Paws down the best show ever
The cars are lined up. (April Richey | The Standard)
APRIL RICHEY/THE GREENVILLE STANDARD
“Saving one animal won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal” are words that the men and women of the Greenville Animal Shelter live by. For some people their pets are just as much a part of their family as their own children.
So when new animals are brought to the shelter, they become family to the workers there. They need love and attention both emotionally and physically. Although a hug, a kiss, a smile and a tender word may be free, the medical attention and the supplies are not.
The shelter has done an amazing job taking care of the animals with the limited resources they have. They do count largely on donations and help from other animal lovers.
Kayla Garlock, lifetime resident of Greenville took on the task of organizing a car show to help raise awareness and funds for the non-profit organization.
This year marking the 3rd annual Car Show for the shelter was paws down the best yet.
“We started this event back in 2015. We had been to several other car shows across the state when we decided to host our own event. With the help of friends and family we were able to get everything in order.
The only thing we were missing was who we wanted to donate our money to. We talked to the Greenville Animal Shelter to see if they could use the money. Of course, they were very excited and told us YES!
We immediately started to get sponsors, and spread the word through other shows and through social media. Once our first show was over, we had so much positive feedback and support, we decided to make this an annual event.” stated Garlock.
This year’s event was the largest to date, with more vendors, more cars and live entertainment. Local band Kaoss joined the event and performed on stage from 12noon to 2pm.
McKenzie High School Athletics department fired up the grill to keep everyone’s stomachs full of burgers, hot dogs and fries, while Jessica and Kimberly handled the drink sales.
Vendors from all over lined up with a variety of goodies from children’s clothes, to make up to Tupperware. The big hit with the kids this year was the bounce house. There was definitely something there for everyone.
With the smell of wax and ArmorAll in the air, one by one, seventy-one cars, trucks and motorcycles lined up in hopes to all bring home a shiny new trophy. With 39 trophies up for grabs, everyone was prepping their ride to help win over the judges.
Hoods were raised, rag tops were down, and chrome was polished. Owners and car enthusiasts walked around the field admiring the beauty of each ride. Original survivors, and completely restored rides, sat side by side in the grass.
Motorcycles from new to old mingled in with the four-wheeled cages. Kids of all ages were finding it difficult to pick out one car they favored more than another. At the end of the day, after all the cars had been judged, the trophies were handed out.
The judges had the hardest job of the day, with only a few real surprises in the winners.
With around $4,000 being raised, all the money from this event will go to the Greenville Animal Shelter. The funds will be used for a variety of things. It will be shared with office needs, building upgrades, housing for the animals and vet bills.
“We would like to thank everyone that came out to our event this year, our vendors, car owners and especially our volunteers. It takes a community effort to make an event like this work.
“ We would also like to say a special thank you to all of our sponsors, which helped make this event so great” Garlock added.
If you would like to know more information about the Animal Shelter, or if you would like to help foster, or adopt one of the many loving animals they are currently helping, please contact the shelter at 334-382-7806, email Greenville_animal_shelter@yahoo.com or find them on Facebook Greenville Shelter.
