Cal Domen put together car shows in the past, but this one was different. He had critical mass and a deeper meaning. Domen looked out over the rows of shiny hot rods gleaming under the Kalaeloa sun and said, "I think this is one of the biggest car shows on the island."

Sunday's "Hot Rods For a Cause" event was a convergence of good fortune and good intentions. Domen usually stages his car shows at the Home Depot parking lot or near a fast-food place, but those set-ups limit the number of cars that can be displayed.

This time, he enlisted the help of state Rep. Karen Awana. "I told her, 'Find me a place.' I gotta ask. That's my motto: The answer is no if you don't ask. See? I have it printed on my card."

The answer he got was a "yes" to stage an all-day hot rod extravaganza at the Kalaeloa Airport Hangar 111, an open space between buildings abutting an active runway.

"Plenty people lived this side of the island all their lives and they never did come here before," Domen said.

Domen kept it simple. He doesn't like large committees where everybody argues and nothing gets done. It's just him and his buddy, George Shishido, a lanky joker who does announcements on the PA that turn into comedy routines.

"Eh, brah, a pit bull making shishi on your chrome rim tires. Dat should get his attention. Move your car!"

There were food booths, a bounce house for the kids, live music and hundreds of glossy, candy-bright cars and trucks to ooh and aah over. The generator guy gave them a good rate. The lua guy charged for basic porta-potties but brought the deluxe lua trailer.

"My whole budget for this is less than two grand," Domen said. Admission was free and there was no cost to the vendors, though he asked that each make a donation "from the heart" to the cause — preventing domestic violence.

"Well, it is sort of an unusual combination for us to be at a car show," said Ramit Islam of the Domestic Violence Action Center, which had a booth next to the stage. "But Cal and George invited us to be here. Cal lost his sister to domestic violence, so this is important to him. "

"I want people to enjoy themselves, but also to think of the less fortunate," Domen said. "What happened to my sister, that was 38 years ago she died, and look, it's still happening in our community today. We have to do something. I don't know, maybe now when they see old cars, they'll remind themselves eh, better not punch the wife or girlfriend."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.