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Sunday · October 4 · 2026

Castro Valley
to Niles Fremont

Classic Car Cruise — Flying A to Flying A

Start your morning at Philz Coffee and Canyons BBQ in Castro Valley, then hit the road for a scenic cruise to historic downtown Niles in Fremont. Take the back roads through Palomares Canyon, enjoying the twists, turns, and beautiful scenery at your own pace, on your own time.

When you arrive in Niles, park your car, enjoy a BBQ burger lunch, show off your ride, and spend some time with fellow car enthusiasts in one of the Bay Area’s most historic downtowns.

Register — $50 per car
See the day
100 cars only · Presented by the Rotary Club of Castro Valley and the Niles Rotary Club of Fremont

When

Sun, Oct 4, 2026
6:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Start

Castro Valley Blvd
at Wilbeam Ave

Finish

Historic Niles
Fremont

Entry

$50 per car
1990 & older

About the day

Breakfast. Back Roads. BBQ. Classic Cars

Start your morning with an Egg Taco Breakfast and Philz Coffee, hosted by the Rotary Club of Castro Valley on Castro Valley Boulevard.

Then enjoy a scenic drive to historic Niles in Fremont, where the Niles Rotary Club will host a car show and BBQ lunch.

In between, the drive is yours — take the back roads, enjoy Palomares Canyon, and travel at your own pace, on your own time.

This is not a race, a timed event, or a competition of any kind. There is no start gun, no clock, no finishing order, and nothing to win by arriving sooner. Everyone travels on public roads that are open to normal traffic, under normal traffic laws, at their own pace.
Take the whole morning if you want it. Stop for pictures. Stop for a second coffee.

Schedule

The day, hour by hour

6:30 AM

Rotary check-in setup

7:00 AM

Check-in opens — Castro Valley Blvd at Wilbeam Ave. Have your barcode ready on your phone or printed.

Cars & Coffee — breakfast tacos from Canyons BBQ, coffee from Philz. Hoods up, and no hurry.

9:00 AM

Check-in closes. This one’s firm 

9:15 AM

Rotary welcome and safety briefing — required for all registered drivers.

9:30 AM

Departure begins. Cars leave individually as they’re ready. There’s no group departure and no order.

10:00 – 11:15 AM

Arrive in Niles any time in this window. Roll up to the check-in table on Niles Boulevard and we’ll show you to your spot.

From Niles Canyon Road:
Exit the canyon and turn right onto Niles Boulevard. Continue into historic downtown Niles.

From Mission Boulevard:
Turn right onto Niles Boulevard and continue into historic downtown Niles.

11:00 AM

Lunch and car show in historic downtown Niles.

2:00 – 2:30 PM

We wrap up. Drive home safely.

The morning · Castro Valley

Kick Off Your Sunday with Cars, Coffee & a Breakfast Egg Taco.

Cars begin gathering at 6:30 – 7:00 AM on Castro Valley Boulevard at Wilbeam Avenue. Enjoy  a  Canyons BBQ breakfast Taco & coffee, meet fellow drivers, and take a look around before heading out for Niles

Breakfast tacos from Canyons BBQ — an egg taco on a flour tortilla with your choice of tri-tip or brisket and egg, straight off the smoker. 

Coffee from Philz, right next door.

Spectators are welcome and free — come look at the cars, no registration needed.

The drive

Getting to Niles

You’re free to reach Niles any way you like. If you’d enjoy the scenic version, here’s the way we’d go — back roads, no freeway:
East Castro Valley Blvd → Palo Verde Road → Palomares Road → Niles Canyon Road (State Route 84) westbound → Niles Blvd, Fremont
Roughly 45 minutes of easy driving through oak canyon and along Alameda Creek, with the Niles Canyon Railway running beside you for the last stretch.

A few honest notes about these roads

  • Palomares Road is narrow, winding, and unlit, with blind curves and no shoulder in places. It’s a favorite with cyclists and motorcyclists — expect to share it.
  • Niles Canyon Road is a state highway carrying normal Sunday traffic, including trucks. Speed limits are enforced.
  • Both roads can have gravel, standing water, fallen limbs, or livestock.
  • Neither road is closed for this event. Nothing about this day is closed to traffic.
This route is a suggestion, not an instruction. Drive it, drive around it, or take Mission Boulevard the whole way. Nobody is checking. If a road, your car, or the weather doesn’t feel right, take a different way — or skip the drive entirely and meet us in Niles.

