Third Annual TOYS-FOR-TOTS LABOR DAY CAR SHOW at Portland Motor Club

August 9, 2011

Toys-for-Tots Cruise-in Car Show on Labor Day Monday Sept. 5 at Portland Motor Club

Hard to believe this will be our third year helping out the U.S. Marines’ Toys-for-Tots program with hundreds of presents for kids for the holidays — no doubt, this year more than ever families will need some extra help around Christmas time with gift giving.

Don’t miss this great family event — a wonderful cause, a huge assortment of vehicles (we expect about 200), delicious food and we even have a DYNAMOMETER available this year from www.portable-dyno.com! If enough folks sign up, some of the proceeds from the dyno will go back to the show, too.

This show was a smash success in 2009 and 2010 with about 200 cars attending. It’s free to attend but each person in a car should bring a new unwrapped present for the program. Some folks collect them at work and end up filling their cars up — it’s quite a sight!

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 the day. It starts at 10 and ends at 2. Somewhere around noon Monday Night Posse (www.MondayNightPosse.com) will put on a live show with some groovin’ tunes that blur the line between rock and country.

As always, a huge thanks to Stan and Cheryl Page who organize this event 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. Stan and Cheryl travel the state and even New England almost every weekend going to shows and helping to make a difference and inviting folks wherever they go. This show actually ran a couple years elsewhere before it relocated to our facility. So, actually a happy 5th Anniversary to the Toys-for-Tots Labor Day show!

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

This was the grand finale at our first-hopefully-annual Portland Police Department Police Athletic League’s on June 25, 2011. Portland Motor Club owner Bill Waldron puts on a tire show in his 1965 Plymouth Belvedere drag car. They don’t make ’em like that anymore!

And speaking of not making ’em like that anymore, this was former Portland Police Chief James Craig’s almost last official act, serving as a show judge while also having inspired and helped to organize it. Thanks, Chief — we miss you! Thanks for the show.

Portland Motor Club is a specialty car storage and care facility featuring secure, climate-controlled and heated, year-round and seasonal vehicle storage. Designed as a marina for car owners, members can come and go anytime in their favorite set of wheels from a classic Mopar to a vintage MG TD to a Aston Martin DB9. Members also have access to this handsome facility for social gatherings and business meetings. For more information, call 207-775-1770 or email to info@portlandmotorclub.com. There is also a top-notch detailing facility on-site, Portland Detailing (www.PortlandDetailing.com).

Filed Under: Calendar And Events, Car Shows, Charity Events, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars Tagged With: , , , ,

HUGE TURN-OUT at Toys-for-Tots Car Show at Portland Motor Club

September 10, 2009
Toys, Cars and Music make for a great event at Portland Motor Club

TOYS, CARS & MUSIC make for a great Labor Day TOYS-FOR-TOTS BENEFIT CAR SHOW at PORTLAND MOTOR CLUB

(see TV station video links below)

By the time the car show officially started at 10 AM, the main lot was almost full. Eventually, show cars ended up in a side lot, in the back lot and in the neighbor’s lot!!! What a great day at Portland Motor Club with an estimated 175+ show cars stopping by and perhaps 500 or so people passing through during the day. The U.S. Marines were taken by surprise (which doesn’t happen often) by the great toy turn-in which filled up a Humvee as well as a trailer. And the audience was energetically entertained by music from the Monday Night Posse, an area garage band.

Organizers Stan and Cheryl Page, members of several local car clubs including Knucklebuster’s as well as members of Downeast Street Rodz and Portland Motor Club Membership Director Kal Rogers were all overwhelmed by the support and the turn-out. Rogers’ assessment: “It couldn’t have gone any better — a huge assortment of truly amazing cars, some literally filled with toys; tons of other toys that actually took the Marines by surprise; a nice array of vendors including Cruise Maine Magazine, Downeast Street Rodz’ food cart, a local t-shirt maker, the AMVETs and the great DJ JP all added a lot to the event.” Adding, “And, much to everyone’s pleasant surprise, the local live music turned out to be a great and lively addition. And the weather certainly didn’t hurt — this amazing weather streak we’ve been having helped everything to come together perfectly. We certainly hope to be able to do this again but we may have to put cars on the roof!”

Hundreds of visitors were able to get a glimpse into the Portland Motor Club facility to see (from a respectful distance) some of the fine cars in climate-controlled (heated / humidity) and secure storage there as well as to get an up-close-and-personal view of one of the state’s finest MOPAR (Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth) muscle car collections — if not the finest.

Portland Motor Club owner Bill Waldron noted, “It was really great to help out the kids with all the toys and and a great day for everyone who came. And it was a chance for us to show off our beautiful car storage facility with its club lounge for members and on-site professional detailing at our Motor Club Auto Care shop. I think people were excited to see what goes on in here. I love cars and know that they need a good home to stay in good shape. Basically we’ve created that — a good home for good cars where they’ll be safe from all the things that damage and ultimately destroy vehicles — critters, clutter, condensation and cold. The four “c’s”, I guess. Oh, and crooks, I suppose. That makes five.” He added, “Every year you hear about this barn collapsing on a bunch of nice cars or that garage catching on fire — it kind of breaks your heart if you love cars. We have a super-reinforced building that is wired top to bottom for anything that can go wrong.”

Special thanks to all the folks who contributed all the wonderful toys as well as cash from the nickels to hundred dollar bills to the raffle prizes including membership/race passes from Maine Indoor Karting (www.MaineIndoorKarting.com) and a complete auto detailing from Motor Club Auto Care (www.PortlandDetailing.com). And, of course, to Maine’s Marines who are the great folks behind Maine’s Toys-for-Tots program. At the end of the event, it was suggested by the Marines that they may need help sorting out all the toys as they get towards the holiday season. To find out how you can participate in this program, go to http://www.toysfortots.org/donate/toys-city-county.aspx?txtState=MAINE.

And now, take a look for yourself at these video links and you’ll see what a busy and amazing event it really was. We’d love your comments, especially if you were there. Also, please feel free to send photos and videos that you’ll allow us to use to <info@PortlandMotorClub.com>

CHANNEL 8’s coverage… http://www.wmtw.com/family/20780622/detail.html

CHANNEL 6’s coverage… http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=108863

Also, click on our Photo Gallery to see some more great photos from the event.

Marines collect hundreds of toys from Maine's generous car club members and visitors to Portland Motor Club

Marines collect hundreds of toys from Maine’s generous car club members and visitors to Portland Motor Club

Portland Motor Club's parking lot was full to overflowing into the neighbor's lot!

Portland Motor Club’s parking lot was full to overflowing into the neighbor’s lot!

Filed Under: Charity Events, Classic Cars, Muscle Cars Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,