Aztec Legacy and New Arrivals Car Clubs displayed their cars among residents and staff at Soledad Correctional Facility. This was the prison’s first inaugural car show which highlighted 19 cars and two motorcycles in late Spring.
Live music was played by the residents and outside vendor the Veterans Transition Center of Marina prepared barbeque for staff and residents alike as one community. The car clubs members and retired correctional officers gave speeches about the innovation behind allowing a car show to be held inside a prison.
“Bringing outside community members in to share within this community brings all of us together,” Acting Warden Edward Borla said. “The sentiment from many who attended the car show, both staff and the incarcerated population, (was how) it did not feel like prison during the event. The razor wire and towers all disappeared, and it felt like a car show at a park.”
The event also featured a food sale fundraiser with all proceeds benefiting Soledad Swim, a nonprofit organization. The food sale raised $2,908 for the group, according to the Salinas Valley Tribune.
“This event is crucial for us to show appreciation for staff’s consistent efforts to aid our rehabilitation,” said one of the incarcerated participants. “It’s about respect and community, and that’s what motivates us to keep improving.”
This special event is tied into the California model, to meet the goals, to help the incarcerated to able to adjust to society once they are released. The vehicles each car club brought in was to give the participants an experience of what it is like to be at an actual car show.
“The conversations about the beautiful cars on display between the community members, staff and population won’t end just because the car show has ended,” Borla said. “They continue for days, weeks and months to come.”
Winners of the car shows in order are first place New Arrivals Car Club 1965 Buick Wildcat, second place Aztec Legacy Car Club 1937 Pontiac Silver and finally Aztec legacy Car Club 1964 Ford.
