Rod Run and Rock 'n' Roll

Twice a year, Old Town Temecula plays host to the , and to more than 65,000 people. 

Whether you come for the classic cars, the merchants or to support the various charities that benefit from this event, there is something of interest for everyone. 

To see a photo gallery of the event, .

Friday night automobile aficionados came to watch the hundreds of classic vehicles parade up and down the main drag of Old Town between 5 and 8 p.m.  Kat Ellis, photographer extraordinaire, and I came mostly for the music and entertainment, and our adventure began at  

You can never be disappointed at Sweet Lumpy’s with their awesome food of barbeque, salads and sides. A big plus -- and the reason we went there -- was Burning Crab Cakes, a classic rock and blues band. 

To read a review of Sweet Lumpy's, .

The band itself has been in existence for about a year, but found the missing piece when they added Don Grisham as their front-man and lead vocalist.  Grisham plays a mean harmonica too. Randy Summers is on lead guitar and vocals, Toby DeGard on bass and vocals and Ron Jones filled in for Rich Hlaves on drums.  Chuck Wylie sat in with them on the third set playing guitar and singing.

Well, being the Roving Wino, I had to continuously rove from place to place looking for the hot spots of the evening. 

We meandered down Front Street to and caught part of a set from The Green Jackets. Based out of Oceanside, they played a mixture of Celtic interspersed with some good ole Southern California rock. We didn’t catch much of their music, since they took a break and we had to roll on. 

was our next stop and Deek and Long were playing there.  This is an acoustic four piece band with sultry sounds that mix perfectly with a glass of wine. 

The roar of the rods outside was lessened with the sexy voice of Lisa Long, a.k.a. Lisa Deek, and the guitar playing of her husband, Andy Long. Chris Rhine on bass and vocals and Keith Boyer on percussion complete the sound of this contemporary rock band. 

The exterior noises of horns blaring and engines revving from the constant parade of cars started to die down after 8 p.m.  Cautious car owners tucked their babies carefully goodnight and the streets gave way to music and street vendors. 

We ducked off the main drag and onto Fifth Street and found ourselves at , a unique wine bar serving Spanish Tapas and wine from around the world. 

Entertaining us here was the fabulously sexy, classically trained violinist Diego Mondragon. An impressive violinist, he mesmerizes his audience with a wide variety of Latin-inspired genres and his two sidemen were exceptional musicians as well.

The dance floor filled with fans that moved to the sounds of flamenco and Latin jazz, and it was with hesitation that we moved on to the next venue. 

The clock was ticking down as we strode into to catch Robert Rankin Walker and Kristine Turner playing some old classic rock songs. Walker on acoustic guitar and vocals and Turner singing, they exude “fun." 

A comedy act at times playing off of one another or the audience, they are lively and enjoyable.

Walker not only is a guitarist and singer but works marketing music and events.  His outgoing personality lights up the stage, and the only one that could equal him was Turner. As a DJ and radio personality, Turner is no shrinking violet, and between the two of them, they are quite the entertainers.

The streets were quieting, and the vendor booths were battened down for the night.  At 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the parking attendants were expected to open up and begin another day of the Rod Run, and that was only a few hours away. 

The road was open for ingress and egress and parking at the moment was not an issue. My “not-so-classic” car however was at the top of the parking structure, and it was time for me to drag my sorry behind home.