The second annual Ramon’s Miracle on 31st Street Car Show will take place Saturday to accept gifts for a popular holiday event later in December.
Tucsonans can contribute by donating a new, unwrapped toy during the event from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Martinez Funeral Home, 2580 S. 6th Ave. All donations will benefit Ramon’s Miracle on 31st Street Christmas Party, which will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, at AVA Amphitheater at Casino Del Sol.
The car show originated to garner support, toys and awareness about the free holiday party, which has become a South Tucson tradition over the last 50-plus years. Started by Ramon Gonzalez, a local sheet-metal worker who died in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19, the party has provided holiday toys, food and fun for generations of children and their families. Each year, the event gifts as many as 10,000 toys to children in need and Ramon’s family and friends have continued the tradition in his honor.
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“After the pandemic we started it again and the kids were smiling again. We are sad that my dad isn’t here to see it, but we do it to make the kids happy. It is very important to me and my family and those who are helping us,” said Manuel, Ramon’s son.
Manuel said that there have been very few toy donations this year and the family is requesting help from the public. They believe the car show provides an excellent opportunity for car enthusiasts and the entire community to become involved.
Dennis Jordan, who is organizing the show with the Imagination Car Club, said it offers something for everyone.
“There will be between 50 and 100 cars: Everything from muscle cars and ‘bombs’ (low riders from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s) to hot rods, trucks, four-by-fours, motorcycles and low-rider bicycles. We will have food vendors and a DJ and all-around good times. Santa Claus and Cindy Lou Who will be there, too,” said Jordan.
Prizes are offered for best of show and for best participation from local car clubs, along with 12 trophy categories courtesy of Titan Transfer. Registration for each car is a new, unwrapped toy and roll-in and registration are from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the event.
Watch now: Amy Jean Knorr celebrated her 106th birthday on Nov. 28, 2022. She was born in 1916 in Michigan, in a house without electricity, according to her family. She graduated high school in 1934 and earned her PhD in home economics from Michigan State.
After marrying her husband Phillip, who passed in 2012, they moved to Tucson and worked at the University of Arizona. Her teaching took her to Brazil and Nigeria and she worked heavily with student teachers. She would later sponsor scholarships for students.
Knorr continues to bring lively energy to every room, according to her family. She lives at Atria Bell Court in Tucson, where she reads daily, enjoys socializing with friends and eating ice cream. She said she will live every day the best she can until she reaches 107. Video by Pascal Albright / Arizona Daily Star.
