Knights' car show in Lakewood Ranch benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

The sixth annual Knights of Columbus Car Show Nov. 2 at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Lakewood Ranch was more about stories than cars.

The approximately 120 cars that decorated the parking lot at the church were a conversation starter, and then the stories flowed.

Every owner of a car at the show had his or her own story, and then those who came to enjoy the various classics would offer a few stories of their own. All the proceeds from the event benefitted St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

A fun story was told by East County's Arthur Matney, who was showing his 2020 C8 Corvette that has a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that produces 490 horsepower.

Matney was asked how fast he had driven his prized car. He said he had gotten it up to 125, all by himself in the middle of the night on a deserted central Florida highway. Matney laughed and said there were no witnesses. Then he launched into a story.

"I was driving one day when a police officer drove up alongside me," said Matney, who figured he might be in trouble. "Then the cop gave me the thumbs up."

Mike Mahan of the Knights of Columbus loves hearing all the stories, but the best one regards their donation to St. Jude when the proceeds are counted. Last year it was $15,000.

"This (event) is close to my heart," Mahan said. "I dealt with cancer in my late 20s. When I think of kids going through it ... man. It's a stressful situation."

This year's entries were down a bit from 2023 and Mahan believes many of the car shows have less entries due to the recent hurricanes.