Revving Up for a Cause – First Annual VAB Christmas Car Show Toy Drive
- Abigail Muniz-Garcia
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
(This article was written by Abigail Muniz-Garcia and was featured in the December 2025 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine.)
Holiday cheer will fill the air as shiny, antique cars line the lot at the Harlingen Convention Center on Saturday, December 6, 2025. The first annual VAB Christmas Car Show Toy Drive will take place from 8 am to 1 pm that day and is sure to bring a festive mix of classic cars and community giving all for a good cause.
Visitors are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys to donate or just join in on the fun for a morning outdoors with the family, taking in the sight of beautiful cars. Car owners can compete for a spot among the top 10 winners that will receive a plaque in recognition while another car will be awarded as the “best in show” for a total of 11 plaques being handed out that day.
Moses Mendoza, a member of the Harlingen Veterans Advisory Board (VAB), was tasked to help with the organization of the event. The VAB was created to advise the city commission on the needs of veterans in the area.
He is also involved with the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Chapter. The AACA at the national level was founded in 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The AACA of the RGV is supporting the VAB with their efforts in this event.
“There’s a lot of work behind the scenes,” Mendoza said.
The toys collected will benefit local veteran families.
When asked what kind of cars people can expect at the car show, Mendoza said it’s hard to say since the event is in its first year, but the RGV is known to have nice cars.
“Oh, we got some beautiful cars,” he said. “From Model Ts to Model As to cars from the 40s and 50s and 60s and 70s, now the 80s and 90s. And then of course, there’s always the young group with the new cars… the 90s and now the 2000s. New cars are allowed. They’re our future antique cars.”
Mendoza hopes that there will be a good turnout because when it’s all said and done, the event is for a good cause: to benefit local veteran families during the holiday season.
“As an organization, the VAB, it will show us that we contributed something positive and return it back to the community cause that’s our idea in the first place,” Mendoza said.
The fee to enter a vehicle in the car show will be new toy donations for both a male and a female worth a total of $20-$25.
For more information on the event, you can visit Facebook pages for the Harlingen Veteran Advisory Board or the Antique Automobile Club of America – Rio Grande Valley Chapter or email mmen700224@aol.com.