On a warm, sunny morning in late August, dozens of people slowly drove their classic cars onto Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf. 

As music played, classic car enthusiasts chatted, drank coffee and ate burritos throughout the morning.

“You couldn’t get more of a beautiful backdrop than the Pacific Ocean and classic cars to complement it,” said Logan Goldberg, the event production director of The Community Hot Rod Project. 

The group looks to build community through classic cars, “one turn of the wrench at a time,” as advertised on its website.

It hosts regular meet-ups, including Cars and Coffee, which takes place on the last Sunday of every month at Stearns Wharf, and Coffee & Classics, which takes place on the second and fourth Saturday of the month at Southcoast Church in Goleta.

President Kevin Haeberle founded the Community Hot Rod Project in February 2021.

A local nonprofit group, it uses cars as a gateway into vocational trades; it is currently raising money to open a vocational training center in Santa Barbara. 

Members also offer a free program for kids and adults to teach them how to build and restore classic vehicles. They host other community outreach events, such as toy drives, and oil changes and detailing for people who would otherwise not be able to afford them.

“Everybody’s welcome,” Haeberle said. “(We’re) here connecting the community through cars and building relationships, showing what we could do with our cars and teaching the next generation with it.”

Haeberle said a community survey at Santa Barbara High School last year showed that 90% of students wanted to learn how to build or fix something with their hands.

Goldberg, a friend of Haeberle who has helped him with the project for several years, added that a lot of automotive programs and hands-on workshops have disappeared over the years.

John Sween, a Santa Barbara resident since 1963 and project secretary, said that when he was in school, “they had all the vocational classes, and now those are all gone.”

Haeberle said the project wants to “be able to teach kids of all ages using the cars as a tool.”

Goldberg added: “I think it’s a great program and initiative. … His mission is to bring a lot of those workshops back to the youth.”

For Haeberle, the fuel for it comes from a more personal side. 

“Sharing the passion of building rolling works of art and teaching the next generation” is why he does this, Haeberle said. “I have two daughters myself, and they’re eager to build, learn and do things with their hands. That’s what’s important.”

Top builders and fabricators from across the state are involved in the nonprofit organization, along with local business owners and mentors who have come forward to share their passion for cars and the skills they have learned over the years. 

Local meets serve not only as a space to build local camaraderie, but as a place to educate members of the community and raise money for hands-on vocational training. 

Sixty to 100 cars usually turn up for smaller meets, while the organization’s annual large show draws 400 to 500 cars.

“About 10,000 people show up” to the larger shows, Haeberle added. 

Community members have had a positive reaction to the gatherings, they said.

Byron Wrigley, who owns a 1931 Ford, said it is great to be able to participate.

“They fill up the pier with the max amount of cars allowed out here,” Wrigley said. “Everyone’s friendly and interested in cars, so it’s been enjoyable talking with people.”

Sween said “people really enjoy” the events.

“The car culture has been around since World War II,” he said, “so I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.”