written down.
Speaker 4:Homer Simpson, he was here. No donuts, no meat, bruce, an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 1:You're welcome, all righty.
Speaker 2:Thank you, greg. We appreciate it All. Righty Ross. Somebody else said stop by our location. Why don't you introduce him?
Speaker 3:Oh, I'd be glad to Craig. You know, walking after Bruce Morris left our table we had. He didn't go far though he didn't go far. No, he's supervising this conversation. He asked Ralph Seda. Now, if you're a Burbank resident, you know Ralph Ralph's been around Burbank now for 60 years. Come on, tell the truth, well, age 67.
Speaker 1:Ross has been here since it's incorporation.
Speaker 7:Yes, yes, that's the barometer. That's it, 1911.
Speaker 3:Well, you went to that good school, burroughs. You know we were all classmates. Here we go. Yes, we were all classmates. What car did you? You know what's your favorite car out here?
Speaker 7:Oh, right now I'd say, uh, I like the nomads, a 57 Nomad struck my uh interest. Um, I wish I had a Chevy. I didn't have a Chevy in high school, uh, but this, that kind of car and the power brain was a lot of fun. And what are you driving these days? Right now I'm in a infinity. So it's a great car, 20 year old car that still runs, great happy. There you go. Original paint, original engine. Original paint original engine. Uh, not the original brakes.
Speaker 3:Never never you're right. Well now, that was the easiest interview we've done all day. That was great that was perfect.
Speaker 1:Oh well, want to record now what I know, hot, what I remember oh, we're on the air you got me.
Speaker 7:That's good, that's good. But I remember your car in high school, which one my mail truck.
Speaker 1:I do remember that I had a kind of the jeep or the, the like the little bread truck version the bread truck version with the steering wheel on the right right and I explains why he's still a terrible driver, by the way.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he can. Well, the cool thing about it is I used to drag the baseball field. We put the drag on the back and then I could hang out the right side of the vehicle with a Brody knob on it and just do the circles In those days there was no grass in the infield, Right that's not after he was done, no, and then I went from that to a Cadillac. Okay, yeah, right, so unbelievable.
Speaker 7:You remember that Males Rock I do, and it's funny what poster you had on that too. Poster was classic Well.
Speaker 3:I had on the front of it. Are you going to explain it now? Okay, US Mail M-a-l-e. And that's when chp used to do those road checks. You know they'd park on verdugo and I'd come off at the lukewarm drive where I used to live. They nailed me and I and one of the officers said what are you stopping a mail truck for? And the guy said those landing lights that he has glued on the front bumper are not department department issue.
Speaker 1:Like Caddyshack, put that steering wheel on the other side, where it belongs.
Speaker 3:But if I can get that vehicle back, I see it every so on. Yeah, when I see it, I would love to you know that was a. I love that vehicle. I mean, how many people own a mail truck M-A-L-E? Yes, it was very unique. That was back in the days when I just started working at same on drugs at hollywood way in verdugo and I used to park it on verdugo so I could watch it.
Speaker 1:but now there's who's gonna take it exactly? Have you had any of the food yet here? No, I have not. Which hot dog are you gonna? You got four or five different versions to choose from.
Speaker 7:Oh well, you know I'm usually just a mustard guy, but I'll have to go venture off All right, they got a Texas dog over there.
Speaker 1:It's got bacon bits on it. Okay, really good, and barbecue sauce We'll find out, I think we might find out.
Speaker 7:Okay, kosher bacon bits.
Speaker 3:Okay, rabbi came over today and made sure it was all legit. Yep, it's not noon yet. We can have kosher bacon bits.
Speaker 1:Well, the sun's coming out now. It was overcast all morning. Sun's coming out, so the heat's going to go up. We've got some cars to check out before it gets too hot here. Yeah, you've got your favorites. You already have your favorites picked out?
Speaker 7:I do, just walking gets too hot here. Yeah, are you got your favorites? You already have your favorites picked out? I do, and you know, just walking here I saw those. But yeah, I like the pantera, you know this, I. I like the old, um, well old, the, the, the chevys, especially the woes, are 1957. Oh yeah, a good year wonder why?
Speaker 1:I have no idea. Wonder why. Ralph, it has been a pleasure to meet you. Hey, I've been around all this time and I think we're just meeting for the first time. Okay, well, nice to meet you. Let me know how the hot dog is. I'll let you know how the texas dog is I will.
Speaker 7:So when do I get to hear compare notes? Is this like on? Is it streaming? I can grab? We're not even recording this window.
Speaker 1:There's just window dressing. He wanted to make you feel good.
Speaker 2:Ross, we have a good friend of my Burbank with us. Go ahead and introduce him.
Speaker 3:A good friend of my Burbank is the Bob Green right. The one and only and thank goodness it's one and only. You're right, he's wearing the wrong shirt. Bob Green is the sales manager. General manager, Fleet manager. The head bottle washer at Community Chevrolet, and Community Chevrolet has been in Burbank for 65 years going on, 66 since 1959.
Speaker 5:Longer than you, yeah.
Speaker 2:This year he brought a beautiful Traverse to show everybody and in fact, craig, you were very much on my short list and this year he brought a beautiful traverse to show everybody, and in fact, craig, you were very much on my short list.
