By BOBBIE GREEN

The Progress

The crisp morning air was filled with sounds of Christmas music and classic rock in the parking lot of Wedgies Sports Bar & Grill on Saturday, Dec. 9. It was the site of the St. Nick’s Toy Run & Car Show being presented by the “Over the Hill Gang Car Club” for the benefit of Toy Joy for Kids by the Salvation Army.

Car club members from all around the valleys and up into southern Utah participated in the event. In addition to their classic cars, they all brought unwrapped toys or cash donations to be given to the Salvation Army of Mesquite to help local families during the holiday season.

The atmosphere was like a Christmas fair. Mr. and Mrs. Claus were in attendance to greet donors and talk with the kids in attendance. The classic cars were parked and open for viewing; some were decorated just for the season.

JC Hackett was DJ for the event, keeping things moving. T-shirts displaying St. Nick’s Toy Run were for sale, with all proceeds going to the Salvation Army.

Darren Nuttall, director of Desert Sports Management, explained how he got together with Steve Underdahl, fearless leader of the Over the Hill Car Club who has been donating to Toys for Tots for years in St. George, Utah.

Nuttall informed Underdahl that the local Salvation Army was in need of Toys for local kids in need. They got together with Salvation Army Director Bill Ennis and the first annual St. Nick’s Toy Run was born.

The festive affair drew quite a crowd and “it will get bigger and better next year,” said Nuttall. “With even more preplanning and publicity, we hope to get even more kids involved.”

Ennis said he was honored to have the St. George Classic cars and Mesquite’s own Over the Hill Gang host a car show and benefit for the Salvation Army. The entry fee was an unwrapped gift. Saturday’s event brought in 12 large boxes of toys.

This year, this location of the Salvation Army has helped more than 510 local kids in need with Christmas toys.
“All of us at the Salvation Army are humbled by the outpouring and generosity of the car clubs that came out to support us and the leaders Darren Nuttall and Steve Underdahl,” Ennis said. “There has been an increase in children in need this year, so this event was greatly needed to ensure we are able to fill needs for all the kids.”

The precise dollar amount collected was still unknown at press time, as contributions were still coming in.