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Christine Cheshire, executive director of the 46th Palo Alto Concours d'Elegance, slated for Sunday, June 24, on the Stanford campus, proves a classic car show isn't just for guys.

Now in her second year as executive director of the Concours, sponsored by the Palo Alto Host Lions Club, she notes there are more and more women each year interested in classic cars.

"In order for the Concours to be a successful event, you need to have something for everyone -- car enthusiasts, women, people who attend with their families," she says.

In her first year as director, attendance at the main event was the highest in the past six years.

Cheshire has been chairperson of a variety of community events and organizations, including her children's PTA events, church fundraisers and nonprofit organizations.

She grew up in Redwood City and Atherton, graduating from Woodside High School. A few years after marrying, and being a stay-at-home mom to their two children, she began volunteering at Redwood City's Peninsula Celebration, which produces the city's annual Fourth of July parade and festival. Her organizational skills eventually led her into the position of executive director for the Peninsula Celebration Association.

Another interesting chapter in Cheshire's 30-year career as an event planner is her three-year stint as executive director of the local Miss California/Miss America Scholarship organization. She and daughter, Krista, worked as a team. She recruited applicants from local high schools and colleges and produced scholarship competitions held at the Canada College theater in Woodside.

Cheshire has been president of the Redwood City Sunrise Lions Club for four years. The Palo Alto Host Lions Club, which sponsors the Concours, approached the other local clubs in its search for an executive director for its annual car show. Cheshire applied and was chosen.

"It's a different world working with car people," she says. "But I've met a lot of nice people and seen a lot of "to die for" cars. It's opened a whole new world for me."

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