Toys for Tots Benefit Car Show and Cruise In

The Annual LABOR DAY Toys for Tots Benefit Car Show and Cruise-in at Portland Motor Club serves as the fall kick-off for Maine’s U.S. Marines toy and gift drive for some of Maine’s neediest families and kids. It’s also a great car show! There are usually a couple hundred of some of the finest examples of interesting and well-cared-for cars you’ll see anywhere. All kinds: antiques, classics, restored/modified classics (resto-mods), street rods and even a contingent of race cars that some really committed gift-givers trailer over for all to enjoy. We generally have live and/or dj music, a food booth, a 50/50 raffle and sometimes other interesting groups and distractions.

All it takes is a new, unwrapped present for a child or teen to enter the show. That is the price of admission for car owners and spectators. Having spoken with the coordinating Marines, we at Portland Motor Club would like to suggest a slightly different angle on the gift giving. And, by all means, if you want to bring a giant teddy bear or doll or toy car that’s perfect for a little one, that’s really great. Sometimes, though, it’s the teens who don’t get the attention that they need. We are told that there is a real need for gifts for teens up to the age of 18 who might even need, for males, a hygiene kit containing items such as Old Spice or Axe products, perhaps an electric shaver or sports items and for teen girls, it could be make-up kits, jewelry-making kits or general primping products.

This is a really easy event because you can just show up in your vehicle (any and all are welcomed to attend), line up and enjoy a visit. It starts at 10 AM and ends at 1 PM. We are now sharing hosting the car show at two locations on Labor Day to make things a bit more exciting — here at Portland Motor Club and also at Hodgman’s Frozen Custard in New Gloucester, Maine. We encourage folks to enjoy the drive between the shows and stop by both to enjoy the sights and tastes and sounds.

We want to thank Stan and Cheryl Page who organized this event for many years along with car clubs around the state who help out as well. This is an all-club event, not presented by any one car club. Portland Motor Club is really a facility more than a traditional car club.

 

We might even toss in a bit of smoke at the end of the show this year…