MATO cruisin' in

Midnight at the Oasis is in high gear again this year. The annual car festival got off to a good start with the traditional Friday Night Cruise.

I had the chance to actually climb into a beautiful white 1958 Chevy Corvette and make the journey with the hundreds of other historic classic cars.

Caballeros de Yuma member Bill DeNise is the proud owner of several classic cars, including that smoking-hot two-seat blast from the past. He invited me to ride in it along with its driver, Marvin Sitorius of Yuma, during the cruise.

It was extremely exciting as the gold, purple, blue, yellow and green cars of all makes and models prior to 1972 lined up in the parking lot before the parade.

I watched as the owners all got out and walked from car to car to talk shop about how much horsepower their cars had, what they had paid to restore them and other car-related topics.

Marvin stepped away from the Corvette for just a little while, and while I was standing next to that beautiful little machine pretending it was mine, another car enthusiast approached me.

"Is this yours?" he asked. "I wish!" I replied, and for a minute, I felt like I belonged to the club. I can see why these guys and gals fork over so much dough to own a piece of American history on wheels.

One by one the rows of cars began to head to the street. Many of the drivers revved their powerful Detroit-built motors as they brought the behemoth steel beasts to life with the turn of a key.

As we pulled out onto the street, the road was lined with what must have been thousands of people of all ages in lawn chairs, each smiling and waving as the Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs and other classic cars drove past.

Some even had signs begging the drivers to "blow you pipes!" (rev the engine) for them.

Marvin is a retired employee of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He told me much of his life as we made the slow journey around the airport loop, down to Avenue B and back up to 32nd Street.

He told me he had graduated high school in 1958. I found it appropriate that I was sitting in a car with a man who had been a senior in high school the year it was built. It felt strangely appropriate.

He talked about the other cars he had in the late ’50s and early ’60s while living in Nebraska, and the trouble he and his buddies used to get into in their youth while driving them. He said one of his cars was so loud, people could hear him driving no matter where he was at in the county.

I swore to him I wouldn't divulge the specifics of those stories, but hearing them painted a picture in my mind of a simpler time in the heartland during America's golden age - a time of cruising, good times and rock ’n’ roll.

I now have a better understanding of why so many people can identify with the iconic cars of that era. I think it reminds them of being young and free when the future was still a dream.

All in all I had a great time. I had never even sat in a classic Corvette before, much less driven around in one. I believe the parade was an excellent beginning to the Yuma tradition that is MATO as it heralds in the weekend. The best thing about it was the spectators got to see those classic cars doing what they were meant to: roaring down the road.

Special thanks to Jeff Byrd, Bell DeNise and Marvin Sitoris for hooking me up with a ride.

MATO continues Saturday and Sunday if you want to check it out for yourself.