By admin 
Phil Fisher grew up riding alongside his uncle as they cruised the streets of San Jose in his uncle’s 1978 Monte Carlo lowrider.
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He started working on cars when he was in his twenties and the inspiration the work provided would become part of his identity.
Fisher, who is Chicano, now serves as a board member of the Sacramento Lowrider Commission. He and his colleagues are responsible for bringing their love for the cars and the culture to the California State Fair exhibit, CaLOWfornia Love.
The customized cars that ride close to the ground are a popular aspect of Chicano culture. Lowriders are considered a “beacon of pride and positivity” in California history, according to the fair exhibit, which showcases up to 16 or 17 lowriders at a time, Fisher said.
“The lowrider community has played a powerful role in uplifting California’s diverse neighborhoods through mentorship, philanthropy and a deep sense of belonging,” the fair’s website reads. “Whether through family legacies, solo riders, or car clubs, lowriding brings people together across generations and backgrounds.”
Lowriders began in Southern California in the 1940s. The cars coincided with the Pachuco movement, a counterculture that celebrated Chicano identity.
“It’s such a huge expression of Chicano culture and Mexican history,” Fisher said. “Whether we’re born here, born in Mexico, it doesn’t matter. We incorporate our lived history into these cars.”
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Fisher elaborated, “Most of our families, they started young. We try to incorporate all of that into what this exhibit is supposed to bring to the community.”
The CaLOWfornia Love showcase has ten cars inside the exhibit building, with a different car featured daily, Fisher said. On the weekends, up to five cars from local car clubs are exhibited outside.
Attendees can see custom car builds, lowrider car designs and Chicano fashion and history.
The featured cars are models from the 1940s to 1960s, Fisher said. His personal favorite is a toss-up between the 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline and a 1951 convertible.
And he pointed out anyone can appreciate lowriding.
“We’re open to all lowriders,” Fisher said, referring to the Sacramento Lowrider Commission. “It doesn’t matter how involved you are, as long as your car is beautiful, we’re interested in having it.”
The CaLOWfornia Love exhibit is located in the California Expo Center, Building 6. Visitors can view the cars from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. until the fair ends on Aug. 2.
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