Hot rodders to help Santa deliver toys

Santa is teaming up with the Las Vegas Cruisin' Association Saturday to distribute toys collected during the club's month-long annual drive to benefit needy Las Vegas Valley children and families.

The "Christmas Toy Run" starts from Mystic Lodge Casino, 920 S. Boulder Highway, where club members and volunteers will meet at 11 a.m. to load up their classic vehicles for the Santa-led, 1-mile parade to Robert Taylor Elementary School, 144 Westminster Way, in Henderson.

"Christmas is for kids," said Frank Sluzynski, who is a mechanic at Stop Shop automotive repair, whose owner, Mike Brown, is one of the original founders of the toy drive. "These kids don't have a lot this year and it's just an honor for us to do this for them, their families and the community."

More than 780 children have been invited to the school at 11:30 a.m. for hot dogs, chips, soda and Christmas cookies while they wait for Santa to hand out toys.

"Last year we fed about 900 people," Sluzynski said. "If you're there and you're hungry, you're going to get a hot lunch."

Brown said the toys have been collected for the last month from gathering points throughout the valley.

"We've had participation from all over the county, including local bars as well as valley hot rodders," said Brown, whose sons, Bobby and Patrick, are professional chefs and will oversee lunch. "We started this about 28 years ago and it's grown into an annual drive with the help of the Las Vegas Cruisin' Association," Brown said.

For more information, contact the Las Vegas Cruisin' Association at 643-0000 or go to www.lasvegascarshows.com. Otherwise, bring unwrapped toys to the gathering location at Mystic Lodge Casino before 11 a.m. Saturday.

The Las Vegas Cruisin' Association is a nonprofit organization committed to celebrating classic cars in a safe, sane, sensible and responsible manner. The organization strives to bring back the memories and atmosphere of classic and historic vehicles.

Stop Shop is located at 6275 Harrison Drive in Henderson and can be reached at 739-8023.