Under the theme ‘How the West Was One,’ weekend-long celebration includes Biggest Little Hometown Parade, car show,
By Pamela Dozois
The 79th annual Los Alamos Old Days celebration, a three-day event, was held on the weekend of Sept. 26-28, featuring a Classic Car Show, an Artisan’s Faire, the Old Days Stampede 5K Run, dinner and dancing at the Men’s Club, food, music, and games for the children, and the Biggest Little Hometown Parade. The theme of this year’s event was “How the West was One.”
The festivities began on Friday night at the Men’s Club with dinner and dancing to the music of “Red Oak
Country.”
Saturday morning saw one side of Bell Street filled with an array of vintage and antique cars and trucks
and the other side lined with vendors offering their wares. Children were treated to a variety of games, face painting, and bounce houses in Ferrini Park, and a petting zoo behind the Men’s Club. There were food trucks and tri-tip sandwiches available for hungry attendees. Also, there was a “Wild Woof West Dog Parade and Contest” sponsored by That’s FETCH!, Santa Barbara County Animal Services, and Ron and Betty Ziegler. And, of course, what would an old-time Western celebration be without Cow Pie Bingo, which was won by Esto Carrillo.
The winners of the car show were: Best in Show — Pete Gaalswy’s 1939 Plymouth Coupe; Best
Hot Rod — Paul Cetti’s 1933 Ford 3-Window Custom; Best Custom — Mario Angulo’s 1972 Chevrolet K5
Blazer; Best Classic Truck (pre-1990) — Mike Tremper’s 1972 Chevy C-10 Pickup; Best Muscle Car (stock
1960-1987) — Rick Wahlberg’s 1968 Chevy Camaro; Best Rat Rod — Cody Castagna’s 1935 Ford Pickup;
Best Classic Antique (pre-1942 stock) — Rob Rohrer’s 1915 Ford Model T Depot Hack; Best Patina (rods,
customs, trucks) — Teddy Broussard’s 1949 Chevrolet Carpenter School Bus; Best Sports Car 2-seater —
John Shockley’s 1954 Austin Healey 100; Best Volkswagen — Russell Newell’s 1966 VW 21 Window Bus;
Best Classic 1927-1941 (all makes and models) — Robert Mainor’s 1937 Chevrolet 2-door Sedan; Best Tri
Five (all makes and models) — Chris Chiavoni’s 1955 Chevy Bel-Air; Best 1946-1959 (all makes and
models) — Jose Negrete’s 1948 Chevy Fleetline; and Best Low Rider — Joe Hernandez’s 1954 Chevy Bel
Air. Due to overcast skies, many of the automobiles left soon after the judging in hopes of not getting
their cars wet, but dry weather prevailed for the entire weekend.
Saturday came to a close with everyone packing up for the night anticipating the next day’s events, but
the fun continued at the Los Alamos Men’s Club with a Cook Your Own Dinner/Dance with live music by
The Fossils, who played into the night. But there was more fun to be had the following day with the 5K
run and the “Biggest Little Small-Town Parade.”
On Sunday at 9 a.m., a 5K run/walk sponsored by CalSwoosh began with more than 40 people participating in the event. The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit sports club, part of CalSwoosh, which uses the proceeds to help underprivileged kids to play sports. Trophies were awarded to the first-place male, Matthew Seurria whose time was 16.45, and first-place female, Halle Hamilton, whose time was 20.01. Medals were awarded to the top three finishers in seven divisions.
“This was the 14th year that CalSwoosh has participated in Los Alamos Old Days, and we had the most
people ever, with more than 40 participants,” said Coy Kendrick, organizer of the event.
Following the 5K run, Bell Street began to fill up with hundreds of people anticipating the parade, which was said to be the largest in its history with 48 entries. The sidewalks throughout Los Alamos were filled with people, in some places four or five deep awaiting the parade.
Seeing the parade approaching, Jacob Dana began to sing the national anthem while everyone stood
silently with hands over their hearts. Shirley Williams and Charlie Gonzales were the parade’s
announcers.
This year’s parade Grand Marshals were Ron and Betty Ziegler.
“The Zieglers have been a cornerstone of the Los Alamos community for decades, embodying the values of generosity, friendship, and dedication that define small-town life,” which was stated in part in their bio. “Both are well-known for their active support of local traditions, lending their time, resources, and encouragement to events that bring neighbors together year after year. Their belief in preserving community spirit has made them familiar and trusted faces at nearly every town event. Their commitment to family, friends, and neighbors reflects a deep love for the town they call home.” They have been married for 67 years.
The King and Monighetti families led the parade carrying the American flag, which has been their tradition since 1966. They were followed by the first-ever 2025 Old Days Queen, Lucy Martin, and Old Days Princess, Arena Longoria, and their court, dancing horses, and a brass band from Cabalgata Guadalupana de la Costa Central, and then the parade’s Grand Marshals.
Following the dignitaries was a variety of parade entries featuring dancing horses, hounds, fun floats,
vintage vehicles, beautifully costumed dancers, marching bands, vintage tractors, and floats by local
schools and businesses.
The 2025 Los Alamos Old Days Parade winners are as follows: Best Antique Vehicle 1st Place — Coastal
Vineyard Care Associates; Best Community Service Organization 1st Place — Sleep in Heavenly Peace;
Honorable Mention — JLD Boxing Academy; Best Equestrian Group 1st Place — Lienzo Charro Juan Juavez;
Honorable Mention — Santa Ynez Valley Hounds; Best Float 1st Place — Righetti FFA; Honorable Mention —
Lemos Feed & Pet Supply; Best Locals Entry 1st Place — Peppertree Farms Pumpkin Patch; Best
Elementary School — Olga Reed Broncos and Orcutt Academy K-8 Spartans (tie); Best Performance Group
(musical, marching) 1st Place — Orcutt Academy High School Marching Band; Honorable Mention —
Lompoc High Sapphire Dance; Best Restored Tractor 1st Place — Al Bennett; Honorable Mention — two
Farmall Tractors (Charles and Kelli Linquiti); Best Use of Theme 1st Place — Bundle ADU; Honorable
Mention — St. Joseph High School; and Best Military — Lompoc PD / Armored Rescue Vehicle.
Back at the Men’s Club, a barbecue contest was taking place, and this year’s winner was Priedite Barbecue.
Queen Lucy Martin, and Princess Arena Longoria, and their court — Xiomora Rubio, Elizabeth Flores, Sadie Greenwal, and Monica Diaz, raised $15,000 for the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club who sponsored the event.
“It was a privilege to raise money for such a worthy organization,” said Longoria. “This incredible weekend doesn’t just happen on its own. I want to recognize the amazing group of volunteers who dedicate their time, energy, and talents to make Old Days possible. These committee chairs and leaders give up countless hours they could be spending with their families to organize, plan, and prepare. They juggle phone calls, emails, permits, and county/state requirements – all while working to create an event that brings joy to our town. Their dedication is inspiring, and I am beyond proud of what they have accomplished,” said Ray Williams, president of the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club.