Speaker 1:It's on my short list for sure. Nice to see one in the wild here.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, is this show amazing? I know you do your own show, but you're here every year and you have been. You go to a lot of car shows. Is this amazing?
Speaker 5:Oh, absolutely Absolutely. That's why, um, over the last few years um, actually prior to the last three or four years, or I think it was the first one, right after COVID maybe, or the one before COVID Um, I had noticed that it was Galpin Ford that they add as the main sponsor. So when I spoke to the powers that be, you know Don and Karen and Gary and Bruce, I said wait a second, it's the Burbank Road Kings. I don't think Galpin's in Burbank, is it Absolutely?
Speaker 1:not, they tried it one time. Last I checked yeah, they tried it one time and it didn't work.
Speaker 5:Bought them off. So then we're the only new car dealership in Burbank and it's the Burbank Road Kings, the show's in Burbank. We should either be the main sponsor or, at worst, so to speak, co-sponsor. So, as of the last couple of years now, we match what Galpin does donation-wise and we're now co-sponsors. Oh, that's fantastic. And this is all about community, all about, yeah, being part of the community. As Ross knows, I get out in the community at almost every event, pretty every nonprofit event. I'm an ambassador with the Chamber of Commerce, so, yeah, we always stay very well involved and that's the thing.
Speaker 3:Community Chevrolet over the years has been very community-minded, you know, I know they do their great car show every.
Speaker 5:So this year it's going to be November 9th, november 9th and last year we set a record we had 130 cars. And these are just Chevy's, just a Chevy. We'll slip it at GMC here and there, but it was like 128 Chevys and maybe a couple GMCs.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, I know you bring a car out to Holiday in the Park you have for several years. You bring cars out. They're shiny and pretty and brand new and and all that other than the guy driving it, right definitely the contrast but it is you know you, you really are a community minded person and that's that's what benefits burvey. You know you go down the main street, main drag, olive avenue and there you are.
Speaker 1:Half of it is community chevrolet, right?
Speaker 5:yeah, exactly exactly can't miss it. So, um, I just get back to our car show for a second. So, um, actually we set a record. We had 130 cars trying to get it to probably what would be a max of 150, because they actually turned some people away last year, right, but that was due to some circumstances I wasn't aware of. And then we get the uh, tommy's hamburger truck there, ice cream, uh, the hot wheels racetrack. So it's a great, great family event, you know for the day, and especially the fact that it's just basically chevys only. It's quite great, great family event, you know, for the day, and especially the fact that it's just basically chevys only. It's quite amazing that we're able to get that number yeah, it's, uh yeah, and today's show your show.
Speaker 3:People love cars. Absolutely. Like craig said, we were joking before. I don't think you've had a lithium battery yet.
Speaker 1:Not a lithium battery in the park here. That's why I didn't bring one.
Speaker 5:It's an amazing show what they do here every single year.
Speaker 1:Right now, in the current state of affairs in the world, there isn't a lot of commonality that we can find right now, and this is something people share in and love in common. And people who don't know that they love cars come here and they're, and it's, it's more than cars, it's it's art, and you have the community feel here and everything too, and it attracts more fans. But it's nice when a community can come together at a shared event like this and just enjoy a nice especially with everything that's going on in the world and what's going on in la right now.
Speaker 5:I mean it's great to have this many people here.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, it's it's absolutely right now. Right now, this park is a bit of an oasis in la county yeah, all the other stuff that's going on right now in the current current news, but absolutely it's a nice break from that. Yeah, good, good to scratch.
Speaker 3:Well, bob, I'm going to let you get back to waxing your I mean watching your gorgeous Traverse.
Speaker 1:Wax on, wax off. Did you see a fingerprint?
Speaker 7:Oh no, Ross put that there on purpose.
Speaker 5:I think he did it with his little fingers. It's sabotage.
Speaker 2:And we also want to seriously say thank you for supporting my Burmeck all these years, absolutely by your support. That's how we keep this going and getting news out to the community because of people like you, and obviously we will keep it going.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Bob Green and Community Chevrolet Thank you.
Speaker 2:Well Ross, we have one of our elected officials with us. Please introduce her.
Speaker 3:We sure do. We happen to have Madam Zezette Mullins who is one of our city council members. She has been a good friend of mine and a city council member for several years and prior to being a city council member she was our city clerk. She was.
Speaker 2:It was the one who brought passport services to Burbank. That's right. That's right. And it our city clerk she was. It was the one who brought passport services to Burbank, that's right.
Speaker 12:It's still alive, it's very successful too.
Speaker 3:Very successful Thanks. Yes, and you are very. You know, like I said, we're good friends. We've known each other for all the Burbank royalty today. We are. I mean, we've had Chris Rosati came by earlier and you are our next city council member and you're here.
Speaker 7:No, he's the important man. Ross is here, yeah.
Speaker 3:Is this amazing, zezette? Now, you had told us before you sat down you got your walking shoes on. This morning you went to Glendale's car show, yep. And now you're here and is this amazing? You don't even have to ask you which one's better?
Speaker 12:So you know, he knows I'm honest. Well, first of all I went to Glendale's car show because my son is participating. He has like a 1963 Mustang that he loves and worked on, and so he said, mom, I'm down here today to support me and of course Mommy has to do Number one duty.
