The Rebels & Rods began in 2019 when a couple of friends that shared a passion for cars got together on Water Street in downtown Plymouth. Once there, the friends talked to each other about cars, life events and the area that they all call home.

 

At the end of the first meetup, the friends had such a good time that they decided to do the same thing the following week. Before long, the group had mentioned their meetups to other like-minded friends and soon the gathering was up to about 20 cars.

 

A year went by and the small group of friends continued to get bigger as nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd! At this point, one friend mentioned that he knew of a spot that may be better for them to continue to meet because it was not directly on the main road through the waterfront district but still close enough to enjoy all that the beautiful areas that this part of town offered. A couple of the friends met with the owners of the East Bay Grille and was given approval to meet in the town parking lot abutting their restaurant on Sunday mornings.

 

Once the weekly event began at the new location, the number of people that would walk around the cars to admire them started to increase as well. Some cars were beautiful, some were modified, some were vintage, but all shared the same trait, that they were driven and maintained for by someone that cared!

 

Caring seemed to be a major trait that the group of friends shared. When it was apparent that the increasing number of followers and spectators showed no sign of slowing down, the group sat together and tried to come up with a way to transfer the excitement and energy in the crowd into something good that would benefit the community. From there, the “core group” was formed.

 

The core group would meet up regularly and talk about ideas and ways of giving back. At this time, one of the members heard about a local brother and sister in high school that lost both of their parents three months apart, the group knew they had to do something. They started collecting money and, in the end, they decided to hold their first annual car show, with all profits going to these kids.

 

When they saw what a big success their first car show was, they knew that they couldn’t stop there! In the short time since then, the group has raised and donated funds to help purchase Police K9 vests, purchase a lawn mower for a local woman in need, purchased and installed a dishwasher for a family that needed help, participated in a hot rod parade to raise the spirits of the Mighty Quinn (the Weymouth youngster that was battling cancer), held their own hot rod parade that ended at the front doorstep of an ill Plymouth boy that was presented a custom handmade trophy for being such a strong and inspirational little fighter, they hosted a car show that would end up giving about $10,000 to a local VFW, they hold toy drives before Christmas for local children in need, they hold a food drive for local veterans in need and most recently held their second annual car show and gave a substantial amount of money to a local dad raising his three young children after his wife lost her battle to cancer.

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The next fundraiser is already being planned for, this one has the group President staying on a farm for 24-hours on Halloween, including having him sleep overnight in an 1800’s era horse-drawn hearse! Joe will be handing out candy to all trick-or-treaters and the kids will all have a chance to win prizes (as will the adults).

 

The group continues to meet every Sunday morning at the East Bay Grille lot from 7am until 10am from early April until November, weather permitting. It also continues to grow in popularity, both in event participants and in spectators. On a normal Sunday morning, there is anywhere between 200 and 400 cars showing up to take part and there is always several hundred people walking around admiring them all.

 

Because of the atmosphere and the surroundings, this weekly get together is always a family and pet friendly event and best of all, its always free to attend or take part in. The group has a canopy set up at the front of the parking lot where you can talk with members of the group, buy some group merchandise or donate to the fundraiser jug that is always present and is always collecting funds for the next event. The group has dedicated themselves to picking one family per year to help in any way they can as well as helping out with many local causes in between.

 

The group has been very fortunate to have the backing and support of many area residents, businesses and even the town government as well. Because the group continues to grow, the decision was made to officially change the title of these members from a car group to an official car club, which will help us to secure more funds and activities while ensuring that all local and state regulations are followed and adhered to, protecting everyone involved.

 

On September 17th of 2022, the announcement of the club formation was publicly announced at their second annual fundraiser / car show, which was met by loud cheers and applause from everyone in attendance.

 

Feel free to come down to the East Bay Grille during the show season, watch our website for updates and important dates and follow us on Facebook for real-time news and viewer input.

 

On the internet:        www.rebelsandrods.com

 

On Facebook:           Rebels & Rods of Plymouth