A mix of Tejano music and hip-hop beats thunders out of people’s trucks on a Sunday night in Oak Cliff.
Families post on Jefferson Avenue and travel from Pleasant Grove, Mesquite, North and South Dallas – even as far as Waco – to see old-timers from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s dodged every Sunday during the lowrider car parade.
Keren Carrion
Juan, Esther and their daughter Sofia often come up on the hood of their truck on Sundays to watch the car parade.
It all started on Father’s Day in 2019 when the Dallas Lowriders group decided to put on a car show on the Oak Cliff Strip. After that, people kept showing up.
“Over time it got so big it was beyond our control,” said Mark Matas, spokesman for the Dallas Lowriders.
The Dallas Lowriders parked their cars in front of the Dallas Cultural Center. The group of 18 people who are enthusiasts of classic Chevrolet Impala cars is more of a “familia” or family than a club.
Keren Carrion
Gold chrome accents and the deep bevel of the hydraulics make this 1962 Impala a lowrider.
Keren Carrion
“Nothing beats showing the young generation lowriders and just seeing them smile,” said Mundo Herrera, owner of the 1962 Impala, in a Facebook post.
It started in 1979. But when the club’s leader, Ivy Matas, was assassinated in 1985, the group ceased to exist until his brother Mark Matas decided to start it again in 2003. He kept the name to honor his legacy Brother and the people who started it first.
“Everyone who has anything to do with us is a family,” said Matas.
This cross-generational event is just as important to the owners of the cars as it is to the families and children who watch it.
Keren Carrion
Children gather near the Dallas Cultural Center on Aug 22, play with the classic cars and hang out near El Chuy’s Dallas clothes cart on Jefferson Ave in Oak Cliff.
Lowriders start pulling into Jefferson Ave, revving their engines and hopping their cars to be the most noticeable on the block.
Rene Cisneros from Pleasant Grove owns three classic cars, which he crosses every week in the car parade. His daughter Brenda Cisneros came out on her birthday with her 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Keren Carrion
Brenda Cisneros, 22, spent her birthday on Jefferson Ave driving her 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Keren Carrion
Rene Cisneros pulls out a photo of his 1948 Chevy Stylemaster. The family has their own car club, Cisneros CC
People bring their cars out to impress. Shows who has the best rims, the most beautiful paintwork, the coolest hydraulics, the latest chrome.
“Every bit of money we get we invest in our cars,” said Eric Najera. Najera has been with the Dallas Lowriders since he was 17.
Keren Carrion
Hugo and Jehovanny Rodriguez, brothers, came out with their families every Sunday last year. Her sister-in-law Jessica Velazquez is sitting behind them on a camping chair. “We are classic car fanatics,” she says.
Keren Carrion
Young adults take the lowrider car cruise on Jefferson Ave and flash a bright mustard and magenta custom paint job and interior.
Other car groups also perform on Sundays: Texas Legacy, Estilo Car Club, Rollerz Only, and more. They all form the United Lowriders Association in Dallas, where they meet to discuss issues and events in the community.
“It’s a lifestyle,” said Najera. “This cruise should enjoy our cruises.”
At the end of the night, smoke fills the air from the burnt rubber scratching the sidewalk, signaling people to be on their way.
Tradition ensures that families come back every Sunday.
Keren Carrion
Monique Garza rides the passenger side of the 1964 Impala on Sunday evening. Her husband Rudy Garza is a Dallas Lowriders.
Keren Carrión is a corps member of Report For America, a national utility that places journalists in local newsrooms. Do you have a tip? Email Keren at Kcarrion@kera.org. You can follow Keren on Twitter @ kerencarrion8.
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