BILLINGS — A lot of people have cars. Only a few — those with passion, pride, and a painter’s eye for detail — have lowriders.
“The little details are the things that matter the most,” said Johnny “Juanito” Vasquez, 19, president of the Billings chapter of Rollerz Only, a national lowrider club.
Easter weekend, Vasquez and his club were showing off more than chrome and candy paint — they were showing kids an alternative to gang life.
“There’s a variety of the Latino culture out here as well. We just try to keep it going," said Vasquez, "We try to show the up-and-coming generation that there’s more to life than being in the streets.”
Through Rollerz Only, he is helping organize community events like Saturday’s Easter egg hunt — a festive, family-friendly way to plant seeds of ambition among Billings’ youth.
“It’s our art,” said Vasquez. “The only difference is that our art is on the streets.”
For kids like Elisha “Cub” Meza, the event was not centered around plastic eggs.
“I’m just here to watch,” said Meza, his attention fixed on the lowriders, custom bicycles, and their intricate craftsmanship.
The 11-year-old is not new to the world of custom rides — he is already building his own.
“When I started building my bike … I was eight,” said Meza. “The handlebars came off another bike, I bought these, and then this seat I got for Christmas."
He dreams of one day upgrading from two wheels to four.
“I just like how you can build (bikes), and they’re not as hard as a car, but they’re still pretty hard,” said Meza. “And how you can just put so much effort into it and just come out with a beautiful bike.”
That drive — to build, to create, to take pride in the details — is what Vasquez and the Rollerz Only crew hope to instill.
“You work hard, go to school, get good grades, you can build anything you want to,” said Vasquez.