Speaker 3:Exactly and you didn't share there. He's also a member of the Glendale.
Speaker 12:Police Department and I got to go and I saw the Glendale chief. We had some conversation, good conversation, and, as you know, our current chief was working in Glendale chief, we had some, uh, conversation, good conversation, and, as you know, our current chief was working in glendale. He was the captain or the chief in glendale. So it was all nice um conversation that we had about our current chief stolen and we stole them. I always tease him and say you can come and visit us once in a while, we'll let you in our city.
Speaker 3:Well, it was funny because last week, I think, they did the Special Olympics short run and I heard the chief say somewhere is Burbank, the platinum city was handing it off to the gold.
Speaker 12:They definitely have that going on between the two of them. They do. Who's going to be better? Who's going to have more social media posts than like?
Speaker 3:Well, they were good friends. Friendly rivalry yes, yep, and the chief has hit the ground running here.
Speaker 1:I mean hit the ground, doing pull-ups at fire and police service day.
Speaker 3:Right, you were on vacation. We didn't get to see you.
Speaker 12:I know I felt so disappointed. I had told him when he was hired that, um, I knew it was going to happen in the middle of may and that was the time when we're going to be gone out of the country. Uh, but I did watch it. I a whole entire thing. I did watch the council meeting that night. I was up to the wee hours looking, um, watching the council meeting and seeing what's going on while I was gone.
Speaker 1:That sounds like a vacation.
Speaker 12:I'm sick that way, but it was fun. It actually made me come back and feel like I didn't miss a beat. So I knew exactly what the conversation was and I had a good time. No surprises, no.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, they held off and they just passed the budget. Last week you came back. We have money and we have our police and fire departments are fully staffed right now. Our fire department is as we heard Eric report on that. You know, you look around us. What's going on in other cities, large and small, Not too far away? Well, what's going on in other cities, large and small, Not too far away, Well, that's it. We are just in such a great, you know, financially we're. You know our reserves, we have reserves there. We have new fire equipment, new police equipment. It's just our city. You know we've talked to what a dozen people today and people just love this city, Appreciate the Burbank bubble more and more every day.
Speaker 12:Yes, and you know, kudos to, of course, our executive team, our city manager, our fire and police chiefs for bringing things to the city council and having that conversation that we whether it's difficult or something that is easy to take care of, but we are not afraid to have those difficult conversations and find out what our needs are and, of course, the community. We know the Burbank community is very vocal and they come and they share their thoughts at the council meetings and if it's not, at the council meetings, emails and also phone calls, and so I think this is the type of participation we want to see in our community. If people are engaged, involved, they care. We're not going to always agree on everything. You don't have to Absolutely, but you can still have the conversation Absolutely At least.
Speaker 12:I know when I walk somewhere and if no one approaches me and say, by the ways, is that you know I have a concern about this, or thank you about that, and I know they probably don't know what's going on. And if they don't share their concern, how are we going to fix it as council? How are we going to fix it as a city? So I take all the input that I get from the community very serious, because this is what makes us be better every day, this is what makes Burbank the way it is today. Because we take that and I go directly to the city manager, city attorney, have that serious conversation and you know we need to provide an answer, whether you're going to like it or not, but at least we had a dialogue and a discussion, because the last thing we want to do is brush people off and say, oh yeah, sure, you know, this is how it is. The number one thing I hate is when somebody tells me, well, there's really nothing else we can do. Now let's talk about it.
Speaker 3:Well, you know you think of our city services and Craig and I will. You know we have a fantastic city manager. Justin is doing a great job. Courtney, our new assistant city manager, our whole executive team is amazing and I will tell you Greg. A week ago he told me he used a new 311 app. There was a sign in front of his house that got run over or something, and how many hours did it take?
Speaker 1:Well, I got you get the like the receipt message and within an hour and a half I got a message saying it had been corrected and it happened, it happened.
Speaker 12:Receipt message and within an hour and a half I got a message saying it had been corrected and it happened.
Speaker 12:It happened this is try that in this neighboring city, city of LA or North Hollywood or you know, and this is, I think that's why people want to live in Burbank and they love Burbank. And you know, I moved here in 1982 and I never looked back, even though I worked in Glendale for 25 years. They would say you need to move here. I'm like why? Nah, I'm happy in my city. So I'm even more honored that I've lived here all this time and now I'm serving the community and served it as the city clerk and you know it's.
Speaker 3:We've talked to a lot of people today. Community events like this car show are so important for a healthy community. So many other communities can't do this. You know it's unsafe, it's cost prohibitive and so forth. But this you. You see smiling faces, I see kids running around, I see people with their dogs and we've seen everybody, from young people to probably 100.
Speaker 1:And there are people meeting, making friends, engaging, having conversations whether it's about cars or that leads into another conversation or common interest. It's just a fantastic gathering point where really it highlights the whole idea of community.
Speaker 12:That is the word community. That's what it's about. Whether you're a car lover or you just want to come out and listen to a band or enjoy the sun, whatever the interest is that you have you can come out and join any type of event. We have a lot of events that we also do in the downtown area, and there's always something happening in the city of Burbank. I wish we can do more, and we're working on it, ross. We hopefully bring certain things that we have missed in the past, and I think we need to do more and more of these events.