Along the way

The Niles Depot is worth a look.

A 1901 Southern Pacific station with vintage railcars parked alongside it, right on your way into Niles. It photographs beautifully with an old car in front of it.

Stop if you feel like it. Don’t if you don’t. There’s no schedule, nobody waiting for you, and nothing organized happening there — just some amazing History in our own backyard!

If you get a picture you like, send it to [email / #hashtag] and we’ll share it.

The destination · Historic Niles

Lunch, and a hundred cars on Niles boulevard.

Registered cars — roll up to the check-in table on Niles Boulevard any time between 10:00 and 11:15. We’ll scan your barcode and show you to your spot in the reserved show area along the street.
Lunch is included with registration — hamburger or vegan option, chosen when you register.
Spectators — free, no registration. There’s plenty of parking near the Niles Depot, and downtown is an easy walk from there.
The show is anchored at the Niles Flying A, the restored 1938 Solon Brothers station, vintage pumps and all.
Downtown Niles is worth the afternoon: antique shops, the Essanay silent film history, and the canyon railway a block away.

Registration

100 cars. That's the whole show.

All classic cars 1990 and older. Registration is handled through the Rotary Club of Castro Valley — once the hundred are gone, they’re gone.

$50 per car

Participating Vehicle

  • Your car in both gatherings
  • Breakfast taco and coffee in Castro Valley
  • Lunch in Niles — hamburger or vegan
  • Reserved show parking on Niles Boulevard
  • Dash placard
Register a car

$35 per guest meal

Bringing someone? They ride free.

  • Passengers are welcome at no charge
  • Add a guest meal only if they’d like to eat
  • Breakfast taco and coffee in Castro Valley
  • Lunch in Niles — hamburger or vegan
Please still list everyone riding with you when you register, even if they’re not eating — we need the count at check-in, and everyone in the car signs a waiver that morning.
Add a guest meal
Registration is non-refundable and supports the community service work of both clubs. The event happens rain or shine. [If we cancel for safety: refund / rain date of ____ — decide before tickets go live]

Before you register

Participation, safety & responsibility

You drive yourself. This is a social gathering, not a race, rally, time trial, or contest of speed, endurance, or skill. It is not timed or scored, and no award depends on when you arrive.
The roads are open and normal rules apply. All travel takes place on public roads open to regular traffic. No road is closed for this event, and there is no escort, no pace car, no rolling procession, and no organizer directing traffic at any point.
The route is a suggestion. You choose your own route and your own pace, and you may leave, stop, or turn around at any time. You are solely responsible for deciding whether conditions are safe for you.
Vehicles are left at the owner’s risk. Parking areas are reserved for registered participants but are public streets, and are not secured, supervised, or monitored.
Everyone signs a waiver at check-in — drivers and passengers both. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian signature. Drivers must attend the 9:00 AM safety briefing.
If you’re not comfortable, don’t drive it. Come to the lunch. That’s the good part anyway.
Read the full Participation Terms & Release

Questions

Good to know

No. Nothing is timed, scored, or judged on arrival, and nothing is won by getting there sooner. It’s two gatherings with a nice drive in between. The lunch will wait for you.

Not at all. Take it, take Mission Boulevard, or take all morning. Nobody is checking, and there’s no checkpoint anywhere.

All classic cars are welcome — 1990 and older. If you’re proud of it and it fits that, bring it.

Yes, and they ride free — there’s no charge for passengers. If they’d like to eat, add a $35 guest meal when you register, which covers breakfast in Castro Valley and lunch in Niles.

Either way, please list everyone riding with you. Everyone in the car signs a waiver at check-in, and anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian signature.

Please do. Both gatherings are open to the public and free. There’s parking near the Niles Depot and downtown is a short walk.

[Rain policy — Rain Days Happen/ We will reschedule the event date if it becomes a rain day.

It happens, and these are old cars. There is no organized sweep vehicle or support crew, so carry your roadside assistance information and a charged phone. Call the number on your ticket and we’ll make sure someone knows where you are.

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley hosts the morning gathering; the Niles Rotary Club of Fremont hosts the Niles car show and lunch. Registration supports the community service work of both clubs.

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