Show & Shine Car show brings hundreds out benefiting veterans

Apr. 25—Marysville resident Mike Guest said initially he only took an interest in the luxury 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport because he liked the color.

"I was intrigued by the blue," Guest said.

But a little later he realized it was a collector's edition, one of about 700 made in the U.S. (953 in the world), according to Guest.

It has become his pride and joy to bring to car shows like the one on Saturday in downtown Marysville, benefitting the veteran community.

Guest said he keeps it in a garage and only drives it about 5,000 miles a year. Saturday was extra special because his family was visiting from Las Vegas.

Scott Miller-Torres said the car show was a focal point of the trip out west because he too is a car enthusiast.

Miller-Torres is hoping his little boy, Scott will be a car guy too.

While it was a thrill to see Guest and his $100,000 Corvette, Miller-Torres' favorite vehicle is the Chevy Nova.

There's almost no identical car enthusiast, one of the reasons why there was a wide variety to look at during Saturday's spectacle.

Each car registered had its own specific charm.

"You name it, it is out here today," said lead organizer Rob Snyder, president of We Keep Rockin Entertainment. "I have the Ram Truck Club from Sacramento here and a $120,000 corvette that looks like the Batmobile."

Snyder said all Saturday's proceeds went to a variety of resources for local veterans seeking to transition back into civilian life.

There's about 15,000 veterans in the Yuba-Sutter area, Snyder said, some of whom are struggling to find their way.

The Wounded Warrior Project is dedicated to helping those who once fought for their country find a way back.

"(It's) real issues they are dealing with," he said. "In the military you're told when to be, what to be and how to be ... Everything is made for them."

So when a veteran comes home, Snyder said it can be a struggle for many to even find a way to pay rent.

One of the goals of local fundraisers like the Show & Shine car show is to let veterans know "they're not alone," Snyder said.

"I just ask that you don't judge a person until you really know who they are or what they are and understand their life a little better," he said.

Donations buckets were set up at each station for anyone visiting to give what they can to help the veteran community.

Snyder said he was overjoyed at how the fundraiser turned out.

"We are at capacity," he said. "There are hundreds of people out here enjoying hundreds of cars."

Yuba City resident Chris Garcia said he visits car shows like the one in Marysville all the time as a way to talk cars with people

Garcia was displaying his daily driver — a 1972 Chevy C-10. However, he is also passionate about the "low rider," which he described as any vehicle about one foot off the ground just cruising.

He sees a lot of low riders in San Jose, just one of Garcia's many stops along the way.

He simply likes getting out there.

Snyder said donations for the Wounded Warrior Project will be accepted through Wednesday, April 28. To donate safety visit Wounded Warrior Project on Facebook and look for Show & Shine Car Show Wounded Warrior Fundraiser.

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