How a Town Car Wash Became Paradise Valley's Veterans Day Car Show

About twenty years before the 2023 show, Bob Lavinia was driving through Paradise Valley when he saw Town employees and volunteers running a charity car wash. Almost no cars were coming through. "Here were all these office workers standing around with buckets full of water and no cars," he later told the Paradise Valley Independent. So he went home and brought cars from his own collection to be washed, three separate times.

On his last trip through, he made a pitch. "I said, 'Well, you're in the heart of vintage car America. Instead of sitting here making $100 or $200, if you do a car show, I can guarantee you'll make at least $1,000.'"

Diane Wayland, a legal support specialist in the Town Attorney's office, took the idea to Ed Winkler, who was vice mayor then. He ran it by the mayor, who liked it. A few years later, Lavinia, Town staff, police, the council and residents put on the first show. More than 80 cars turned up, and it raised more than the car wash ever had. That is how Lavinia earned the nickname "Car Wash Bob."

The story is charming, but the real point is what Lavinia noticed. The Town didn't need to bring in an attraction. One already sat in the garages along its own streets. On Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, the 21st annual Veterans' Appreciation Vintage Car Show returns to the Town Hall parking lot at 6401 E. Lincoln Drive, and it still runs on that idea.

The Math Lavinia Promised

Lavinia guaranteed $1,000. The show has since raised many times that. These figures come from his own comparison and from published results:

The 2023 record shows how the show makes its money. Car owners registered online, and the site gave them the option of donating more on top of the entry fee. Those extra gifts came to $6,477, according to Wayland, who is still a key organizer. That left $7,594.19 for each of the two charities. Entry is set as a suggested donation of $50 per car, so a large share of the total depends on how generous the people showing their cars choose to be.

That also explains why the 2026 tally is still climbing. In early October 2026, the show's GiveSmart registration page showed $6,352 raised, with more than five weeks to go before the show.

What Comes Out of the Garages

Many of the cars belong to neighbors. Ed Winkler, the former mayor who chairs the show, told the Independent in 2023 that some exhibitors have their own private car museums, and some have built underground garages for their collections. "Most car guys in the Phoenix area look forward to this show because they know it is the highest-end car show in town," he said.

Past lineups have included:

• Brass-era and pre-war classics
• European and American sports cars
• Chrome-heavy cars from the 1950s
• Muscle cars from the 1960s
• Hot rods, trucks and motorcycles

The 2023 show was expected to bring about 150 vehicles. Sometimes a half-track rolls in, which Winkler described as half truck, half tank, with a machine gun. The 2024 preview promised more than 150 vehicles. Ahead of the 2023 show, Lavinia said he would bring either his 1959 Corvette or his 1970 Jaguar, depending on how he felt that morning.

"There's an amazing number of remarkable automobiles in Paradise Valley, preserved in a pristine way." — Bob Lavinia, Paradise Valley Independent, October 2023

The age cutoff for vehicles seems to move each year. The 2023 coverage described the show as pre-1983 collections. In 2025, the Independent said every car was a pre-1985 model. For 2026, the registration page and the Independent's Oct. 1 preview say pre-1986, but the Town's own notice still says pre-1985. If your car is a 1985 model, check with the Town before you count on a spot.

A Committee of Town Hall and Neighbors

The show began with a resident and a Town staffer, and it is still organized that way. The Town's 2025 committee photo shows Rich Lyons, Vice Mayor Ellen Andeen-Keller, Mel Wainwright, Taylor Hunter, Rick Mahrle, Public Works Director Issac Chavira, Kristi Hillebert, Town Manager Andrew Ching, Rick Adams, Warren Kosters, Ed Winkler, and Police Officer Jimmy Phan. Diane Wayland is behind the wheel.

In 2023, the show was billed as its 18th year. In a 2023 oral-history interview with the Town, Winkler called it the Town's largest public event. The Town's own staff and equipment are part of the show too. In 2024, the preview invited residents to meet neighbors and veterans, and children could sit in Town police pursuit vehicles and a Town street sweeper.

Where the Money Goes

All proceeds from entry donations go to two Arizona veterans' organizations.

Military Assistance Mission provides emergency financial help and morale support to Arizona service members, their families and wounded service members. Its financial aid can go toward housing, car costs, utilities, food and education.

Sentinels of Freedom works with severely wounded or injured post-9/11 veterans as they move into civilian life. It offers one-on-one guidance toward school and careers, along with housing subsidies, mentoring and professional services.

Since the two charities split the total evenly, each one's share depends on every registration and every extra donation.

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026

The show takes place in the Town Hall parking lot on the Saturday of Veterans Day weekend. Admission is free. The Town lists the event as running from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The Independent gives the public viewing window as 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. If you want time with the cars, plan to arrive closer to the start.

To show a car, truck or motorcycle:

1. Make sure it meets the vehicle cutoff. The registration page lists pre-1986 sports cars, antiques, special interest vehicles, race cars and motorcycles.
2. Pre-register at carshow2026.givesmart.com. Registration is required, and walk-up entries aren't listed as an option.
3. Plan on the suggested $50 donation per vehicle. The page notes that American Express isn't accepted.
4. Register by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.

For questions, the Town's contact is Kristi Hillebert at 480-348-3636 or [email protected]. There is also a luncheon at Camelback Golf Club. Tickets are $40 per person, including tax and gratuity, and you don't need to register a vehicle to attend.

Two other Town events come before and after the show. Mayor Mark Stanton hosts Coffee with the Mayor on Oct. 9 at 10 a.m., with no registration needed. Then, a week after the show, the Paradise Valley Police Department holds a document-shredding event on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8 a.m. to noon, by appointment.

If you keep a collection like the ones lined up at Town Hall each November and want to know how your home and its garage space might be valued, Cassandra Cook can walk you through it. Get a Free Home Valuation.