Twenty-First Annual Woodies on the Wharf

Santa Cruz Wharf – June 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

By Noel Smith

It all began in 1994, 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. When it was decided to put on an event of their own the Club partnered with the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department and the Santa Cruz Wharf Merchants Association and the 1st Annual Woodies on the Wharf took place in June of 1994 with 36 cars in attendance.

After this humble start, attendance has grown over the years. In 2014 at the 20th Annual Woodies on the Wharf hosted 208 Woodies from all over the nation. In addition to attracting a world-class exhibition of Woodies (one of the largest Woodie gatherings in the U.S.) the event features Woodies on the Wharf merchandise sales, music by Classified Sound, a raffle offering 100’s of prizes including Surfboards and Beach Cruiser Bikes, and a surfboard-shaping exhibition by Hall of Fame Surfboard Shaper Floyd Smith.

Ninety percent of the raffle proceeds are donated to worthy charities. Combine that with the attraction of the Wharf itself, not to mention the great shops and restaurants, and you have what is regarded as the best family fun day that takes place on the Santa Cruz Wharf all year.

•••

At the beginning of the 20th century, furniture makers began making “woodies.” They purchased an automobile chassis then built the body from wood. These custom vehicles were often designed as small buses used by resorts to transport their guests to and from the local train station. Some woodies went upscale, referred to as estate cars, popular with “county gentlemen” for their large rural estates.

Ford introduced the first production woodie in 1929 as part of their new line of Model A’s. During the 1930’s, other manufacturers joined in with their own version of the “Station Wagon” referring to that earlier connection with trains. Chevrolet introduced their first woodie in 1939. Chrysler introduced its luxury Town and Country series in 1941.

Woodies were hand assembled and labor intensive to produce. They tended to squeak and rattle and the wood needed refinishing every 2-3 years despite constant care and attention.

After WWII GI’s returned home and the historic baby boom began. For the major manufacturers, the 1946, ‘47 and ‘48 automobiles included station wagons made with wood but then they began introducing new designs. The 1949 Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile wagons featured just a strip of wood running lengthwise along the side and a wooden tailgate. By 1950 the wood was gone replaced by a wood grain decal. The 1949-51 Ford and Mercury wagons featured real wood as inserted panels. When the 1952 Ford wagon arrived, the wood was gone replaced by simulated wood material. The last major maker to offer a full production wagon with real wood on the exterior was Buick in 1953… and the woodie era had come to an end.

By the late 50’s, woodies were disappearing from American streets, accumulating in junkyards and abandoned in out-of-the-way-places. But with the surfing craze in the early 60’s, surfers, found they could buy woodies cheap, and that they were perfect for the long surfboards of the day. Most surfers didn’t restore their wagons, they simply kept them going.

Then music groups like the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean immortalized woodies and the connection between surfing and their wooden vehicles became enduring when surfers and their music coined the label “woodie.”

For half a century, there were automobiles made of timber, which prompted jokes such as, “When are you going to take your car out of the crate?” Today, whether restored to their original factory specs or to that of a hot rodder’s dream, they can command much more than most people’s annual salary. The joining together of steel and wood in the first half of the 20th century has created a cultural icon for us to admire and enjoy.

•••

Our sponsors this year include the City of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Wharf, Hagerty Classic Car Insurance, Santa Cruz County Bank, UC Santa Cruz, Family Cycling Center, Floyd Smith Custom Surfboards, Pearson Arrow Surfboards, KSBW 8, Central Coast ABC, KPIG 107.5, and Community Printers.

•••

For more detailed information about Woodies on the Wharf go to www.santacruzwoodies.com