Scaled back car shows hit Danville

The first of two car shows in Danville's popular Hot Summer Nights series will be held Thursday — the historically four-night series of events has been cut in half this year because of complaints by some that the shows were too hot to handle.

The two remaining car shows — the second of which is planned for Aug. 21 — will be spread over a larger area of downtown Danville and feature a wider range of vehicles than has been allowed in the past.

Town officials agreed to give organizers three more blocks along Hartz Avenue to display cars and to open the shows up to pre-1969 vehicles. In previous years, the events were restricted to cars made before 1960.

Danville officials also agreed to let the shows run an extra hour. The shows begin at 4 p.m and will run this year until 9 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., said Mayor Candace Andersen.

"We're very excited about Thursday ... by all accounts, it's going to be bigger and better than ever before," Andersen said.

But not everyone is happy about the council's split decision in April to scale back the number of Hot Summer Nights shows.

Longtime event organizer Tony Carnemolla says he has been inundated with calls from upset car show fans.

"Everyday I'm hearing about it — every day of the week," Carnemolla said.

Council members voted 3-2 to cut the series in half, after a number of downtown merchants complained the events disrupted business. Four shows

Officials also say the events, by far the most rowdy in normally quiet Danville, tax police services. Although the shows usually result in relatively few arrests — only a handful were made last year — they draw large, sometimes boisterous crowds and require excessive staffing, police say. In recent years, the events have drawn 60,000-plus spectators and auto exhibitors to Danville over the four days.

Council members Andersen, Mike Doyle and Newell Arnerich voted to reduce the number of shows, while Councilmembers Mike Shimansky and longtime car show volunteer Karen Stepper said they wanted to keep all four events.

The events may not help every downtown business owner, but they help some, especially bars and restaurants, Shimansky argued Tuesday.

"If you try to get into a restaurant on a car show day, it's impossible," he said.

Town leaders ultimately opted to swap two of the car shows for smaller, more family-oriented events aimed at drawing local shoppers downtown.

A first-time "Summer Serenade," featuring music, food and wine tasting was held July 10 — normally the first night of the car show.

The quaint event drew many "more shopping types" than the auto shows, said Judith Clark, who owns a home furnishings store downtown.

"It was majorly better (for business) — no comparison," Clark said. A similar shopper-oriented event is planned for Aug. 7.

Carnemolla said he is holding out hope that all four shows can be brought back next year.

Council members likely will "evaluate the success" of Danville's various summer events when deciding how many car shows to host next year, Andersen said.

Reach Reporter Jeanine Benca at jbenca@bayareanewsgroup.com or 925-847-2125.