Trucks and toys in Granite Shoals

A young volunteer helps collect toy donations from vehicle owners entering the 2023 Granite Shoals truck show and toy drive. The 2024 event begins at 10 a.m. Dec. 14 at Quarry Park. Courtesy photo
The Granite Shoals police and fire departments host their annual truck show and toy drive Saturday, Dec. 14, starting at 10 a.m. in Quarry Park, 2221 N. Phillips Ranch Road.
Admission for spectators is free. Entry fees for show vehicles are $30 each or a new, unwrapped toy. Coolers are allowed for a $20 fee. Food vendors will be on site.
“It never fails that, the week before Christmas, we are approached by someone who did not sign up for the other toy giveaways or is in dire need,” said Granite Shoals Police Chief John Ortis. “That’s why we do this. This is for last-minute emergencies. Someone loses a job, a family member dies, there’s a medical emergency. It always happens.”
While enjoying the truck show, spectators can have free pancakes with St. Nick at 10 a.m. in the nearby Community Center. Activities include photos with Santa, arts and crafts, and face painting.
Proceeds benefit the Granite Shoals Police Officers Association and the Granite Shoals Fire Auxiliary, which help families in need.
Collecting toys is a year-round project for the police and fire departments, which hold the annual Operation Fill the Boat toy drive leading up to the first week in December. Those toys are already slated for distribution or have been given away, so the departments’ patrol boats will be at the truck show to be filled again.
“We are here to help families,” Ortis said. “We are here to make sure families have a very good Christmas.”
Toys are handed out to parents, who can then give them to their children whenever they celebrate the holidays. Police officers and firefighters collect names year-round as they respond to calls to ensure all families in need are covered. They also meet with school counselors to see who is on their radar for help.
Aside from the toy drives, the two departments hold barbecue fundraisers for Granite Shoals Christmas Outreach, one of the Operation Fill the Boat projects. The most recent barbecue event brought in $12,000 in a little over four hours. All of the proceeds went to Christmas Outreach.
“It’s not just for Granite Shoals,” Ortis said. “We get calls from other agencies or departments that aren’t as big as ours who say, ‘Hey, we just have a family right now who needs help.’ We always tell them, ‘We got you covered.’ I’d rather it be there and not need it than need it and it not be there.”
He credited Fire Chief Tim Campbell and the crews of both departments with giving their whole hearts to the year-long project.
“Campbell and I saw a need and said, ‘How can we make a dent”” Ortis said. “We know we can’t solve all the problems, but we can make a dent right here in our area.”