Canceled 2020 Walnut Street Invitational Car Show – Still Raises $5,300
Walnut Street Invitational Car Show captain Greg Farrell was disappointed that event was canceled this year due to COVID-19, but that did not deter him from raising funds for our charities. According to Greg “the Walnut Street Invitational is a special show with very special people. I knew early on it would be a challenge without having a show of 135 cars. I also know we have a loyal list of attendees that eagerly support our charities… so I hoped maybe a few people might just happen upon Walnut Street and just might have donations.”
“Our committee mailed out letters to the invitees clarifying that there’d be no show on Monday, July 20. Furthermore, since there’d be no show, the street would be open and any member of the public could legally come to park their car on Walnut Street… evidently folks started reading between the lines! I even mentioned I’d have nothing to do that night so I might fire up the hot rod and head out for some dinner and a cold beverage. The response was incredible… we had online giving, folks mailed in checks from as far away as Florida, and there was an unusually rich collection of cars that happened to be legally parked on Walnut Street that night! Oh, and for once the weather was perfect!”
About a dozen people brought their cars that night, but 28 different people have made donations. To date, an astounding $5,300 has been raised – that’s nearly half of what is raised when the full show is staged! We had Porsches, a Bentley, a euro Mercedes SL, a Lexus convertible that brought 2 checks, a supercharged Camaro ZL1, Greg’s old SC/Rambler… the variety was representative of what we try to include across the PVGP.
The Grand Prix thanks Greg for making such an outstanding effort in these difficult times. We’re sure our charity partners appreciate it as well.
Be sure to mark your calendars for Monday, July 19 next summer, when the car show returns to Shadyside. If you like, you can still make a donation and help increase this year’s $5,100 running total.
