Southern California’s Largest Car Show is in Downtown Glendale

Glendale Cruise Night is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Saturday, July 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Brand Boulevard in the heart of Glendale. This event promises to be the best ever! It will be broadcast live on K-Earth 101 hosted by “Mr. Rock N’ Roll” Brian Beirne and there will be 400 pre-79 cars on display for you to enjoy! That is a lot! On top of all that, they will have live entertainment. And it’s not just any old entertainment. This year’s entertainment line-up includes The Tokens and The Surfaris that are both celebrating a 50-year anniversary of songs that became international hits!

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Wipe Out” is The Sufaris. According to Wikipedia, The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts nationally in May 1963: “Surfer Joe” on the A-side and “Wipe Out” on the B-side of a 45 RPM single. Here is what Bob Berryhill, the original guitarist with The Safaris, had to say about the song “Wipeout”: “People ask this over and over again, so here goes: In winter of 1962, Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson went out to Pal Recording Studios in Cucamonga, California and recorded ‘Surfer Joe,’ a song they wrote about a dream that Ron Wilson had. The band needed a B-side, so after some jamming, brainstorming and 3 takes, ‘Wipe Out’ was born. Though many have tried to claim writing/recording/producing credits for ‘Wipe Out’ over the years, only Berryhill, Connolly, Fuller and Wilson are the true authors and recording artists of the world-wide hit ‘Wipe Out’ with the crazy laugh intro.”

Within three months of releasing the song, it became the No. 2 song in the nation and by 1963 it was an international hit.

In 1961, The Tokens, four boys from Brooklyn, recorded “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” on the RCA record label. The song soared up the charts to become the No. 1 hit in the nation. By 1963, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” also known as “Wimba Way” or “Wimoweh” (and originally as “Mbube”), the song was a No. 1 hit in 36 nations. To date it has sold over 15 million copies and is known throughout the world. In a survey conducted by the Record Industry Association of America, The Tokens’ classic recording of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” placed 159th in the top 365 records of all time. Although not originally their song, The Tokens took the song international. You won’t want to miss either of these bands!

Don’t worry about parking for the event. There are several parking structures nearby that offer 90 minutes of free parking: The Exchange Structure at 115 N. Maryland Ave., the Marketplace structure at 120 South Maryland Ave., the Orange Street Structure at 222 N. Orange St. and all City Parking lots until 10 p.m. You can also find metered parking places around the event for $1 per hour.

Bring your family and enjoy an evening of spectacular classic cars and community displays. Restaurants and stores will be open for business. Attendance is free! Come out and see what one of Southern California’s largest car shows has to offer! For more information and updates, log onto www.glendalecruisenight.com or call the information hotline at (818) 548-6464.

Upcoming Events
Centennial August business mixer on Wednesday, Aug. 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 5 from noon to 11 p.m. in the 2300 and 2400 blocks of Honolulu Avenue in Montrose.

  melinda clarke