Cars & Cowboys runs Saturday, September 5, its fifth year as one of the valley's signature fundraisers. If you went in 2022, 2023, or 2024, you remember it at Red River Ranch in Los Olivos, all rolling grass and oak trees a few minutes from the tasting rooms on Grand Avenue. If you haven't been since then, that's not where you'll find it. For the second September in a row, the show is at Rancho San Marcos Golf Course, out along Highway 154 near Lake Cachuma.
That's not a one-time detour. It's shaping up to be the new normal, and the reason has less to do with the car show itself than with what was happening on the ranch that used to host it.
Why Red River Ranch Stopped Hosting
For the show's first three years, Red River Ranch was the address everyone in the valley associated with Cars & Cowboys. The property belongs to Al and Denise Frink, and in 2025 they were in the middle of renovations that made hosting a few hundred cars, a stage, and a line-dancing crowd impossible. That left Pam Gnekow, executive director of Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach, looking for a new site with a few months of runway. A visit to Rancho San Marcos Golf Course turned into the alternative that stuck.
| Year | Location | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 (2022–2024) | Red River Ranch, Los Olivos | Original home, owned by Al and Denise Frink |
| 4 (2025) | Rancho San Marcos Golf Course | Frinks mid-renovation, new site found on short notice |
| 5 (2026) | Rancho San Marcos Golf Course | Second consecutive year, no announced plan to move back |
One year at a backup venue is a footnote. Two years running is a pattern, and nobody organizing the event has said anything about returning to Los Olivos.
What the New Site Actually Means for the Drive
The shift is more than an address change. Red River Ranch sits inside the cluster of wineries and ranch properties most people picture when they think of the valley's wine country, an easy hop from Los Olivos or Ballard. Rancho San Marcos Golf Course sits on the San Marcos Pass side of Highway 154, closer to the Santa Barbara side of Lake Cachuma than to the valley towns. For residents of Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, or Ballard, that turns what used to be a short local drive into a trip up and over the pass.
If you're used to treating Cars & Cowboys as a walk-or-golf-cart-distance event from your own driveway, plan the drive time this year the way you would for any event on the Santa Barbara side of 154.
What Saturday Looks Like at Rancho San Marcos
The show runs from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 4600 CA-154. Admission and vehicle registration are both handled online ahead of time, which is worth doing before Saturday morning if you want to skip a line. Beyond the cars themselves, the day includes an auction, a performance from equestrian entertainer Ramon Becerra, and music from DJ Scott Topper that has historically ended in line dancing, a fitting closer for an event that pairs classic cars with ranching heritage.
Becerra's event bio leans on a line usually attributed to Winston Churchill:
There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.
It's a strange pairing on paper, chrome and hooves in the same afternoon, but it's exactly the contrast that's kept people coming back for five years.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Cars & Cowboys isn't a car show that happens to raise money on the side. It's organized by Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach specifically to fund Meals on Wheels, veteran services, and senior services across the region, and it's become the organization's signature annual fundraiser. If you've wondered why a car show draws city and county leaders alongside collectors and locals looking for an afternoon out, that's why. The cars are the draw. The meals delivered to homebound seniors in Buellton and across the valley are the point.
The Rest of the Valley's Fall Calendar Isn't Waiting
Cars & Cowboys kicks off a stretch of the year when the valley's fundraiser and festival circuit runs almost back to back. A few worth having on the radar if Saturday isn't the only thing you're planning around this month:
- Just Dave in the Vines at Gainey Vineyard on September 26, an evening of music under the oaks with wine club discounts for members.
- Veggie Rescue Golf Classic, presented by title sponsor Nativo Land Management, tees off at Alisal Ranch's private course on September 28.
- Woodstock in Woodstock, held on a private ranch in the valley, raises money for the Artist Advocacy Foundation with live bands and catered food from Full of Life Flatbread.
- Los Alamos Old Days, the 80th annual version of the town's classic-car-and-parade weekend, traditionally lands on the last full weekend of September. Exact 2026 dates hadn't been confirmed as of this writing, so it's worth a check with the Los Alamos Valley Men's Club closer to the date if you're planning around it.
None of these are new discoveries for anyone who's lived here a few seasons. What's worth noticing is how many of them, like Cars & Cowboys, exist because a handful of local organizers keep them running year after year on ranches and vineyards that volunteer the space.
If You're Only Going Saturday
Show up at Rancho San Marcos Golf Course, not Red River Ranch, and give yourself the extra minutes for the drive over the pass if you're coming from the valley towns. Register your vehicle or buy admission ahead of time if you want to skip the line at the gate. Stay past the auction if you can. The line dancing at the end is the part people talk about after.
And if this is the year you finally make it out, don't be surprised if next September you're the one telling a newcomer where the show actually is.
If you're weighing a future in the Santa Ynez Valley, or you already call it home and want a clearer read on what your property is worth in this market, Ally Edwards knows these towns block by block, ranch by ranch, and pass by pass. Reach out for a free home valuation whenever you're ready.
