La Mesa Classic Car Show

Photo from 2013 car show

A Lament For Car Show Decline

By Jack Leary

LA MESA -- I have bitten my tongue for THREE YEARS! Now I've seen enough. I have watched a once great La Mesa event go down, down, down the tubes for three years. I ask the City Council to say "enough is enough!!"

It is beyond apparent the Classic Car Show management is clueless as to what they are doing. Three years ago they STOPPED the show and said "we're heading in a new direction". They forgot to mention it would be a downward spiral.

For 24 years I watched as hundreds and hundreds of people walked the Village streets, ate at the restaurants, and enjoyed the classic cars and hot rods on Thursday nights, but no more. Thursdays provide restaurants with half full seats along the boulevard and classics have been replaced with many Toyotas, Hondas, and SUVs.

Once there were three DJ's playing music, now only one. Once six trophies were handed out, now a couple "coins" and maybe a "gift certificate." Once there was great support by merchants and outside venues, now nothing.

If this show continues one more year with current management...BOOM, it's over. I urge the City to remove the La Mesa Village Merchants Associaton from this "De-ba-cle"  and restore the show to what it was, or just let it die a painful death. One man can bring it back. He did it for 24 years...................