2021 GRAFFITI | EVENTS
By VIRGINIA STILL
T
he pandemic may have stalled last year’s festivities but local car clubs, vendors and other participants are revving up for Graffiti Summer 2021 in Modesto. The annual extravaganza returns to downtown Modesto with the same traditional festivities and a few new ones. Fans and families can enjoy classic cars from many car clubs including: Modesto Area Street Rod Association, Mid-Valley Chevy Club, the Faros, and many others. The efforts that they put into their vehicles are always on point. From sleek lines, roaring motors, polish and wax jobs; their hard work and pride will be
on display for all to appreciate. There was a collaboration of different groups that met in January to discuss the possibility of hosting a Graffiti summer this year and what that would look like including the Graffiti parade and festival chairs, the North Modesto Kiwanis Club, Visit Modesto, MASRA, and Mid-Valley Chevy Club. Visit Modesto’s CEO Todd Aaronson explained that in March they really started looking at dates to hold the festivities and began working with the City of Modesto to determine how they could relaunch the Graffiti summer GRAFFITI 6
and all the festivities. “At the end of March we were looking at August as a potential time,” said Aaronson. “The car clubs all looked at the master calendars throughout the west and then we found dates that might work, made a proposal to the City of Modesto that they tentatively accepted pending any other government restrictions, and they have been great to work with. It has been a regular and consistent process amongst all of us for several months getting ready for Graffiti summer again and then we have added a lot of special events around it as well.”
AUGUST 2021
Kicking off the festivities will be the annual Graffiti Classic Car Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 15, presented by MASRA at the McHenry Village Shopping Center. At 2 p.m. that day there will be a showing of the classic film “American Graffiti” at the State Theatre. Mid-Valley Chevy Club Park ‘n Shine will be held at multiple locations, on Aug. 16 at the Century Center in downtown Modesto; on Aug. 17 at Vintage Faire Mall; on Aug. 18 at Cool Hand Luke’s in Riverbank; and on Aug. 19 at 10th Street Plaza. For more information and times visit www.midvalleychevy.com.
