WOODIES ON THE WHARF 21ST ANNUAL, SANTA CRUZ, CA – WORLD’S TOP CLASSIC WOODIES CAR FESTIVAL & PARADE 6-27-15
Not far from the World’s largest Woodie Gathering is the Worldes Oldest Wooden Roller coaster, the Giant Dipper, on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Woodie (car body style)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1940 Pontiac Special Series 25 Woodie
A Woodie is a car body style with rear bodywork constructed of wood framework with infill wood panels. Originally, wood framework augmented the car’s structure, where later models featured applied wood and wood-like elements. The appearance was largely an American car feature, as European and Asian car manufacturers rarely offered it.
Ultimately, manufacturers supplanted wood construction with a variety of materials and methods to recall wood construction — including infill metal panels, metal framework, or simulated wood-grain sheet vinyl, sometimes augmented with three-dimensional, simulated framework. In 2008, wood construction was evoked abstractly on the Ford Flex with a series of side and rear horizontal grooves.[1]
As a variant of body-on-frame construction, the woodie originated from the early (pre mid-1930s) practice of manufacturing the passenger compartment portion of a vehicle in hardwood. Woodies were popular in the United States and were produced as variants of sedans and convertibles as well as station wagons, from basic to luxury. They were typically manufactured as third-party conversions of regular vehicles—some by large, reputable coachbuilding firms and others by localcarpenters and craftsmen for individual customers. They could be austere vehicles, with side curtains in lieu of roll-up windows (e.g., the 1932 Ford)[2]—and sold in limited numbers (e.g., Ford sold 1654 woodie wagons).[3] Eventually, bodies constructed entirely in steel supplanted wood construction—for reasons of strength, cost and durability.[4]
In 1950, Plymouth discontinued their woodie station wagon. Buick’s 1953 Super Estate Wagon and 1953 Roadmaster Estate Wagon were the last production American station wagons to retain real wood construction. Other marques by then were touting the advantages of “all-steel” construction to the buying public. By 1955, only Ford, Mercury, joined in 1965 by Chrysler offered a “woodie” appearance, evoking real wood with other materials including steel, plastics and DiNoc (avinyl product). As the appearance became popular, Ford, GM, and Chrysler offered multiple models with the woodgrain appearance until the early 1990s.
The British Motor Corporation (BMC) offered the Morris Minor Traveller (1953–71) with wood structural components and painted aluminum infill panels—the last true mass-produced woodie. Morris’ subsequent Mini Traveller (1961–9) employed steel infill panels and faux wood structural members.
Mid-Fairway see the famous Boardwalk sign, Carousel and edge of another roller coaster
Black Woodies on parade
Nice selection of woodies at the end of Wharf – That’s the Pacific Ocean just behind the Dolphin Restaurant
Nice cream color Ford Woodie in parade
Nice Whitewhalls!
White Beauty – you don’t see many pure white ones
Bridge that woodies are crossing over looks out at beach and boardwalk
Old Del Mar Theatre downtown Santa Cruz
Just entering the wharf before the parade
I came upon this Greyhound bus station in downtown Santa Cruz and had to stop and pay tribute to my deer friend, Polly, no longer with us . She used to take the Greyhound up to the Bay Area to visit me and I now know the exact location and station she departed from . Which she was still here to do that but it was a bittersweet discovery.Thanks for indulging me as we remember a wonderful person and many good times and visits on the Boardwalk and Wharf.
One of the popular restaurnats, Ideal Bar and Grill, located at the foot of the Wharf. Polly and I had at least one memorable meal and visit here..short video
Has to be one of the oldest Woodies this day, vintage 1930s
Announcer tells Woodie owners ‘Back to Cars’ as the Woodie Parade is about to begin.
How It All Started
It all began in 1993, with just a couple dozen members when Santa Cruz Woodies was a fledgling chapter of the National Woodie Club. Many club members had participated in events with their woodies at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the cars were always met with enthusiasm, so we decided to put on an event of our own. The Santa Cruz Wharf seemed like an ideal venue, but when we presented our idea to the Wharf merchants, they weren’t to sure about giving up their parking to a car show. We would have to convince them that the woodies, and the crowds they would draw, would be worth it.
We found an ally in Lisa McGinnis, the Events Director for the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department. She helped convince the Wharf merchants to give it a go. We had no idea how many woodies would show up that first year. We knew roughly how many cars there were locally, but how many woodies would drive in from out of town was anyone’s guess. The day before the event, we counted just over three dozen and we knew that the first Woodies on the Wharf would be the second largest gathering of woodies anywhere in the world. After our humble start, our attendance has grown over the years, and is getting close to 200 participating woodies. It has been reported that WOW is the busiest day of the year for the restaurants and shops on the wharf.
Woodies, Santa Cruz, Ideal Bar and Grill, Stagnola’s Restaurant, Woodies on the Wharf, CA, Boardwalk, Amusement Park,
HEADING HOME…SEE YOU NEXT NEAR SANTA CRUZ. IT WAS FUN, FUN, FUN
