Walk down Memory Lane

Cruisin' in Carson - '50s Style is organized by the Carson-Tahoe Hospital Auxiliary as a fund-raiser for the Carson-Tahoe Cancer Center.

The car show and concert are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 3075 College Drive. A private collection of about 200 rare cars in a museum-like setting will be open for viewing. The collection - including many classics from the '50s and '60s - is owned by Garth Richards.

"He has a collection of Cadillacs you can't believe," said auxiliary member Sandy Griffin.

"There's all kinds: an old Fountain, a lot of Cadillacs and a lot of old signs," said Richards' wife, Joanie. "They're all in top condition. It'll be a walk down Memory Lane."

An Elvis impersonator will sing in full regalia. Griffin wasn't sure who was doing the show.

"But from what I understand, he's a good Elvis," she said.

Silent auction items will include an overnighter with dinner and breakfast at the Carson Valley Inn; an overnighter in the Atlantis tower; dinners at the Carson Nugget, Harrah's Steakhouse and Casino Fandango; and a year's membership to Curves.

To get in the spirit, nurses in the hospital's telemetry and medical-surgical ward are dressing in old-fashioned white nurses' uniforms and caps.

Food and beverages prepared by the hospital staff will be sold. With items like hot dogs, Coke and 7-Up on the menu, the food will have a '50s feel.

Margaritas, beer and wine will also sold; popcorn will be free.

Along with the Cowboy Poetry event in March and the Murder Mystery on the V&T, the Cruisin' Carson car show is one of the major fund-raisers for the auxiliary. The group has pledged $250,000 over five years to the construction of the Carson-Tahoe Regional Cancer Center on the north end of town.

So far it is on schedule, raising $50,000 annually.

"This fund-raiser will go toward our $50,000 for this year - 2004, 2005," Griffin said. "We're just grateful for Mr. Richards' generosity for letting us do this again."

Griffin, who defeated breast cancer in 2002, has a personal stake in the new center's completion.

"Being a cancer survivor, I'm very passionate about it," she said.

Her group would like to raise about $20,000 on Saturday.

Tickets are $25 at Down on the Farm Country Gift Shop in Minden, 1572 Highway 395 (783-1760) and the Carson Tahoe Hospital gift shop at the corner of Fleischmann Way and Mountain Street (885-4140).

For details, call 882-0254.

Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.