Classic car show to benefit injured and orphaned wildlife

You can see incredible classic cars and some beautiful native Arizona animals, including a Gila monster, a golden eagle, a prairie dog, a desert tortoise and three types of hawks, at an upcoming car show to benefit the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center. All proceeds from the Saturday, April 22 "Wild Rides for Wild Animals" event will go to the care of injured, orphaned and abandoned animals being cared for at the center.

"This event is a chance to have some fun and also raise money for a great cause," says Sandy Cate, coordinator of the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center. "We'll have door prizes, live music, food vendors and even kids 'safari' activities."

The event will take place at the North Hills Church at 15025 N. 19th Ave. in Phoenix. That's at the southeast corner of 19th Avenue and Greenway Road. Hours of the car show are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

If you have a classic car or other vehicle that you want to show off, please enter it in the benefit. Pre-registration is just $20 per car, ATV, golf cart, sand rail or motorcycle. If you wait to register until the day of the event, the cost will be $25 per entry, and you'll need to register between 9 and 10 a.m. Judging begins at noon. Prizes will be given out in several categories, including "Best Paint," "Tallest Lift," "Best Graphics" and much more. Every paid entry will include a car show T-shirt.

You can bid on several items at a silent auction, including an autographed Arizona Cardinals football, an autographed Phoenix Coyotes jersey, a family membership to the World Wildlife Zoo and a champagne Sunday brunch at the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center. You can also enter a raffle to win Desert Botanical Garden passes, Cold Stone Creamery gift certificates, a Best Buy gift certificate, restaurant gift certificates and more.

For more information about the car show or to pre-register, call the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center at (623) 582-9806 or e-mail wildridesforwildanimals@hotmail.com. The event is being thrown by the center's volunteer auxiliary, and you can learn more about that organization and the car show by going to the auxiliary's Web site at azwildlifecenter.org.