Speaker 3:And well, you know, Craig was my driver last year during holiday in the park, you know, and he literally I'm fine. I'm fine. Oh, we, we were estimated for about 40,000 people came out to that and to just see the people just smiling and having a great holiday prior to the holiday, and to me that's why, that's honestly why I do what I do, because I love to see community it's healthy, you know, when you see the smiling faces and to be part of and everyone's welcome, everyone's accepted.
Speaker 1:There's no judgment. There's no nobody's outcasts. There's that. I don't see signs anywhere in protest, nothing, well I remember our council member, zazette mullins.
Speaker 3:After burbank holiday in the park last year she said she had to walk. Thanks, florence and clark to the event. Well, you know what we did. We are working with the city of burbank's transportation team, karen pan, who is a sharp, sharp person. We're going to have shuttles this year coming from some different locations in the city to bring people and we're working with our transportation. We're going to have a dedicated handicap space, probably at the do-it-yourself center, a bike, an area for people to ride their bikes and park them there. So we're looking at a lot of things.
Speaker 3:We are expanding this year. We've put in to move it all the way to frederick, you know, because it's grown so big. We're also taking into account this year artistic kids, kids that are sensory sensitive. We're going to have a time before the whole thing kicks off for them to enjoy and it's because I want to take make sure they're involved too. We have a lot of kids, you know, the other day I was with somebody that gave me some ideas that I wanted to in magnolia park, a truck thing. Kids love trucks and I want to do a big thing with trucks big trucks, little trucks you know and I could do free truck inspections.
Speaker 12:Oh, look at that volunteer. That's a great, great point, russ, that you made and we touched on it earlier is we listen to what our community members need. You remembered what I told you, that I had to walk several blocks, which was fine because I got my steps in that night, but you could have just oh well, you know it is what it is. You know, you know other people, but look at, you are really doing something about it. You're trying. You worked with the city, came back and said what can we do? Can we shuttle people and in? This is why you were so successful in burbank because we really care and we listen to our people, and we listen to somebody like Zuzette who was whining about how many blocks that were.
Speaker 12:I heard you, you heard me, you don't have to touch the shuttle. I'm still going to walk.
Speaker 3:Next time I'll walk from my house. You know, craig and I, we were on the cart. We're bringing in more potties this year. We're bringing in more potties this year. We're bringing in more things to make it a better event. My person who's running it is Jeff Ferguson, ran it last year. We ended up in the black. It's expensive to put on an event like that. That event was about $110,000.
Speaker 12:Wonderful because most events they end up losing money and we go away.
Speaker 3:We just paid, we have paid all our bills and we are in the black on that. And this year we're going to be the same way, even with all the protections that we need to place. Every weekend you turn on your TV and somebody's driving through some festival or something. Ours has been signed off by the traffic engineer, by the traffic lieutenant. We have sidewalks covered. We're going to make this the safest event for anybody in Burbank to come to. But we want to make it fun and people look forward. I've heard people say what are you going to do this year?
Speaker 12:I know I do. I bring my grandkids and my daughter and our friends and we run into practically most of everybody we know in Burbank. They're out there walking around. Isn't that the important To?
Speaker 3:me it's like this car show Getting up at the crack of dawn. We went to the Colony last night to watch this show. We didn't see you last night. No, the Wedding Singer, it was opening night. You will love it Actually we plan on going.
Speaker 1:All your 80s references are in there.
Speaker 12:Yes, that's us. I know my husband is a big fan, you'll get all the jokes.
Speaker 3:Oh, mike is sitting. His ex-husband is sitting here in the wings. That's the first time Craig was at the Colony.
Speaker 1:He loved the Colony, but also the show you will start laughing and I got my start in theater so it was nostalgic for me and I'm looking at the sound booth and all that and the rigging and the lights and all that. It brought me back for a theater. I've driven by for 20, 25 years and have never been at the Colony is definitely a jewel.
Speaker 12:We're so fortunate to have them and have their shows and the production they put on. A lot of people may not know about it, but as soon as they walk in and they're like, I'll be back.
Speaker 3:Definitely be back and I will say I know you were very passionate when my Burbank broke the story that things weren't right, of how they made the choice. We had the Lisa Paredes and myself we worked on that story and and Heather, who runs the colony there, putting on a great show I mean last night and the after party.
Speaker 7:Oh, I missed the reception following the performance.
Speaker 12:See, I knew I should have been there, but you know, when you have two things going on, you will really enjoy.
Speaker 3:You will walk out of that show. Really, really. It was fantastic. That's a plug for the Colony Theater. It's on, I think, through the 29th. The Wedding Singer If you don't know where the Colony is, it's at 3rd and you park in the mall structure right.
Speaker 12:It's where Macy's is right in the parking structure.
Speaker 7:Easy parking free parking.
Speaker 3:You don't have to walk right in the parking space.
Speaker 1:Same parking structure Easy parking free parking Free parking, you don't have to walk too far to the theater.
Speaker 12:The theater is connected to the parking structure. Literally just go a couple steps and you're inside the theater.
