Trophies, prizes and factory tours were all featured at the 14th annual Rock and Roll Cruise in/Car Show held Saturday August 11th at the Rock-Ola Jukebox factory in Torrance, CA. It was a great way to help beat the dog days of August heat by hanging out near the ocean.
Over 100 American made classics, hot rods and muscle cars were all welcomed along with exotic sports cars. Endless ‘50s and ‘60s music added to the atmosphere. Four slab side Lincolns owned by SoCal LCOC and Rattys members cruised in to the show and remained for the duration.
Rock-Ola is the oldest jukebox company in the country, making them since 1927, the year Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs. Factory Manager Ken Urban conducted tours of the facility, which also includes a small museum and three lovely mid-‘30s Packard and Cadillac vehicles. It is also home to the South Bay Mopars, who meet there regularly.
Who knew that there was really an individual named David Rockola, who founded the business? And, that in its heyday it was turning out 100 jukeboxes a day in its former 500,000 square foot factory? Nowadays the production rate is lower, but Rock-Ola still builds juke boxes from scratch at the Torrance factory. Most have the look of the old style machines, but make no mistake—these 21st century versions have advanced technology innards, with solid state 450-Watt amplifiers per channel blasting out that fabulous juke box sound. Other available features are Bluetooth and MP3 connectivity plus many other options.
Those who toured were entered in a drawing for chances to win prizes. Other goodies were raffled off to spectators who bought tickets. One lucky winner walked off with over $200 as a share of the 50—50 cash drawing. Elayne Bendel got the grand prize in the tour drawing, a $450 electric guitar, while Jim Ayres took home a beautiful cast metal truck miniature. One of the Rattys won a full car detail in the raffle drawing. What a fun event!
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