Farragut Lions Club’s to hold 9th annual Car Show
“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year that we do to raise funds to help our club help the community in several areas, primarily kids’ sight screening, vision care, providing glasses for those less fortunate, hunger and diabetes awareness,” said Tom Nitz, Lion tamer and car show committee chairman. “One hundred percent of what we raise goes back into the community in those specific projects, whether that be vision machinery for the kids’ eye screenings or buying food for somebody or helping food pantries.
“We want (the show) to be a community event and try to partner with the area businesses as well, just to bring goodness to the community,” he said.
While the event for spectators is free, the car entry fee into the show is “strictly by donation,” Nitz said. “We don’t charge to come in, we just ask that they give a donation.
“Our primary funds from the car show come from the business community in the area by sponsorships.”
The show features cars and motorcycles from vintage to new.
“Our car show is a little bit different than some of the other car shows,” he said. “Being a charity and this being a fundraiser for us, we don’t put any kind of restrictions or requirements on what type of car or what type of vehicle. We welcome everything.
“We don’t really judge (the entries),” Nitz said. “We don’t want to get people mad … normally we try to hand out two different awards, the Mayor’s Choice award and People’s Choice Award.”
Additionally, “We’ll have music, announcements, door prizes,” he said. “We’re hoping to, as we did in the past, serve like a free breakfast sandwich and, at lunch, we do hot dog, chips and a drink” for entry participants.
He added if spectators “come in and want to buy (the food), they are more than welcome to buy (the food) at an established price.”
Lions Club’s efforts go “anywhere to the community where there’s a need,” Nitz said. For example, Nitz said the club helped during the Gatlinburg fires and recent hurricanes.
“We never know when disasters are going to hit us, but it takes a lot of people and a lot of effort to help out in those times of need,” he said. “Our motto, for Lions is ‘We serve,’ and we have another motto that we go by and we say, ‘We’re there’s a need, there’s a Lion.’”
For more information about entering a vehicle, call 865-679-4779.
