Drifters Car Club brings thousands of spectators to historic downtown for a two-day celebration of automotive history, community and charity
The rumble of classic engines, gleaming chrome and a shared passion for automotive history filled historic downtown Murrieta Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, as more than 600 classic cars rolled into town for the annual Murrieta Rod Run, a two-day celebration that has become one of Southwest Riverside County’s signature automotive events.
Organized by the Drifters Car Club, with Wayne Powell serving as this year’s event director, the Rod Run drew thousands of enthusiasts and families to Washington Street. Organizers reported that 4,000 tickets had been presold for the event, which featured an impressive collection of American automotive history, from vintage hot rods and muscle cars to lovingly restored classics.
But beyond the polished fenders, roaring engines and nostalgia, the Rod Run had a much greater purpose: raising money for Oak Grove Center, a Murrieta-based nonprofit dedicated to helping children and young people facing emotional, behavioral and developmental challenges.
The event featured vehicles from 1980 and earlier, transforming Washington Street between Kalmia and Ivy streets into an outdoor automotive showcase.
Friday evening’s Cruise Night, held from 4 to 8 p.m., gave participants an opportunity to take their prized vehicles out on the road, while Saturday’s Show & Shine allowed spectators to admire the cars up close, visit vendors, enjoy food and music, and talk with the owners who have invested countless hours restoring and preserving their vehicles.
For many participants, the cars represent more than transportation. They are rolling pieces of American history, reminders of an era when automobile design was defined by distinctive styling, powerful engines and an unmistakable sense of individuality.
The Drifters Car Club has been the driving force behind the Murrieta Rod Run for more than a decade, continuing a tradition established by the late Pat Vesey, a former Winchester resident and classic Ford enthusiast.
Vesey, who also helped establish the Temecula Rod Run, founded the Drifters of Southern California in the early 1990s. What began as an informal gathering of automobile enthusiasts exchanging mechanical advice and discussing their favorite cars eventually grew into a community organization with more than 700 members.
According to the club’s history, Vesey envisioned something larger than a social organization for car collectors. He wanted to use the enthusiasm surrounding classic automobiles to help young people facing difficult circumstances.
That vision became the foundation for the Murrieta Rod Run.
Today, the Drifters draw members from Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, Menifee, Canyon Lake, Hemet, Lake Elsinore and communities throughout northern San Diego County.
Club members participate in charitable activities supporting children, veterans, senior citizens and people facing serious health challenges. The Murrieta Rod Run remains one of their largest annual undertakings.
Powell, the event’s director and a Drifters Car Club ambassador, led this year’s organizing effort.
According to the club, preparing for the two-day event requires nearly a full year of planning, including coordinating vehicle registrations, arranging parking, recruiting volunteers, organizing vendors and handling the many logistical details necessary to bring hundreds of automobiles and thousands of visitors into downtown Murrieta.
The event is produced through volunteer efforts, with Drifters members receiving no compensation for their work.
The club has said the annual Rod Run is expected to generate more than $60,000 in net proceeds for Oak Grove Center. The final amount raised during this year’s event has not yet been announced.
For Oak Grove Center, the annual Rod Run represents far more than a weekend fundraiser.
Founded in Murrieta in 1989, Oak Grove is a nonprofit residential treatment and education organization serving children and adolescents experiencing emotional, behavioral, social and developmental difficulties.
The organization operates residential treatment facilities, specialized schools and therapeutic programs designed to help young people overcome challenges, strengthen family relationships and build successful futures.
Over its more than 35-year history, Oak Grove has served more than 15,000 children and families.
Its services include residential treatment, special education, autism programs, counseling, independent living preparation, sports, arts and vocational education.
The organization operates the Jack Weaver School at its Murrieta campus and Oak Grove at the Ranch in Perris, providing individualized education and support to students whose needs may not be met in traditional school settings.
Oak Grove’s mission emphasizes educating, healing, restoring relationships, building character and instilling hope.
For some students, that means learning to manage emotional or behavioral challenges. For others, it means developing the academic, social and practical skills needed to transition into adulthood.
The center’s approach combines education and clinical treatment with extracurricular activities and opportunities for students to discover their interests and abilities.
frontOver the years, the Murrieta Rod Run has become an important source of financial support for Oak Grove’s programs.
According to the event’s official website, the Rod Run has raised more than $376,000 for the nonprofit.
Those funds have helped finance projects that might otherwise have been difficult to provide, including improvements to a baseball field, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics classes, and the development of vocational training opportunities.
Among the beneficiaries has been Oak Grove’s culinary vocational program, which helps students develop practical skills and gain experience preparing for employment.
The program includes Culinary Creations, an Oak Grove initiative in Temecula that provides opportunities for students to learn about food preparation and the workplace.
Proceeds also help sustain arts, music and autism-related programs that provide students with additional opportunities to develop confidence, independence and life skills.
The Rod Run’s fundraising model is straightforward: The event is organized and staffed by volunteers, and proceeds benefit Oak Grove Center.
For the Drifters, the reward comes not from financial compensation but from knowing their efforts are helping children and families throughout the region.
The Rod Run also provides an annual opportunity to showcase historic downtown Murrieta, bringing visitors to Washington Street and introducing them to the city’s shops, restaurants and surrounding businesses.
For Powell and the Drifters Car Club, that is what makes the months of planning and countless volunteer hours worthwhile.
It continued a legacy begun by a group of automotive enthusiasts who believed that a shared love of classic cars could become a powerful way to help children.
For more information about the Drifters Car Club and the annual Rod Run, visit MurrietaRodRun.com. Information about Oak Grove Center and its programs is available at OakGroveCenter.org.
