Peggy Sue's All-American Cruise back on

No one could blame you for doubting, but a veteran event producer vows that the on-again, off-again Peggy Sue’s car show and cruise really will happen this summer.

Orhan Sarabi, who directs the Santa Rosa Marathon and other athletic events, says the June 13 festival of classic cars will be a simpler, shorter version that will raise money to aid Peggy Sue’s All-American Cruise co-founder Rich Williams’ battle with cancer.

The car show will last one day, not the customary two, and it will move from the Place to Play fields on Santa Rosa’s West Third Street to the south parking lot of the Graton Resort and Casino near Rohnert Park.

The cruise through downtown Santa Rosa will take place the evening of the car show. It’s set to launch from Fourth Street and Brookwood Avenue at 5:30 p.m.

Admission to the car show outside the casino will be free.

Unlike in previous years, the event won’t feature a chili cook-off, live music or food vendors. “We’re going to keep it a little more simple this year,” Sarabi said.

He stepped in, and he enlisted the Graton casino as a sponsor, after reading that the community partners who’d offered to keep the car show and cruise alive this year backed out. Officials of Platinum Chevrolet and the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce had made their offer of help after the Williamses announced they were forced to cancel Peggy Sue’s All-American Cruise in order to focus on Rich Williams’ stage four lymphoma.

Sarabi said he didn’t know Peggy and Rich Williams but he long admired their cruise and car show, which last June drew more than 1,000 pre-1977 beauties to the fields on West Third Street.

Sarabi phoned Peggy Williams, and they agreed to work together to plan a trimmed-down version of the show and cruise in June.

The website for the event is Cruiseforpeggysue.com.

The stopping and starting has made for a wild ride for the ailing Rich Williams, who said Monday he’s hugely grateful to Sarabi. “He knows what he’s doing, and he’s got his ducks in a row,” Williams said.

He plans to be downtown the evening of June 13 to start the cruise.