The SoCal off-road community came out in full force at Rodeo X Rigs Volume 6 hosted at Crown Toyota in Ontario, CA, on April 2nd with over 3,000 people stopping by throughout the day. The festivities started off early with rigs showing up as early as 4 am ready to participate in the day’s events. Volume 6 marked the return to the city of Ontario where it first began for the Rodeo X Rigs/TrailWolves crew having just had wildly successful meets in Garden Grove and Long Beach. For this meet, they partnered with Crown Toyota and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the special community edition to help raise funds for cancer patients and their families.
The family-friendly event featured over 60+ vendors and manufacturers, food, music, raffles, and awesome prizes, making it the perfect way to start a Sunday morning for automotive enthusiasts. With an army of manufacturers, vendors, and shops present, there was something for everyone. It included King Shocks, Aiden James Customs, Sibi Built, Attica 4X4, SSA Haus, RPM Garage, ProSpeed Racks, Inspired Overland, Pro Eagle, 4122 Inc, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, KC HiLites, Overlandish, Deadman Offroad, Overland Ruff Racks, Show Stoppers, Total Chaos, Iron Man 4×4, TintLab, Goose Gear, Sandy Catz, MK Lighter, Spider Roof Racks, AV Overland, Hazardous, Highland Trail Club, BeastFab, Overland Kingz, Wicked Creations, JW Offroad, Reika, CVC Tuning, Front Runner, Top Tier, OEM Audio Plus, Overland4Lo, Tint Lab, Sneed Shades, and more. Many have been a part of the event since the beginning and have been a huge part of the event’s growth.
But Rodeo X Rigs wasn’t just about showing off impressive off-road and overland rides and gear – it also supported a great cause. A portion of the proceeds raised at the event was donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and the community showed up to support the fight against cancer. Leon Cristobal from LLS was amazed by the massive turnout and support. “When Jason Flores and Ian Reyes from Rodeo X Rigs first approached Katie and me about this event, I had no idea what to expect. I just thought it was very nice of them to want to donate some of their proceeds to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Upon arrival at the event, I was blown away by how many people (and trucks) were in attendance. I felt how strong this off-roading community is. So many people approached our booth sharing with us how blood cancers have impacted their lives or the lives of their loved ones. It signaled to me that our fight to find a cure for cancer is far from over. I want to thank Jason and Ian for using their event as a fundraising opportunity and joining our fight to find a cure.”
Jason added, “My experience working with LLS has been great. I appreciate the fact that they actually help cancer patients vs. just research. There is absolutely nothing wrong with research as it is essential in the fight, but as a cancer patient myself, there is so much that goes on behind the scenes. It doesn’t just affect the patient, it has a tremendous effect on your loved ones. I was blessed to have family and friends that made life so much easier for me and my family. I can only imagine what it’s like being part of those that have no help or going through this alone. So, we’ll continue to help support them and raise money for the rest of the year at volumes 7, 8 and 9.”
The crews who came out to support and represent were equally impressive, including Soft Road Nation, Pure 4X4, Rig Talk, Cali Yota’s, Palmdale Boys, SCPO, Trail Junkies, SoCal Jeep Gladiators, Wild West Frontiers, The Dirtbag Garage, SoCal Misfits, Low Pressure Crew, SoCal Rigz, Smugglers Run, BVLT, Anti Off-Road Club, Overland Culture, 4Runner Krew, and FJ Krew, all of whom made an appearance. Jason notes, “These guys all do their own events for the community, and for them to take the time to be a part of this, we can’t thank them enough. That’s what’s so special about all this, so many different flags and banners, but all down for the same cause. It’s a testament to the power of community and the willingness of people to come together for something they believe in.”
Good vibes, good food and music were part of the atmosphere and although in its simplest terms, it was just an off-road meet, DJ Erok and J Pistol provided the festival-like soundtrack for the day, and @thatYotaJoe kept everyone hyped while narrating the storyline of Rodeo X Rigs Volume 6 and MCing the raffles.
Having recently announced their California Tour, the Rodeo X Rigs crew is planning to take the show on the road. “We’re looking at taking the event to Northern California in Aug/Sept and then to San Diego in Nov/Dec and maybe we’ll squeeze in Las Vegas? We’ll see once the dust settles,” details Jason.
Events like this are not possible without so many people and companies donating their time and resources to participate. “I know it’s been said over and over, but I want to emphasize that nothing of this magnitude gets accomplished without a team. This goes for each and every one of the companies, media outlets, crews, vendors, influencers, location hosting, and of course the RodeoXRigs/TrailWolves team. I am just one person, but each one of those I mentioned amplifies that. They believe in the cause and are up for the mission. You have to remember that this event is free. People are donating their most precious resource, ‘time,’ to be here to help out. That itself is worth far more than its weight in gold or anything tangible. A huge thank you to David of Crown Toyota and the Swickard Auto Group for allowing us to host this event. They have been nothing but amazing.”
“Last but not least, thank you to the community. We try to make these events better with each volume and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next event! Stay tuned for ‘The Backwoods Cookout’ and ‘The Pop Shop’ editions.”
More info on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society can be found at www.LLS.org and to stay in the know about the next events follow @rodeoxrigs
Photos: Staff / Kevin Sugiyama