Old-school lowriders took over the Michael Towbes Library Plaza on Saturday, September 13, for the Santa Barbara Public Library’s joint event, “Somos Xicanas y Lowriders (Writers and Riders),” the latest in a series of events celebrating Latino culture for Hispanic Heritage Month.
The library kicked off its Raíces y Sueños (Roots and Dreams) series during the first week of September, with a new exhibit in the Faulkner Gallery featuring the paintings of Jaqueline Valenzuela — whose work is dedicated to celebrating Chicana identity and the lowrider lifestyle.
The September 13 car show featured classic cars from Nite Life Car Club, a Santa Barbara–based club founded more than 45 years ago in May 1980. The group honors the longstanding lowrider tradition of restoring and customizing American-made cars with shining chrome and gold accents, pinstripe detailing, and mods like hydraulics that allow the car’s stance to be bounced up, down, and side-to-side at the push of a button.
Out on the plaza, vintage vehicles offered a glimpse into the custom car scene through the decades, from late 1930s Chevy coupes to post-war big-body sedans to a regal red mid-’60s Chevy Impala — one of the most recognizable and sought-after lowrider silhouettes in American car culture.
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Classic cars took over the Michael Towbes Library Plaza on September 13 for the Santa Barbara Public Library’s “Somos Xicanas y Lowriders (Writers and Riders)” event celebrating Latino culture as part of the Raíces y Sueños series for Hispanic Heritage Month. | Credit: Ryan P. Cruz -
Classic cars took over the Michael Towbes Library Plaza on September 13 for the Santa Barbara Public Library’s “Somos Xicanas y Lowriders (Writers and Riders)” event celebrating Latino culture as part of the Raíces y Sueños series for Hispanic Heritage Month. | Credit: Ryan P. Cruz -
Classic cars took over the Michael Towbes Library Plaza on September 13 for the Santa Barbara Public Library’s “Somos Xicanas y Lowriders (Writers and Riders)” event celebrating Latino culture as part of the Raíces y Sueños series for Hispanic Heritage Month. | Credit: Ryan P. Cruz
Inside the Faulkner Gallery, a small exhibit detailed the history of Nite Life Car Club, including historical news clips, photos, and anecdotes dating back through the club’s early days in the ’80s and ’90s.
The event finished with a public reading of the anthology Somos Xicanas, a genre-bending collection of writing edited by Luz Schweig that includes the voices of 80 authors delving into Chicana identity, legacy, resistance, and cultural pride. The anthology features pieces by former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Melinda Palacio, who read from her work during Saturday’s event.
Santa Barbara Public Library will continue the Raíces y Sueños series of events from September 16 through October 11. For a detailed list of events, visit the library’s website.
