The California Gold Invitational Engine Exposition was
held May 18-19, 2007, at the Affentranger Dairy in Bakersfield,
Calif. This is an annual event for collectors of engines built in
California. This year, it was hosted by the Affentranger and
Panzone families.
California-built engines are rare and were generally not
produced in the quantities as some of the engines built by the
large eastern manufacturers. The eastern cities had a massive
industrial infrastructure and, therefore, a head-start on the
younger West Coast manufacturers. It was often more economical to
import engines from the east than to build them locally. Even so,
some local shops entered the engine business with some very unique
and successful designs.
The California-only concept was the brainstorm of Bob Critz. The
first shows were held at Bob and Georgia’s home in Vista. Last
year, it was at Larry Snow’s in Red Bluff, and this year at Anton
Affentranger’s.
Enthusiasm for this event has been phenomenal. Collectors came
from across the country to attend. Ultra-rare engines were brought
for display, some of which had not been shown in many years. Other
engines were fresh from the wild and had never before been
shown.
Besides the stunning array of engines, this event is special
because it’s a get-together of folks who might not get to see each
other on a regular basis.
On Friday evening, the Affentrangers cooked up a five-star pit
barbecue. On Saturday, Bill Baldwin headed up the team of Dutch
oven chefs. Bill’s collection of Dutch ovens weighs more than many
engines. There were about 100 people present for dinner.
The event was captured for posterity by professional video
producer, Dan Panzone. DVDs can be obtained by contacting him at
sourcemedia@mac.com
Contact Rob Skinner, La Habra, Calif. at:
rskinner@rustyiron.com