Speaker 1:Just another great example of what Burbank has to offer as a community. You can get everything here, so hopefully things like the theater, car show, the parade, the you know, the uh magnolia park events and all that can keep going because it's something that needs to be nurtured. It can go away so easily and just an observation I made it during the performance at the colony last night was clearly just the energy in the audience, the reaction of the audience, the performance. It's something that's needed. People in Burbank need that kind of entertainment, arts, culture, whatever label you want to put on it, but the audience was hungry for that and you could tell that it was very well received and needed.
Speaker 12:And I prefer, of course, having them here in Burbank. They support our local business.
Speaker 3:They go out to dinner, go have a drink afterwards, and I think you know what was kind of neat this year, ashley Erickson, who's their marketing person, who is part of our team she did something with Magnolia Park. They're now doing the movies at UME on the same night as Food Truck Fridays four of them at the end of the month and the colony was a co-sponsor. They did commercials there, they co-sponsored the event and sold tickets and so forth, and that's. It's not just. You know, you're not in one corner of the city or another, this is community wide. Yeah, and as a council member, you must get total joy, yeah, when you're at the market and somebody complains that the water was running somewhere over, you know, for too long. You must get joyed when you hear you come to a show like this and you see how happy you need to enjoy the succession I am always very proud to, to see what goes on and see it on social media.
Speaker 12:Get read the comments for individuals and and just look at their faces and how walking around here and see how happy they're, joyful, the little ones. The little ones are walking around having a blast and and uh, it definitely you know. I look inward and say you know what? We need more of this. And this kind of puts all our differences aside, because we're here to look at cars and say hello to people. So, whatever differences we have agreement, disagreement we forget about it at least for one day, because we're here to enjoy this beautiful day.
Speaker 1:If nothing else, it's a great distraction.
Speaker 12:It is.
Speaker 3:I'm so glad you stopped by. You know, Mike told me that you get to go out and choose the car that you'd like to drive home in. They all have the key in them.
Speaker 12:Oh, he was going to keep that as a surprise.
Speaker 3:Oh.
Speaker 12:I wasn't supposed to say that. I already took a picture of this beautiful, colorful car in the front. I don't know what, what model. It sounds like you've made your choice. I know I'm like can you see me driving down the street in this colorful car? It would look nice. I do want to be in the parade. Oh yes, burbank on parade I love it.
Speaker 3:I love it you've already got the commitment from road kings that they will be the official cars.
Speaker 12:Burbank, the parade and I can't wait to bring the parade back.
Speaker 3:Well, I'm thinking about doing a little different. We'll do it at Magnolia Park, where those businesses would love to do it.
Speaker 1:It's a separate meeting.
Speaker 12:You know, whatever works, then we can bring our community together. We can bring a fun parade. I always get jealous from Glendale when they have the Montrose Christmas Parade and I'm like why don't we have a Christmas parade?
Speaker 1:Why don't we have a parade? Even better, even ever so slightly better parade.
Speaker 3:Yes, well, I can promise you, as I said to our city manager last Saturday, 2026, there will be a parade in this purvey. I promise you, and I'm going to wait for it, and I promise you, you know, I got your shuttle buses. You heard it today. We're going to do a parade next year.
Speaker 12:Go enjoy the car show, Thank you. I do want to, before we close up, thank my Burbank for always being there reporting what's happening in the city. Before we jump on anything else, we see if my Burbank published it first, because if they did, that means it's legit.
Speaker 1:So we're always checking our sources. It's usually the other way around, but that's good to hear.
Speaker 12:Thank you for everything you do and always showing up when you need to, so we do appreciate you. Well, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2:Have a wonderful day, you too, thank you Well, Ross, we have some road Kings royalty with us.
Speaker 3:Why don have some road kings royalty with us? Why don't you go ahead and introduce her? Well, you know, we do have royalty. We, karen, arilanda and her, her other half, or better half.
Speaker 1:Not on mike, though.
Speaker 3:In the wings you're in the wings you're, you're you're holding up karen, because I know what time you guys were here this morning. Karen, you know you sat in this seat last year. We interviewed you and you were overjoyed with the number of cars that kept coming in there. I hear you have over 300 this year. Yes, we do. We haven't even been able to walk around or see no, the cars. I mean I should get on your golf cart with you and go go around real quick. Not a bad idea idea, but you know what a show. Oh, it's great again.
Speaker 3:You guys have pulled another one off.
Speaker 11:We do. We are over 300 cars again.
Speaker 1:Not more than 350.
Speaker 11:No, we can't go over that number, we're not allowed Just a little over 300 between our cars and everybody else's. That is here. That are show cars and the variety is fantastic One boat and a ton of cars.
Speaker 1:So there is a boat here. There is a boat here. I thought there was a running gag or something Right over there, right by the bus, hiding in plain sight over there, there you go, right under your nose. Not just a car show.
Speaker 11:No, it is.
Speaker 3:It's anything unique. It takes a village to put on an event like this. We've talked to Bruce, we've talked to bruce, we've talked to don you know, and you guys again to, to fit all the cars in here to deal with the vendors. I you know, as I I remember saying what a great community event. Look at the happy people, everybody walking around, smiling, having a good time.
Speaker 11:It's all your fault oh, that's a good thing.
Speaker 1:I'll take that the phrase herding cats really does come to mind when it comes to your job here and you know what?
