(Words and Photos by Scott Liggett) – Every small town in America throws a festival of some sort to celebrate the uniqueness of their little town and the people who live there. Rio Vista, CA is no different. Being right on the Sacramento River, Rio Vista has a history of fishing and boating. For the past 65 years, the town has thrown a bass derby in which they have a fishing competition where as many as 1000 anglers head out on the Sacramento River and Delta trying to catch closest to the target length of Striped Bass and Sturgeon, and the fattest Salmon.
Included in the week long of the festival are a parade, carnival rides, vendors, and of course, a car show. Our Southern California man on the scene, Scott Liggett, had been hearing about this show for years from relatives that live in Rio Vista. So, he hopped in his ’65 Impala SS and road tripped 400 miles north of Los Angeles to check it out. We were surprised that he got more than 150 pics of some amazing rides.
Just in case some of you Bang Shifters are scratching your heads because Rio Vista sounds a bit familiar to you. It’s because it’s been in the news twice over the last 25 years because Humpback whales like to swim up river from the San Francisco Bay and hang out. Just kidding. Rio Vista is the home of the legendary land speed racer Craig Breedlove. He may be getting up there in age, but he is certainly not retired. He doesn’t have a shingle hanging on his shop or offer tours anymore; but we heard he is currently building a new land speed car. Plans are drawn, jet engines are bought, and building ready to start. He is going after the 800 mph mark.
Hit the link below to see the gallery of the Rio Vista Car Show.
SHOW GALLERY:
