Oct. 7 car show a big deal for Farragut Lions Club

Could you spare 30 minutes to help people see? That and a small donation is all it would take and you’d have fun at the same time.

Farragut Lions Club is putting on its second annual Charity Car Rally show from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7, in the main parking lot of First Baptist Concord, 11704 Kingston Pike.

Member Ed Mee is excited about this year’s Charity Car Rally.

“We feel like we’re going to have a pretty good-sized show this year,” he said, “and FBC has been gracious to turn the main parking lot over to us that Saturday.

“We just want to invite the whole community to come and help us raise money so we can help those in our surrounding area. Our big thing is helping those with eyesight problems.”

Lions Clubs everywhere guarantee that 100 percent of money raised is spent on helping their communities; no monies go to administrative expenses.

The car show will be free — free to those who enter cars and free to car-lovers who want to come and drool over their favorite model.

“We’re having a fundraiser,” Mee said. “One hundred percent of all the funds collected through donations at this car show will go to the Lions Club for community work.”

Those bringing cars will have the chance to win a prize every 30 minutes and get a free hotdog lunch.

“Bojangles is donating biscuits,” Mee said, “and the Woodsmen of the World are furnishing hotdogs and chips.”

Car-lovers can buy a lunch as they enjoy live music by the praise band “For Him” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and by Oldies 98.3 FM, WMTY. [sister communications arm to farragutpress]. Visitors can enjoy a friendly cornhole competition, with prizes going to winners.

“We’re also having a 50/50 raffle,” Mee said. “The winner gets 50 percent and the Lions Club gets 50 percent.”

In case of rain, the event will be moved to Saturday, Oct. 21, at the same time and place.

“When I was a young man in the Air Force, I was in Los Angles and I was as lost as Hogan’s gold,” Mee said. “There was a gentleman who got on the bus with a German Shephard seeing-eye dog. That dog took that gentleman to a seat and pushed him in where he was to sit and that dog jumped up and sat next to him. However it happened, that dog knew where they were to get off and barked. The bus stopped and the dog helped him get off. Then the dog helped him cross a busy, busy the street. That’s stuck with me since 1963. There’s a good possibility that [a] Lions Club had some hand in that.”

Farragut Lions Club is part of District 12N and helps support Tennessee School for the Blind, Tennessee School for the Deaf, East Tennessee Lions Eye Bank, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Diabetes Awareness, Pediatric Cancer and other causes.

Through 12N, it helps provide vision screening and eyeglasses for Knox Countians in need.