Speaker 11:it's a lot of work. I won't say it won't, but it is so much. When you see this and so many people come up and tell us it's a great thing. I saw all my friends I haven't seen in a while. It's a burbank event and actually this year, because I didn't do as much on certain things I got to walk around and talk to people too.
Speaker 3:Today Yay, so I was excited. Yes, Well, you know, like last year I learned you were the first female president, yes, Of Road Kings and you have a classic, classic car that we have got to sit across from this whole show and I've looked at that car between us and the boat. Yes, and I'll tell you, you have that thing in pristine, pristine.
Speaker 11:I got a great detailer.
Speaker 1:Not just a bodyguard.
Speaker 3:Wow, look at that car.
Speaker 11:Oh, that's my.
Speaker 6:Blue Betty. We just finished, blue Betty.
Speaker 10:That's Red Wagon.
Speaker 11:Everybody gets a name.
Speaker 1:That's the name of these cars.
Speaker 11:I name every one of our cars.
Speaker 1:Wow, this is the Nomad area.
Speaker 11:Yeah, it was a Nomad welcome show this time. So we called a bunch of places, he called a bunch of other groups that had them and we got several nomads in.
Speaker 1:He gathered all the nomads.
Speaker 11:Yes, he did, yes, he did.
Speaker 1:From afar.
Speaker 11:We got them brought in.
Speaker 1:The nostalgia here, the stories people can tell about every one of these cars.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's amazing, Besides the cars, with Gary sitting next to you, we want to thank Gary for setting us up, getting us tables, getting us into where we need to be. But I tell you, people don't realize 300 cars in here. Folks, you got Gary, you know, you have it laid out right. You've done this professionally.
Speaker 1:You've done this for me for Holiday in the Park. This park gets real small on car show day.
Speaker 3:It does, it does, and you have done a fantastic.
Speaker 2:A giant jigsaw puzzle.
Speaker 1:One thing I don't know that we've asked anybody today, but certainly this is a good time to do it is over the 34 years this has gone on, and however many years you've been involved, how much change have you seen?
Speaker 11:Well, okay, before we were actually the cars get older.
Speaker 11:Yeah, the cars get older. Before we were actually road kings, he brought a friend's car that we had had. That show was totally different than you know, than we did the the first time I was a road king. We came here and it was, you know, everything was brand new to me so I didn't really know a whole lot. Then we had COVID and then we brought it back in what? 22 or 23 or 22, something like that. And when we brought it back it was everything was so different from everything else I had remembered before, because you have so many different things you couldn't do and can do and they just become part of our life. But the car show itself hasn't changed. There's the old cars, the people that love to see each other, people in Burbank that come together that want to talk to each other. Haven't seen each other for six months, but they come here and see each other.
Speaker 11:It's a reunion, it is In many ways, and so I just think people get excited to do it and enjoy it.
Speaker 1:Well, we should, and get out of the house.
Speaker 11:I'm totally out of the house.
Speaker 3:Get out of the house. Yeah, well, you know you got the fire department here has one of their rigs. The police department, the historical bus that was built here in Burbank, a boat. You got new cars, old cars. You know we have gotten an interview over a dozen fantastic people. That you know what a day.
Speaker 11:It is. It's a fabulous day.
Speaker 3:It is, and you know thank you it is, and you know Thank you again, for we know what you went through To put this show on. It's not easy Dealing with. We had Bruce on before and some of the the stuff that you had To deal with and it's unfortunate, but I'll tell you.
Speaker 1:Well, you guys pulled it off well, Thank you very much, and what's always of concern these days these Thank you very much, and what's always of concern these days is the future of community events like this.
Speaker 11:You know, I'm not sure. They're getting tougher to put on and we're just getting worn down.
Speaker 1:So we'll have to see. I'm seeing a good variety of ages here, which I think is really important.
Speaker 11:Oh, it's from little little to old, it's that a whole family comes four, three generations sometimes.
Speaker 1:And just I think I mentioned it to Don earlier is just like bell bottoms. And what else did I? I forget what else I said, but everything comes kind of full circle it comes around, yes, so hopefully there's a renaissance.
Speaker 11:Okay. I can hope for that.
Speaker 1:And we want to see all ages here. That's what you know. The newer generations keep road kings alive. It keeps events like this alive.
Speaker 11:Keeps the community alive.
Speaker 3:You know we had a couple of our council members, Zet Mullins, a minute ago. Community is a real important thing. You know, like she said, what's going on outside of verbank right now? I don't want to even know. You know what? People here have no clue and don't care they don't care.
Speaker 11:They can have a good day with their family distraction, distraction you need it totally need it.
Speaker 3:It's just so healthy and you know um smell that gas. Oh, great, great.
Speaker 1:That's great, it's great. No, but all the senses get going at a show like this. They do the sights, the sounds, the smells, completely, you know everything. It's just, it refreshes. Everything refreshes the soul, you know, and I'm not overselling it, it really does. You come here and take a breath and enjoy the environment, the music going, the kids running around having a great time, the works of art that are laid out in front of us. Yes, just amazing.
Speaker 11:I mean these people. One gentleman called me and they had two nomads coming in and his brother's nomad had an accident yesterday. They worked on it last night and they brought both nomads today.
Speaker 7:Really.
