There are countless things to do and places to go on the 4th of July, but in Southern California’s Orange County, the best place to be was the Brea Country Fair. This was the perfect place for old car owners to show their patriotic streak with American flags and red, white and blue ribbons adorning their cars.
One of the many American Flags flying
The Brea Country Fair, held in Brea City Hall Park, included a car show with about 100 cars, from muscle cars and hot rods to rat rods and trucks.
Steve Maraggio’s Model A
In addition to the car show six antique cars were on display, including Fords, a Chevy and a 1921 Studebaker. No matter what your preference in old cars, it was at the Brea Country Fair. See some of these fine cars in the slideshow below.
This beautiful 1921 Studebaker is owned by Donna and Milton Wright. Together these two car lovers rebuilt this car from pieces, parts and rust into what you see now. Milton said he only drives the car about 30 mph because it has rear brakes only, which makes stopping a challenge. This was one of the six antique cars at the Brea Country Fair.
Donna and Milton Wright’s 1921 Studebaker
The cars started lining up on the west end of the Park about 8:00 a.m. and the show ended about 3:00 p.m. after the awards were presented. Eleven trophies were given and every one of the cars and trucks present was nice enough to take one home. Hard to narrow 100 cars down to the 11 winners.
Take a look at the 11 winners in the slideshow below.
Scott Griffith is teaching his son Cole the joy of hot rodding.
Cole Griffith poses next to his Grandma’s ’57 T-Bird
Cole Griffith came to the show with Dad Scott. Cole rides shotgun in his car seat and helmet
This 1934 Terraplane trucks belongs to Press Kale. Press said he knows of only two other Terraplane trucks like this and thinks probably less than1,000 were made. Terraplane was built between 1932 and 1938 by Hudson Motor Car Co. Terraplane was christened by Amelia Earhart in 1932. After 1938 the Hudson name went on the trucks. This truck is a 1/2 ton with a flathead six 212 cubic inch motor which makes 80 horsepower. It has a 3-speed transmission and 4.10 rear end. Press started building his Terraplane in 1995 and finished it in 2001. It was disassembled when he bought it. This is one fine truck.
In addition to looking at the cars, folks could go to a great pancake breakfast put on by the Brea Kiwanis, or go through the Brea Museum, or have a BBQ or hot dog lunch offered by the Veteran’s Club. Anyone still hungry after lunch could find deep fried Twinkies and Oreos for sale by the Boy Scouts, and at another booth fresh fruit cups were available for those looking for lighter fare. Boy Scout Troop 801 had a bean bag toss and the Brea Museum Historical Club held a cake walk. Home Depot sponsored a children’s make and take craft booth. Of course, a lot of face painting went on and many of the kids looked magical with paint and glitter. A marketplace was set up offering all kinds of crafts such as scarves, bows, jewelry, shirts, photographs and even Tupperware.
Everyone had fun
SuperNatural Custom Paint, offering pin striping and air brushing, was set up for the car folk who wanted to add some decoration to their car. It wasn’t hard to find something to do while bands provided music throughout the day. Bands rotated time slots playing County Western, Latin and Classic Rock, Top 40 and Blues music. Of course, relaxing in a lawn chair was also an option.
This was the City of Brea’s 33rd Annual Country Fair and there was no better way to spend the 4th of July.
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