Tucsonans in search of a unique way to celebrate those who have served — while also doing a service for kids in need — can find it at Truly Nolen’s Veteran’s Day Community Car Show .
“This is our fifth annual car show and we typically hold it on the second Saturday of November. This year it fell on Veteran’s Day and we are proud to honor our veterans. The University of Arizona Color Guard will do a presentation of colors to start the show and banners around the campus will honor the different branches of the armed forces. Plus, 25% of our registered attendees bringing cars are veterans. We are really excited to see the numbers that high,” said Ray Rico, coordinator of the event that will benefit Ramon’s Miracle on 31st Street for the third consecutive year.
Rico said that the Truly Nolen Community Car Show was created with the intent of giving back to the community by providing entertainment, highlighting local nonprofits and collecting donations for a chosen charity.
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“Truly Nolen was a remarkable man who taught everyone that it is vital to give back, and that has been a company staple for 85 years. The company is involved in education in schools and it partners with Girls Scouts of Southern Arizona, Ben’s Bells and many other nonprofits,” said Rico, who is also Community Relations and Event Coordinator for Truly Nolen.
The annual car show was a natural evolution of the company’s advertising campaign, which has utilized classic and specialty cars for many years. The venue also incorporates information booths for 17 local nonprofits including the Autism Society of Southern Arizona, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, TRAK, El Rio Health Center and many more, along with food trucks and activities for children including a petting zoo, face painting and much more.
“Truly Nolen wants to bring the community in and let them know about nonprofits and resources out there while surrounded by great cars. I say that this is Tucson’s most family-friendly and fun car show. A lot happens in four hours,” said Rico.
The show is also “Tucson’s most diverse car show,” according to Rico. Attendees can expect everything from a red wagon that is an actual vehicle (designed after Radio Flyer on a Volkswagen frame) and retired military vehicles owned by veterans to a City of Tucson Police Department low rider (built as a community project, Tucson is one of only four cities nationwide to boast this type of vehicle). It will also feature a range of classic cars, sports cars, muscle cars, low-rider bikes and pedal cars.
“There are vehicles from all walks of life. Last year we even had a monster truck show up. You never know what to expect,” said Rico.
Another goal is to stuff the Truly Nolen Mouse Limo with new, unwrapped toys to gift to children at the 53rd Annual Ramon’s Miracle on 31st Street, which will be held on from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17 at Tucson Greyhound Park, 2601 S. Third Ave.
The event was founded by the late Ramon Gonzales as a back-yard barbecue and has since grown to provide 10,000 holiday gifts annually to children from some of Tucson’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
“Ramon was a good friend of mine and lots of families who now volunteer are second — if not third — generation who have been impacted by him providing Christmas for those who are less fortunate. Parents who volunteer used to stand in line when they were kids to receive a gift to make Christmas happen. We believe in Ramon’s vision and want to help his family continue his legacy,” said Rico.
The event is near and dear to the Gonzales family, according to Ramon’s son, Manuel.
“We are excited to bring it back to South Tucson where it originated, and we think we will need more toys than ever. We really want to help the parents because there are lots of families having tough times with inflation. We want to thank the South Tucson City Council for stepping up and helping us to continue, and we want to thank Truly Nolen, the car community and the Forty Niner Country Club for helping to collect toys. We wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” said Manuel.
Car buffs and/or golf enthusiasts can also consider attending the Forty Niner Country Club Toys Tournament, followed by the Holiday Car Show and Holiday Festival on Saturday, Dec. 2 at Forty Niner Country Club, 12000 E. Tanque Verde Road.
The Holiday Car Show and Festival is open to the public; registration for cars is one new, unwrapped toy per car and admission fee is one new, unwrapped toy per person.
“We view this as a toy collection satellite on the east side to directly impact Ramon’s Miracle on 31st Street. We fell in love with the fact that this is a legacy mission. It hits home for me personally, growing up as a broke kid, and we really wanted to support a cause that has an impact on the local community,” said Chris Klok, Events and Marketing Manager at Forty Niner Country Club.
