I have a degree in mass communications and have worked at several large companies doing marketing and brand management. I also have worked for an event-planning company that folded, owned a gift shop and worked as a substitute teacher. My problem is references. I have not kept in touch with managers at the large companies. Also, it's been a while since I used computer programs on a daily basis. I have references from the schools, but I don't want to stay in education. I need to find a full-time job but am having trouble finding my niche. So any advice you could give on positioning myself having "old skills" in these new environments would be greatly appreciated. Donna Dobrovich .

Planning event takes drive

Shelly McNaul knows what it's like to organize a big bash - say, an automotive street party for a half-million folks.

Her shindig, in fact, gears up today - a little event known as the Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous.

The annual ode to the road, now in its 18th year, revs into town with 1,900 of the Southland's cheeriest pre-1974 classic cars, cruisin' fun and nonstop entertainment, today through Sunday.

In reality, the four-day nostalgic salute to Route 66 is one of the largest automotive celebrations on the historic Mother Road and the largest cruisin' classic on the West Coast.

Produced by the San Bernardino Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous attracts car buffs from all over the country.

The festivities and family fun experienced by the 500,000-or-so annual visitors is the result of a year of detailed planning.