Keith Martin has been involved with the collector car hobby for more than 40 years, and is the founder and publisher of this magazine. Keith has also written for the New York Times, Automobile, AutoWeek, Road & Track and other publications, has been an emcee for numerous concours, and had his own show, “What’s My Car Worth,” shown on Velocity. He has received many honors, including the Lee Iacocca Award, the Edward Herrmann Award, was inducted into the Concorso Italiano Hall of Fame, and more. He has served on the board of directors of The LeMay Museum and Oregon Ballet Theater, and was formerly the chair of the board of the Meguiar’s Award. Learn more about Keith here.
Last week we began the story of driving our Porshe 911 C4S from Portland 244 miles down Interstate 5 to Grants Pass, OR, population 39,194. We were headed to Cruise The Rogue, the revival of a weekend-long car show that started in 1980, but had been dormant since 2020. The weekend is produced by Main Street Grants Pass, a non-profit dedicated to revitalizing the city’s downtown. We arrived just in time for the opening night dinner, held outdoors on Main Street. There were well over 100 people in attendance, with the all the food and wine sourced locally. Proceeds benefited the […]
Last week we began the story of driving our Porshe 911 C4S from Portland 244 miles down Interstate 5 to Grants Pass, OR, population 39,194.
We were headed to Cruise The Rogue, the revival of a weekend-long car show that started in 1980, but had been dormant since 2020. The weekend is produced by Main Street Grants Pass, a non-profit dedicated to revitalizing the city’s downtown.
We arrived just in time for the opening night dinner, held outdoors on Main Street. There were well over 100 people in attendance, with the all the food and wine sourced locally. Proceeds benefited the Children’s Advocacy Center and the Grants Pass High School Marching Band and Color Guard Boosters.
We had a car-filled weekend. Saturday morning was a Cars and Coffee in the heart of downtown, at the same time as a car show in a nearby park.
A poker rally was held that afternoon. The way a poker rally unfolds is that you receive a playing card at each checkpoint. In this case seven; each one was a winery. (The Rogue River wine area is the Applegate Valley AVA, which is coming to rival its neighbor to the north, the Willamette Valley AVA.) At the end you keep your five best cards, and have the option of drawing two more. Even though my co-driver Scott and I tried to cheat, we still failed to even get a pair. But we enjoyed the seven tastings. (The cabernet sauvignons were our favorites.)
That night we had a private dinner with Sue Counselman from Vintage Underground, a sponsor of the event. I have been impressed with the effort VU has made to have a presence at car shows both locally and in California. They have become the “soup to nuts” facility for exotic car restorations in Oregon.
The next day was the car show. Over 300 vehicles were spread over the grass. There was something for everyone, ranging from a VW Beetle Monster Truck to a fine English-built toolroom replica of a Ferrari P4 race car.
Our Porsche seemed comfortable next to low-riders with Ford Flathead engines and custom VW busses. There was even a handsome Opel Manta sedan, whose owner said he had five Opels, two Mantas and three GTs.
That night was the Cruise-In, with hundreds of cars of every type parading on three lanes in a loop around downtown. The streets were lined with cheering spectators, some even holding signs from 1 to 10, rating the cars going by. I think we only got a six.
The capstone of our trip home was a stop at the K & R Drive-Inn near Roseburg, a “classic, family-owned American drive-in restaurant known for its nostalgic atmosphere, burgers, fries, and extensive Umpqua Dairy ice cream selection.”
I enjoyed a blueberry sundae with a butterscotch topping, tripling my caloric intake for the day.
As we drove home, we talked about how all-encompassing the weekend had been. Of course, it takes a masterful organizing plan and lots of volunteers to make a show seem “simple.” Part of the magic of the car community is its ability to welcome you no matter what your passion is, and to make you feel a part of everything.
Next year’s event has already been announced. Mark your calendar for July 22-25, 2027.
Have you been to a weekend-long local car show like this that you enjoyed? Please tell us about it in the comments below.
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Facts Only
* Keith Martin founded and published the magazine; he has over 40 years of involvement in the collector car hobby.
* The driver traveled a Porsche 911 C4S from Portland to Grants Pass, OR, covering 244 miles on Interstate 5.
* The destination was Cruise The Rogue, a revival of a weekend car show dormant since 2020.
* Cruise The Rogue is produced by Main Street Grants Pass, a non-profit organization.
* The event included an opening night dinner with over 100 attendees, featuring locally sourced food and wine, benefiting the Children’s Advocacy Center and the Grants Pass High School Marching Band and Color Guard Boosters.
* A poker rally involved seven winery tastings from the Rogue River wine area (Applegate Valley AVA).
* The car show featured over 300 vehicles, including a VW Beetle Monster Truck and a Ferrari P4 race car replica.
* The weekend included a cruise-in around downtown and a stop at the K & R Drive-Inn near Roseburg.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative constructs an image of effortless community and shared passion, positioning the car community as inclusive—a space where diverse interests coexist seamlessly. The event's structure, moving from a focused journey to social interaction, tasting, display, and dining, mirrors a holistic experience that transcends mere automotive appreciation. The inclusion of local non-profit beneficiaries ties the celebration directly to civic revitalization in Grants Pass, suggesting an implicit value system where hobbyism serves a broader community good.
The contrast between the highly specialized knowledge implied by Martin's long career versus the broad accessibility of the event suggests a tension between elitist appreciation and populist experience. The poker rally, while framed as casual fun, incorporates specific regional wine geography, layering local economic context onto personal enjoyment. This setup subtly reinforces the idea that deep passion can be channeled into shared, democratized experiences. The implication is that true community cohesion in niche hobbies is achieved not just through shared objects (cars) but through shared, organized ritual.
The pattern observed is the use of high-status achievement (Martin's honors) to frame a narrative of accessible, authentic experience. This functions to dissolve potential barriers between the expert and the participant by demonstrating that mastery can be packaged as conviviality. The underlying assumption is that enthusiasm naturally generates connection; however, this process relies heavily on successful organization and volunteerism, suggesting that the "magic" of community lies more in the logistical scaffolding than the inherent nature of the passion itself. What structures are built around passion to make it communal? What is the cost of organizing such inclusive events, and who benefits most from the shared feeling of belonging generated by these seemingly simple gatherings?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads like an anecdote from an experienced individual, blending biographical context with a detailed, personal recounting of a road trip and car show experience.