Meet Zach McKiernan and his Vintage Cruisers - Great Additions to the Fair Oaks Village Enhancement
Story by Pat Cole
The Fair Oaks Village monthly car show attracts visitors and showcases local businesses. When Zach McKiernan, a local realtor, joined the Fair Oaks Village Enhancement Committee (FOVEC), he suggested his car club, Vintage Cruisers, hold a once-a-month car show in the Village similar to the one he runs at the Dairy Queen in Orangevale. All varieties of cars are welcome from 8 am to 10:30 am on the first Sunday of each month, and it’s a free show. No pre-registering is necessary. McKiernan includes businesses adjacent to the cars to publicize them when he takes photos of participating cars each month. As with other members of FOVEC, McKiernan joined FOVEC because he is committed to keeping our small town country feel without losing sight of the Village’s potential as a thriving business community.
McKiernan’s club is called Vintage Cruisers, and he promotes it on the Vintage Cruisers website, Facebook, and Instagram. McKiernan owns a 1969 Chevrolet Suburban and a 1938 Plymouth with a rumble seat in the back and regularly drives them. Last October, about 42 cars parked around the park and along the road next to it. Before each event, McKiernan arrives about 5:00 Saturday morning to block off parking spaces while being careful not to block businesses. The show runs all year unless it’s raining on the scheduled day.
When we talked about his vision for Fair Oaks Village, McKiernan says additions like Brahma Grill, Shangri-la, and Fair Oaks Brew Pub give the Village new life while keeping its charm. He also pointed out that historical villages like Fair Oaks weren’t meant to have a lot of traffic and didn’t need a lot of parking. That’s why he supports FOVEC’s work to add much-needed parking spaces to help local businesses prosper and as an example of innovative and strategic planning for the Village.
When he’s not busy with car shows, McKiernan’s passion is his career in residential real estate. McKiernan began the real estate business as a transaction coordinator for six years to learn documentation for real estate transactions and worked with his father, who has been the Broker OF McKiernan Realty for the past 45 years. As a licensed realtor for the past six years, McKiernan’s territory covers Sacramento County, Placer County, and El Dorado County up to South Lake Tahoe.
McKiernan, who grew up in Folsom, and his wife, Chelsea, who grew up in Fair Oaks, met while working with severely disabled and fetal alcohol disabled children at a care home. They’ve been married for eighteen years and have four children ranging from high school to grammar school. Zach and Chelsea bought their home in Fair Oaks after the original owner smoked in it for 50 years. They gutted and rebuilt it, which was challenging and fun along the way. McKiernan says he threw himself into demolition but was smart enough to get a lot of help from friends whose construction and finishing skills meant they could do a much better job than he could. McKiernan appreciates his wife Chelsea’s help with his business and as the mainstay of an active family with children who enjoy sports and other activities. They are grateful to have a home in Fair Oaks and are happy to do what they can to help our community prosper.