CAMERON PARK, Calif. — The chrome will shine. The engines will bark. Aircraft will fill the sky.
And behind all that horsepower is a more serious mission: raising money for people and organizations serving El Dorado County.
The Props, Cops & Rodders Show & Shine Fly-In returns Saturday, Sept. 26, to Cameron Park Airpark, bringing one of the county’s more unusual annual gatherings back to the Western Slope.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., more than 300 classic cars, hot rods, vintage vehicles and aircraft are expected to pack the airpark at 3374 Mira Loma Drive in Cameron Park.
This isn’t just a Saturday morning cruise-in.
It’s cars and airplanes. Cops and first responders. Families, food, music and a big raffle.
And, organizers say, the money raised is headed back into the community.
Chrome, Wings and First Responders
Props, Cops & Rodders has built its identity around two things that don’t normally share the same parking lot: classic American iron and aviation.
The Cameron Park Airpark provides the backdrop.
More than 300 vehicles and aircraft are expected, giving spectators a chance to get close to everything from polished hot rods and vintage automobiles to aircraft operated by local pilots.
But the machines aren’t the only attraction.
First responders will be out in force, with law enforcement and emergency-service demonstrations providing an up-close look at the people and equipment residents normally encounter when something has already gone wrong.
That is part of what separates this event from the typical car show.
The Cause Comes Before the Chrome
Organizers promote the event with a simple promise:
“100% of net proceeds benefit local charities.”
Those beneficiaries include first-responder support organizations, the Widow & Orphans Fund, Boys & Girls Clubs, food-assistance programs, women’s shelters and other community nonprofits.
The event has ties to the Placerville Community Fund and the El Dorado Community Foundation, organizations that have helped direct fundraising toward local needs.
According to the Placerville Community Fund, the combined Props, Cops & Rodders event grew from the longtime car show and the Cameron Park aviation gathering, bringing the two community traditions together.
The result is a fundraiser disguised as a Saturday at the airport.
And that’s probably the idea.
Bring the Kids. Bring the Appetite.
Parents don’t have to be gearheads or aviation buffs to find something to do.
The event is designed as a family day, with a Kids Zone, bounce houses, face painting and activities that have included opportunities to meet local beekeepers.
Live music will provide the soundtrack.
Food trucks and on-site concessions will handle breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages.
A large raffle will offer another opportunity to walk away with something besides a sunburn.
Weather permitting, airplane fly-overs may add another bit of noise to the afternoon.
In other words, Cameron Park will have plenty of reasons to look up.
The $10 Question
Spectators should plan for parking logistics at the active airpark and are typically asked for a $10-per-vehicle parking donation.
That isn’t much to spend for a family day out — particularly when the proceeds are being directed toward local causes.
Those wishing to put a car or aircraft into the show should register ahead of time through the event organizers.
Aircraft participants have their own registration requirements and arrival procedures because this isn’t a closed parking lot masquerading as an airport.
It is an airport.
That distinction matters.
A Different Kind of Community Gathering
El Dorado County has no shortage of fundraisers, car shows, festivals and public-safety events.
Props, Cops & Rodders manages to roll several of them into one.
The event gives car collectors a place to show off machines they have spent years restoring.
It gives pilots a place to display aircraft.
It gives children something more interesting than another Saturday staring at a screen.
It gives first responders a chance to interact with the public when there isn’t an emergency.
And it gives local charities another source of funding.
That’s the part worth remembering after the engines cool and the aircraft leave the runway.
The cars are the bait.
The community is the beneficiary.
Mark the Calendar
Props, Cops & Rodders Show & Shine Fly-In
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cameron Park Airpark
3374 Mira Loma Drive, Cameron Park
Admission and parking arrangements may be subject to event-day conditions. Organizers encourage vehicle and aircraft participants to register through the official event website.
For El Dorado County residents, it’s a pretty simple proposition:
Come for the cars. Stay for the airplanes. Meet the people who answer the call when trouble comes. And leave knowing that some of your dollars are going back into the community.
That’s not just a show.
That’s El Dorado County taking care of its own.
— Placerville NewsWire
Event Information
The Placerville Community Fund provides information about Props, Cops & Rodders and its charitable mission through its official event materials. The El Dorado Community Foundation also lists the event among its community activities.
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Social Promotion
🚓✈️🚗 THE CARS ARE COMING. THE PLANES ARE FLYING. AND THE MONEY STAYS HOME.
Cameron Park Airpark becomes ground zero for one of El Dorado County’s biggest community gatherings on Saturday, Sept. 26.
The Props, Cops & Rodders Show & Shine Fly-In brings together 300+ classic cars, hot rods and aircraft, along with first responders, live music, food, kids’ activities, a major raffle and — weather permitting — aircraft fly-overs.
But here’s the part that matters:
100% of net proceeds benefit local charities.
First responders. The Widow & Orphans Fund. Boys & Girls Clubs. Food assistance. Women’s shelters. Community nonprofits.
Come for the horsepower.
Stay for the cause.
📍 Cameron Park Airpark
🗓 Sept. 26, 2026
⏰ 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
In El Dorado County, community isn’t just something we talk about. Sometimes it has 400 horsepower and wings.
