For 20 years, the Early Rodders have gathered to share their love of things that go zoom.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Twenty years ago Rick Chew drove his hot rod to Goldstein’s Bagels, which used to be located at the Regal United Artists theater complex at 1919 Verdugo Blvd. in La Cañada. He stared at the parking lot in front of the theaters and an idea was born. The site would be a great place to have enthusiasts show up, albeit early in the morning, to talk cars.

“It started right [at] Goldstein’s. [The bagel shop] was there in September 2001,” Chew recalled. “We had a few cars – maybe half a dozen – would show up.”

Chew began to pass out flyers letting like-minded car people know he and others would be at the UA every Saturday morning.

“And [through] word of mouth it just got to be what it is,” he said.

“What it is” evolved into Early Rodders, a group of car enthusiasts that weekly fills the theater’s large parking lot with a variety of motor vehicles.

Although the group’s origin was hot rods, the gathering now reflects a collection of some of the most eclectic cars in the area.

Though cars are the group’s common interest, it goes beyond that.

“It is the camaraderie [and] it’s a mix of cars that are here,” said member John Kornarens. He has been part of the Early Rodders from nearly the beginning. He found Chew hanging out with others at Goldstein’s. And although he doesn’t own a classic car now, over the years Kornarens has had several classic cars from Porsches to older Mercedes. But whether or not he owned a classic car, being part of the Early Rodders’ Saturday mornings have become a routine that Kornarens doesn’t plan to change – not even during a pandemic.

When COVID-19 hit Los Angeles County, Kornarens still showed up on Saturday mornings – and he wasn’t alone.

“Rick was here,” he said. “He never got out of his car.”

There were a few others who also showed up but only a few.

“It was sad,” he said.

Early Rodders continued to meet regularly, early on Saturday mornings, and Kornarens said he is glad the numbers are increasing back to what they were pre-pandemic.

“You get hot rods, muscle cars and exotics [cars],” he said of the cars that can commonly be found in the parking lot on Saturday mornings.

Last Saturday, for example, there was a 1912 Pierce motor bicycle. According to the National Motorcycle Museum, it was America’s first four-cylinder motorcycle.

There is also a 1929 Indian motorcycle that regularly shows up at the Early Rodders gathering.

“I was here and a guy brought a farm tractor on a flatbed truck,” Kornarens recalled.

The tractor was an old Porsche.

The variety of cars, including very rare vehicles, is why many people make sure not to miss a Saturday gathering.

Dwight Sityar is in charge of publicity and event planning for the Early Rodders.

“[Early Rodders] has gone from six cars to more than 250 now,” Sityar said.

He has eight classic cars himself and his family has its own collection of cars.

Sityar was born and raised in the Philippines and that was where his love of cars began.

“We all had American cars,” he said.

Early Rodders is not only a group of car collectors and enthusiasts, it is also a group of people who are philanthropic. Throughout the year they will have car shows that benefit various organizations. In September, they will sponsor the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce Hometown Country Fair and have about 50 vehicles on display. They also collect toys every year for LA County Fire Department’s Spark of Love holiday toy drive.

For 20 years the Early Rodders group has gathered at the UA parking lot, sharing their journeys from finding that special car to refurbishing others. They are hot rod, classic and exotic vehicle owners – some who are current owners, some are former owners and some are “one day” future owners. The love of these motor vehicles is what keeps many coming back.

“It’s the nostalgia [of the hot rods]. I grew up in the ’60s with fast cars … cool cars,” Chew said.

For Sityar, it’s all about the sound.

“It’s the muscle [in muscle cars] when you fire it up and you hear the roar of the engine that [races] your heart,” he said.