Speaker 11:Call like because with registration, I send an email and they so they can communicate. I got all sorts of information from people through the day. Uh, my car's not running that, can I switch it for this? Can I do all these things and we do that to help them so that we get everybody here happy is he displaying a before and after picture of that particular? I don't want to see. No, I didn't even know no, he made it. He made it here he made it here and he's happy okay, I'm just curious how many miles are on your gorgeous machinery right there?
Speaker 11:How many. I know I have to get it for insurance every year, but I forget what the number is.
Speaker 2:I've got that much because we have cars. Has it rolled over?
Speaker 11:No, do not say.
Speaker 7:Forsooth Forsooth yeah, amarillo. Why, oh Forsooth Forsooth yeah Amarillo. Wise, oh, rochelle's Holly Roadster. We drove the lake All right Driver.
Speaker 1:So those are drivers.
Speaker 11:They are drivers.
Speaker 1:Driving cars. It sounds like your job never ends.
Speaker 11:My job is actually I got to get down there.
Speaker 1:They're hollering at me. You're being called away right now.
Speaker 3:They're hollering out Lauren Gary, again from everybody at the Car Show, from my Burbank's crew. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you for everything. I'd love to come to see you guys. Bravo, alrighty. Thank you, ross. We have a very special guest with us.
Speaker 3:Please introduce him. I will say a very, very special guest. We are honored to have Jim Miles. Jimmy, yes, as you go by, I am told one of the original right members of the road kings. Yes, buddy, this is. It must be a great day for you, yes, well we established the club.
Speaker 6:We had our first meeting on the 17th of november 1952 and there were 17 of us wow and you got how many? Now? I mean now we probably got somewhere between 85 to 90 people.
Speaker 1:Wow, we'll call that a success for sure, and what was your?
Speaker 6:first car. My first car that I had that I raced was a 49 ford with a built flathead wow, that thing had some go in it. Well, it didn't have enough. Go to beat all the other cars I had to race that had Cadillac and Oldsmobile engines in them. The Chrysler, engines.
Speaker 1:So you said that was the first car you raced. Was that on Olive?
Speaker 6:or Alameda. No, that was a Saugus drag strip.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, an officially sanctioned race. Right, right, okay.
Speaker 6:I never drove on the street to get tickets Right, right.
Speaker 3:Well, you've gotten chauffeured around by some great people. I mean, if you've got Bruce Boris driving you around, yes, that's like the head of the Clydesdales. I mean that's right, he knows how to do it. That's like the head of the Clydesdales, I mean that's right, he knows how to do it. That's right. And will I can I say is this a great show? Are you just amazed?
Speaker 6:And the great cars that are here, well, you never expect when you put on something like this, you're going to have all this magnificent automobiles around here Just incredible. You're always hopeful, always hopeful, but it's always better than hopeful for me. Sure To see them.
Speaker 1:They're all great cars and everyone. It's come up in previous interviews today, but every one of these cars has a story. Everyone has a story. Everyone is a work of art in its own way, yeah, and the generations of people that are able to come here and enjoy that, that common passion and meet new people and all that it's. It's just such a great community event and the fact that it's still going, going strong, yes, and when you jump started it back in the day, the fact that it's it's still what it is today and has grown to be what it is now, yeah, is a testament to your efforts, certainly back then and over the years, uh-huh well, you've seen quite a bit of difference in cars from the day that you used to play around, yeah, with yours there.
Speaker 3:Now we're passing around now, check, look at that car, look at that proud guy in front of that on a lithium battery in sight.
Speaker 2:Let me see there you go get that on well, you know, jim, that's cool.
Speaker 3:That's cool. What do you think of the these, these cars today compared to what you got to play?
Speaker 1:we've got a brand new 2025. What chevy traverse sitting right next to us here. They compare it all to what's behind us maybe in 25, 30 years. Yeah when, when, when. These are uh right yeah I don't know if these will still be on the road in 20 to 25 years, but don't tell uh, bob green, that right right, well, you know we're gonna let you.
Speaker 3:Uh, bruce will be back in a minute. Okay, I think he had to go check the bathrooms or something You've got to say. These Road Kings, your fellow Road Kings, have really done their job today.
Speaker 6:Yes, what I have done for the Road Kings. I have collected a lot of pictures from the last 72 years and six months and I've got the display up there with all these pictures of the people that were in the club back then. That's cool. Some are here and some are gone.
Speaker 1:Well, that's all part of the history, though that's all part of the game. You've been the archivist for that, the club historian Right Along the way. You should have like a cape or a sash. You know that shows that bestows the honor upon you that you certainly deserve that. Once we get a chance to make take our annual lap of the show here, we'll have to go look at those.
Speaker 6:yeah, those pictures for sure, right, I know where they are, I can see them from here, but I got a lot of people that, uh, that are still fairly instant in invested, involved in the sport, and that's not as an owner or a driver, but Don Perdone's one of them. You know him.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that name has been pretty, don the Snake.
Speaker 6:Don the Snake, yeah, and also Bob Moravis and Mike, and let's see oh what it's just tough.
Speaker 11:Well.
Speaker 1:Rob. Well Rob, in the middle of the night it'll come to you and you'll call us.
