Radwood NorCal: Yeah, they got me....
A while ago, I issued a report on this thing called Radwood. I wasn't sure I'd like an 80s / 90s themed car and culture show, but by the time left my first one, I started to "get it."
#beast`
On June 24th, the fine people of Radwood hosted another event in South San Francisco, so I called a friend and we packed up some gear and our (combined) 4 kids and we headed down to Oyster Point, in South San Francisco to see what was going down. I was kind of excited to go with my friend Steve. He wasn't able to make it to the previous event, Radwood HooptieCon in late March, but he loves the cars of that era, and being a couple of years older than me, drove and customized a few of them, back in the day. #menofacertainage
Well.....it was good.
Actually, it was really good. It was bigger and better than HooptieCon, and it was clear that the Northern CA car community is ready and willing to come out to support this new happening. There were scores of cars that were staged and expected, but all morning and afternoon, cars kept showing up, creating a parking lot of dreams, for lack of a better description. From obscure Japanese minicars to a beautiful race ready Ferrari F40, this show had it all. There were more Porsches than you could shake a stick at, a Mauck MSV bus (google it), a Prelude Ute (yeah, I said Prelude Ute) and a healthy gaggle of Lancia Delta HFs...because, well, why not Lancia Delta HFs???
And not to be outdone by the vehicles, some of the humans in attendance were decked out period appropriate sartorial splendor. There were fanny packs a-plenty and enough day-glow neon to give the sun a run for its money. Thought the fashion of the era is not my "thing," I'm glad my fellow attendees decided to sport theirs. Most were happy to pose for a picture and all all were getting into the true and full spirit of Radwood. They should all have gotten a commendation for their bravery for wearing old and highly flammable plastic clothing on a relatively warm and sunny day.
The upshot...
The upshot is that Radwood's really got me this time. (It got Steve too!) It's not something that I need to try to get my head around anymore. I have no reservations about it, and I'm confident that I "get it" now. Radwood is pretty much all that's is good with the world. It's people of all stripes getting together to celebrate. It's learning new things and re-learning some old ones. It's something completely new to experience, but at the same time it's incredibly familiar. I'm still not ready to attend an event dressed in period, but I can honestly say that I can and have embraced Radwood and all it's about. It is intrinsically good. I will go again.
Judging by my two experiences and some of the buzz on social media, Radwood is on the cusp of breaking out. Their events have consistently and consecutively increased in size and presence and they're even planning an event at Road Atlanta on August 25th! We hope and trust that Georgia comes out to represent the American South's finest! I'm confident that their formula of jank and nostalgia (and hopefully a few more Porta Pottys next time) will continue to grow and thrive and become a household name in the automotive universe, because #it'sgoodforyou.
Please take some time to look through the gallery below:
