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By DOANE YAWGER dyawger@mercedsunstar.com One of the biggest Northern California custom car shows is in mid-February in Sacramento and a group of Merced auto enthusiasts plan to take a chartered bus to the event. For nearly 10 years, Merced street rodder Don Surdich has been organizing bus trips to the Sacramento Autorama and earlier to the Grand National Roadster Show in Oakland before that event moved to Pomona. The Sacramento Autorama will be Feb. 18-19 at the CalExpo grounds. Actor Paul Michael Glaser of “Starsky and Hutch” fame will be exhibiting his car, and noted Arizona customizer Rick Dore will have a car on display that he built for Metallica rock band star James Hetfield. Surdich is hoping up to 46 people sign up for the bus trip by the Feb. 1 deadline; the cost is $45 which includes bus transportation, Autorama tickets, doughnuts and coffee. He started the bus trips years ago with the help of the late Jim Scott. Custom car builder Tracy Ledford of Winton has been going on the bus trips for years and recommends the experience. “It’s fun and you don’t have to drive,” Ledford said. “The relaxing part is the bus ride; then you get to enjoy the show. We have a blast.” Ledford said the shows always are memorable. Sometimes games are played on the bus or movies are shown. Bus riders will leave Merced at 7:45 a.m. Feb. 18 and return at 5 p.m. to the parking lot at 16th and Canal streets. Bob Hiser of Merced also recommends the excursion. “There are no worries about driving and they let you out at the door,” Hiser said. “It’s nice, easy and relaxing. You get to sit around and talk to them and see what’s going on in their lives.” Roger Cowan of Merced, an old-car hobbyist for more than 40 years, has gone two or three times on the bus and said fellow riders make a good group of like-minded people. He said the Sacramento Autorama has grown and also includes a large number of cars exhibited between the buildings on the Expo grounds. ]Reporter Doane Yawger can be reached at (209) 385-2407 or dyawger@mercedsunstar.com.
