Young festivalgoers enjoy a playful moment near the Durham Rotary and Interact club’s booths during the 2026 Durham Harvest Festival on Sept. 20.

 

DURHAM, CA (MPG) – Classic cars under the shade trees, prize pumpkins, music, food and family activities helped turn Durham Community Park into a hometown gathering place Sept. 20 for the 47th annual Durham Harvest Festival.

The Durham Rotary Club fundraiser drew about 200 classic and antique vehicles from throughout the North State for its Car Show & Shine, along with vendor booths, antique farm equipment, entertainment, food and activities for children. Festival proceeds support scholarships and community projects.

“It’s almost like a family reunion every year,” said Peggi Kohler, a past president of Durham Rotary and District 5160 assistant governor.

Classic and antique cars fill Durham Community Park during the Harvest Festival’s Car Show & Shine on Sept. 20, which drew about 200 vehicles.

Kohler, now in her 15th year as a Rotarian, said the festival has changed and grown over nearly five decades but has remained rooted in supporting Durham and its local organizations.

The car show was a major attraction, with vintage and antique sedans, pickups, customs and muscle cars filling the park. Kohler said many participants return year after year and even have favorite places beneath the trees where they want to park.

Different vehicles drew different admirers. Muscle cars such as Pam Kerr’s 1979 Pontiac Trans Am caught plenty of attention, while Jim and Patty Smrt’s icy blue 1958 Corvette drew another crowd.

Children had their own favorite, a 1948 Ford short bus owned by Matt Kanenoto of Chico. Instead of being told not to touch, youngsters could climb inside and draw on it with colored chalk.

The Durham High School Band performs beneath the trees during the 47th annual Durham Harvest Festival on Sept. 20.

Boyd LaCurelle of Marysville brought his 1941 Ford Business Coupe, part of the last major Ford redesign in which Henry Ford was directly involved before his retirement. Introduced in September 1940, the 1941 line featured larger, more modern bodies and became the last civilian Ford vehicle line produced before manufacturing was temporarily halted during World War II.

“I like cars that have a history,” LaCurelle said.

LaCurelle has owned the Ford since 1993 after rescuing it from a barn in Oroville that had fallen in on the car. He said it was headed for the junkyard when he convinced the owner to let him have it, then spent about seven years restoring it.

Over the years, LaCurelle has restored several other vehicles, including a 1955 Thunderbird, a 1940 Ford sedan and an Essex built by Hudson. The Essex had its own place in automotive history, with the model used to carry mail between the East and West coasts beginning around 1918, LaCurelle said. He described it as a sturdy early car powered by a large straight engine that traveled at about 50 mph.

Grace Renner’s 188.4-pound pumpkin earned a blue ribbon during the Durham Harvest Festival’s first pumpkin contest on Sept. 20.

Ron Oakley of Gridley brought his 1987 Chevrolet R10 pickup with the rare SS Beach Comber package. The truck retains its original paint and interior and is original except for the wheels, with a fuel-injected engine and features that included power windows, cruise control and a tilt steering wheel. Oakley said the truck was originally sold by Whitmire in Chico and still carries the door label identifying the special package.

He has been involved with car shows for about 30 years and previously owned a rare 1961 Ford unibody pickup.

“After selling that truck, I needed another hot rod,” Oakley said.

The festival also introduced a pumpkin contest this year. Entries lined a table in the park, while Grace Renner’s massive pumpkin weighing 188.4 pounds sat out front wearing a blue ribbon.

Home kitchen goods, plants and other handcrafted items fill vendor booths at the Durham Harvest Festival in Durham Community Park on Sept. 20.

Durham Rotary members, with help from Gridley Rotary’s Lynne Spencer and Lisa Van De Hey, began the day serving pancakes, followed later by hot dogs and tri-tip sandwiches. An arts and crafts fair featuring plenty of home kitchen goods filled the park, while musical entertainment included the Chico Community Concert Band and Durham High School Band. Restored tractors and engines added another piece of local history to the day.

The festival is one of Durham Rotary’s two major annual fundraisers, along with its January crab feed. Money raised through the events has helped fund local projects and scholarships. Rotary awarded $22,000 in scholarships to Durham High School’s Class of 2026 and helped replace a damaged asphalt walkway at Durham Community Park with a new concrete path.

Kohler said the setting reflects much of what makes Durham special.

“Everybody seems to know everybody,” Kohler said. “It’s just a real supportive place and pretty darn wholesome for kids.”

Pam Kerr’s 1979 Pontiac Trans Am gleams beneath the trees during the Durham Harvest Festival Car Show & Shine on Sept. 20, with Matt Kanenoto’s popular 1948 Ford short bus in the background.