Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: The Pima Fire Fest & Classic Car Show was a hit Saturday in Pima.
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – The Pima Fire Department kicked off its fundraising event campaign season for a new fire station with a boom Saturday with its inaugural Pima Fire Fest & Classic Car Show.
Pima firefighter Ramon Quintana and Drew Harris of 19 Double X Studios helped organize the event that took place at the Pima High School.
“We’re throwing this little shindig here to help raise money for a new fire department (station),” Quintana said. “We’re on our 85th year this year, so that’s what we’re trying to do – just get some new modifications like Safford or Thatcher and have an up-to-date fire station and medical facility that we’re able to go and respond to the town properly.”
Pima Fire responds to calls throughout the town of Pima and more into Graham County as well as assisting Thatcher or Safford if needed. Pima EMS is a vital asset in Graham County, and there are plenty of times when there is only one ambulance running for the whole county and Pima EMS is there in support.
As part of all he did for the event, Harris also had a bit of a surprise by snagging an exotic car he saw at a different car show in Tucson. When he saw the cherry red 2008 Ferrari F430 Spider convertible he knew he wanted it for the Pima event.
“I just thought about all the kids around here – you know, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see an exotic car. I just thought it would be cool to try and invite him out here and he came through and he showed up,” Harris said.
The Ferrari owner, Ned Dale, said he likes to drive his car fast and allowed some of the children in attendance to sit behind the wheel and see what it felt like to start up the beast.
While far from a traditional “Classic Car Show” the Pima Fire Fest featured a wide range of entries in various categories and needed a multitude of awards. Enter Gypsy Souls Designs, which fabricated and powder-coated the many awards.
Gypsy Souls Designs, like most of the prizes, donated the material and their time to make the awards for the event. Austin Mitchell, a barber at 19 Double X Studios, also donated all the proceeds from haircuts he was giving to the cause.
Along with the car show, there were games and vendors, some of the best food available in the Gila Valley through the Kainoa’s and Isabella’s food trucks and more, and a Rockford Fosgate audio system contest that featured an eclectic group of entries, including a converted school bus into the “Cool Bus” by UTV Werks.
The bus features 18 rock lights in the ceiling, 17 captain chairs and a 10-person couch in the back, six 12-inch subwoofers, six amplifiers, and five batteries.”
“So, it’s pretty impressive what it can do,” said owner Dan Quinn.
The Pima Fire Department also put on a demonstration during the event and showed how to cut open a car, remove its top, and pry it open with the pneumatic tools. The firefighters utilize the tools and training to help extricate people from crashes.
The next fundraiser will be the return of the Big Splash Bash at the Pima Pool on Saturday, Aug. 13, from 5 – 9 p.m.
The Gila Herald will update this with a list of winners when it is provided.
