Home » Santa Clarita News » Paul Walker » Santa Clarita Readies For Paul Walker Memorial Car Show
One year after Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker and local CEO Roger Rodas died in a crash in a Santa Clarita industrial center, officials are preparing for another Paul Walker Memorial Car Show, officials said.
One year after Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker and local CEO Roger Rodas died in a crash in a Santa Clarita industrial center, officials are preparing for another Paul Walker Memorial Car Show, officials said.

Santa Clarita Readies For Paul Walker Memorial Car Show

One year after Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker and local CEO Roger Rodas died in a crash in a Santa Clarita industrial center, officials are preparing for another Paul Walker Memorial Car Show, officials said.


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In response to their deaths a year ago, thousands of fans poured into the area where it happened, creating a makeshift memorial at the site where the sports car crashed.

 Related: UPDATE: Paul Walker, Santa Clarita CEO Reportedly Killed In Car Crash

The Porsche they were in was traveling eastbound on Hercules Street, just west of Constellation Road, near Kelly Johnson Parkway, in the Valencia business area.One year after Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker and local CEO Roger Rodas died in a crash in a Santa Clarita industrial center, officials are preparing for another Paul Walker Memorial Car Show, officials said.

It’s possible that another large-scale Paul Walker memorial car show might take place Nov. 30, on the anniversary of the deaths of Walker and Rodas. There’s already been discussion on social media of a gathering, officials said.

On the Sunday about a week after last year’s crash, an estimated crowd of at least 5,000 lined the streets paying their respects at the crash site Dec. 8, 2013. Hundreds more drove past the crash site all day long.

Related: Paul Walker Santa Clarita Memorial Car Meet Draws Thousands

Traffic warning for 2nd annual Paul Walker Memorial Car Show in Santa Clarita

The impromptu memorial car show included a motorcade of everything from a Lamborghini Egoista to tricked out Hyundais paraded past the crash site, which was tightly managed by a slew of Sheriff’s Department officials.

Officials are suggesting Santa Clarita Valley residents “definitely avoid the area” as much as possible, because there is expected to be much higher than usual traffic volumes.

Last year’s event was organized through Facebook, and the city of Santa Clarita and Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials want to make sure things don’t get out of control if a second annual event is organized on social media.

Paul Walker

Paul Walker

“We’re preparing for the possibility that we’re going to have mass amounts of vehicles and crowds,” said Sgt. Rick Cohen of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station’s Traffic Unit.

“We’re working with the city to try and makes sure the city and its roadways are safe,” he said, “in the event that we have a large amount of people coming to our area.”

Neighbors help out for Santa Clarita Paul Walker memorial car show

For last year’s event, the turnout began around 6 a.m., and featured a long line of cars and people surrounding the area by 9 a.m., surprising many including Bob Hudson, an associate pastor for North Park church.

One year after Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker and local CEO Roger Rodas died in a crash in a Santa Clarita industrial center, officials are preparing for another Paul Walker Memorial Car Show, officials said.

One year after Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker and local CEO Roger Rodas died in a crash in a Santa Clarita industrial center, officials are preparing for another Paul Walker Memorial Car Show, officials said.

Dozens from the church, which lent its lot to those who sought to park cars from the movie, volunteered to hand out water, coffee and food to visitors. The event went into the evening and created traffic problems for the area for most of the day.

“As pastors and staff, we got together and said, ‘Well, we should respond and, in some way, we should be a part of this,’” Hudson said during last year’s memorial car show.

“They’re neighbors of ours and that’s just kind of what we do for neighbors,” said Eric Johns, who’s also an associate pastor at NorthPark Community Church on Kelly Johnson Parkway.

The church’s property abuts a high-end mechanics’ show owned by Rodas and barely 100 yards from the crash site.

Church officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday to find out if they were going to participate again.

Walker was in the Santa Clarita Valley to promote a charity giveaway for his nonprofit, Reach Out Worldwide, and was a passenger in the Porsche, driven by Rodas, a friend of Walker’s who also owns a performance car company.

Rodas’ wife currently is involved with a lawsuit against Porsche as a result of the crash.

Related: Roger Rodas’ Wife Sues Porsche Over Crash That Killed Paul Walker

Walker had ties to two Santa Clarita Valley businesses, Always Evolving and Hybrid Haven, both of which were headquartered in the Rye Canyon Business Park where the crash occurred.

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Santa Clarita Readies For Paul Walker Memorial Car Show

3 comments

  1. What a wonderful way to honor Paul and Roger. I hope Paul’s family and costars will be able to participate. I hope to someday visit from North Carolina. My husband & I are both retired from the Army and I was so touched by Mr. Walkers generosity for the wedding ring for that couple. Heaven gained two angels.

  2. Paul walker is a famous hero. The trailer is furious 7 is amazing.the movie hero is only Paul nothing else. My heart is very prayer the Paul.

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.