Carmel Magazine

038-066 Shortcuts_SU05 Carmel Magazine 4/26/13 10:31 AM Page 4 SHORTCUTS EVENT Photo: Wasserbach photography Rockin' For a Good Cause Hundreds of vintage hot rods, classic cars and trucks are on display at the Monterey County Fairgrounds for the Rock & Rod Festival fundraiser. Select vehicles will compete for "Best of the West" awards, and live music is featured. athering to celebrate cars and rock and roll music is a quintessen- G tially American pastime. Make that get-together a fundraiser for a worthy cause? That epitomizes the Monterey Peninsula spirit. That's exactly how the 7th Annual Monterey Rock & Rod Festival rolls. Billed as an "Oldies music and classic car show," the event showcases clas- Today, Gateway's 30-bed residential flagship facility in Pacific Grove serves that need. But as with any endeavor of this type, Gateway is chronically in need of funding. So the Wecker brothers cooked up Rock & Rod as a fun solution. And fun it is.This is a celebration of American horsepower and sic cars and trucks bookended with continuous live classic rock music, held American star power. Acres of meticulously polished, chromed metal daz- entertainment with a purpose. headliner is Gary Lewis & the Playboys, whose 1965 #1 hit "This Diamond at the Monterey Fairgrounds on May 17-18. Sure, it's entertaining. But it's This festival was founded by brothers Terry and Bob Wecker to raise much-needed funds for Gateway Center, the Pacific Grove-based non- profit dedicated to serving developmentally disabled adults. "Our father [John F. Wecker] co-founded Gateway in 1963," Bob Wecker says. "Our brother John had Down's Syndrome. There weren't many programs around to help adults afflicted with that and other disabilities. These were the ones nobody wanted." "Dad said 'this can't be,' " adds Terry, "we need to teach these people life skills and keep them engaged." 42 C ARMEL MAGAZINE•SPRING/SUMMER 2013 zle in the springtime sun while attendees rock out to live music. This year's Ring" was blasting out of the dashboard radios of some of the cars on display when they were showroom new. Other entertainers include Jeremy "Elvis" Pearce and the Memphis Sons, plus the Yard Dogs (both at Friday evening's Sock Hop); Los High Tops, Reincarnated Revival, Tom Faia and the Juice, and Monterey Peninsula favorites The Money Band. Rock & Rod tickets and schedule are at www.montereyrockrod.com. For more information about Gateway Center and its local programs, visit www.gatewaycenter.org. —Michael Chatfield

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