Speaker 3:I'm getting up there and I can relate. Tommy Ivo, oh yeah. Well, craig and I remember walking home down Oak Street and Tommy would be out there starting his engine or putting him in the trailer, and all the kids would sit around and watch. That's Tommy Ivo. Our eyes were that big back in the day that was a huge celebrity.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was Now, Jim, being the senior member here. The Road Kings royalty, you made a few laps here today. Any favorites, Any standouts for you?
Speaker 6:The one car that I really liked was the 55 or 6 Pontiac Safari, because I had a Nomad, but Safaris were almost difficult to find. You couldn't hardly ever find them. They were the Pontiac's version of a Nomad, but safaris were almost difficult to find. You couldn't hardly ever find them. They were the Pontiac's version of a Nomad, and there was one here. There was one here. What color Do you remember? What color? I can't remember the color, but it's parked over where the rest of the Nomads are. Gotcha, gotcha. I'll have to check those out.
Speaker 1:It's a beauty.
Speaker 3:Well, there's a lot of beauties out here, but I'm talking cars, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know we've seen a lot. You're not referring to this table.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, we have seen everything. When we got here to set up this morning, it was overcast. It was cool and comfortable. As the sun came out, I've noticed a lot less clothing is being worn. I mean it's gotten warm, but people are shedding their coats and sweaters and putting hats on everybody's slowing down a little bit, serving their energy when I brought out the memorabilia and put it up here today, I had my friend mark lingua bring out his bonne race car.
Speaker 6:if you'll see it up there, it's about 29 feet long, oh.
Speaker 1:I saw that the long, narrow one.
Speaker 6:That car has run over 345 miles an hour. Wow, on the ground. Yeah, that's with a four-cylinder engine, no kidding.
Speaker 1:Yes, I mean, it doesn't even look like a car. You walk by it. You have to look twice at it to realize what you're walking by.
Speaker 6:The exhaust only comes out on the right side, nothing on the left side.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's cool. That's something else.
Speaker 6:There's so much to see here, yeah really yeah, and it takes more than a day to see it.
Speaker 1:Well, that's all they give us.
Speaker 6:That's all they give us, but it gives you a reason to come back next year you better put your good shoes on and keep warm and run around and see it.
Speaker 1:You have good walking shoes here, yeah, and your chariot, oh, it's a different chariot. Your chariot hasn't returned to us yet, but this is great, and you're more than welcome to take as much credit for all this as you want, as you want, plank owners, you know.
Speaker 6:I mean, this is a this. When we put on this program like this, it takes probably about 30 or 40 people deeply dedicated to do this. You have members that do help and you've got members that are devoted to things there.
Speaker 1:Without their help, help wouldn't be able to do this well, don't know the how many moving parts go into an event like this, and they and there are more and more every year as your local governments and agencies pile on kind of more requirements and things we've got a lot of new people that have jumped in there and helped us quite a bit, and it's all for Nobody's making a dime on this.
Speaker 6:It's all for charity, and of last year we had given away about $500,000, plus another $500,000 in charities in Burbank since we've been doing this in the early 90s, that's amazing because this isn't the only event the Road Kings do. I mean it's a year-round, uh, year-round thing for the road kings, because I remember us going around to a couple of people's homes that didn't even have money to pay their rent or feed their kids, and we give them some money that they needed to help them. So that's, that's what this is all about, right?
Speaker 1:that's it, and this is a great day for the attendees, but for the Road Kings, road Kings members, but it really all goes to benefit those that need it. That's right, yeah, which is great. Thank you for being a part of this. Thank you for giving us a reason to be here way back when, right for sure we're here this year.
Speaker 3:We hope to see you next year. Okie dokie.
Speaker 6:We'd love to talk to you again. Okay, I sure hope so.
Speaker 2:All right, thanks for coming to the show. Well, ross Craig, that wraps up a very eventful and a very busy Road King Show 2025. So any impression from the day Nothing like an eventful event.
Speaker 1:It's great. The weather held up. We got two of our favorite kinds of weather overcast and cool, and then sunny and breezy. So we got a little bit of it. Nothing I haven't said throughout the day already, but it's a great sense of community and great to see all kinds of people showing up to an event, despite the events happening around the city, uh, these days. But these works of art out here and again, I, I wish we had more time for us to walk around, you know, um, but uh, no, it's, it's, it's great stuff here, from the young to old, and and that's not just the cars, that's the people here but I, I always leave the day happy and energized. So it's great and we've spoken to some great folks.
Speaker 3:Oh, we have another winner. I hear on the stage you're just starting to put out, give out the awards. Well, right, and I'm totally in shock because walking up to our booth is one of our old reporters, Devin Aranda. And that's just how are you? They're wrapping up the show. They're wrapping up awards, we're wrapping up our show.
Speaker 2:What do you think? I think it was a great day.
Speaker 1:Well, you went off the rails just now. I didn't see you.
Speaker 3:To see our old reporter.
Speaker 1:I thought of all this, but I think you'd agree that if we haven't already said it, it isn't. We don't have the words for you.
Speaker 2:Well, that's it. So for Craig Durling and for Ross Benson and for our technical engineer, xavier the X-Man Dubon, this is Craig Sherwood saying thank you very much for watching. If you're driving your car right now, keep two hands on the wheel. If you're watching us, subscribe like, leave us comments. Thank you so much and we will talk to you next time.