ESCONDIDO -- Downtown Escondido sidewalks were jammed with classic car fans of all ages Friday night, as Cruisin' Grand kicked off its ninth year of bringing colorful hot rods and bruising muscle cars to town.

Many people praised some new features added this year in an effort to spice up the shows, which will take place in downtown Escondido every Friday evening through Sept. 26.

But most of the crowd had no idea anything was different, choosing to peruse the wide variety of antique cars, say hello to old friends or nab one of the few available outdoor tables at Grand Avenue's bars and restaurants.

The new Cruisin' Grand season comes at a good time for many merchants on Grand, where the faltering economy has been blamed for the highest vacancy rate since the early 1990s.

Steve Boum, owner of Pounders bar, said it is crucial to his business to have huge Friday night crowds downtown all spring and summer.

"We'll do as much business tonight as we do in a whole week," said Boum, who has added extra bathrooms and a dance floor since the Cruisin' Grand shows began in 2000. "It's bailed us out of the bad times and helped us during the good times."

Boum said he likes the new features added by the Downtown Business Association, an advocacy group for downtown businesses that owns and operates the shows.

One of the new features this year is a special area just west of Escondido Boulevard reserved for cars newer than 1974. Such cars previously had been prohibited from participating in Cruisin' Grand.

"People with different kinds of older cars were ostracized, and that was wrong," said Boum.

Dozens of Corvettes congregated in the new area Friday night, and some other Corvettes had to be parked just off Grand in an overflow lot.

San Marcos residents Terry and Barbara Walters, after attending Cruisin' Grand as spectators many times before, said they were excited to finally be allowed to show off their 1998 Corvette.

Terry Walters said he loves looking at older cars but that he prefers to own newer models.

"The older ones were built for speed, not for comfort," he said. "And they are a lot more expensive."

Other new features this year include moving the weekly awards ceremony up one hour to 7 p.m., expanding the shows onto North Maple Street and allowing people to sell classic cars between Maple Street and Escondido Boulevard.

Two other changes will begin June 6. They include a vendor area on North Kalmia Street for local automotive businesses and monthly concerts on the northwest corner of Grand Avenue and Orange Street.

The changes came in response to complaints from merchants about shrinking attendance and declining revenue last fall.

Bret Gann, who attends Cruisin' Grand nearly every week, said he understands the extravaganza is as much about prosperity for the businesses as it is about the cars. But he said the shows have lost some of their character since co-founder Steve Waldron's role has declined.

"It used to have passion, but now it's more of a business," said Gann. "It was more about the hard-core car guys before, but I understand they had to strike a balance and draw more people down here."

Ray Ellis, owner of the Escondido Coin Shop on Grand Avenue, said he likes the shows even though they provide no extra revenue.

"They don't really bring any business, but we get a lot of people saying, 'We never knew you were here,' " said Ellis. "But we can always get ancillary benefits down the road if they remember us."

Many people interviewed Friday said there is a special buzz in the air during the first show of every Cruisin' Grand season. Some said it is usually the first time each year that they begin to think of summer.

"The adrenaline is flowing tonight," said Tommy Vargas, who was busy showing off his 1959 Chevy El Camino while hooking up with friends he hasn't seen since Cruisin' Grand ended last September. "We get to see the people and the cars we grew up with."

The shows are truly a feast for the eyes. From browsing through nearly 400 cars from yesteryear to simply people-watching on the city's main drag, there is rarely a dull moment. Classic rock also plays throughout the shows, which run from 5 to 9 p.m.

Butch Cruz said he loves the shows because he gets to see old friends and reminisce.

"I've cruised up and down these streets since I was 15 years old," said Cruz, 71.

Friday night's show also attracted many first-timers from out of town.

Hank Becker and Tim Love drove down from Anaheim in Becker's 1940 Pontiac Woody Wagon.

"There are nice, friendly people and this seems like a really nice place," said Becker.

Love had been to Cruisin' Grand before, and said it is one of the best classic car shows in the state.

"These people have done an amazing job with the ambience here," said Love, explaining that the classic cars shows he attends in Garden Grove pale in comparison.

Cal Acord had no regrets about bringing his 1963 Chevy Nomad station wagon down from Thousand Oaks on Friday night.

"These shows are well organized and there is a lot of stuff going on," said Acord. "The girlfriend is going to be sorry she didn't come down with me."

For more information on Cruisin' Grand, visit www.downtownescondido.com.

Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 740-5468 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.