Glitz & Gears 2026: A Day of Cars, Community & Keeping Shelby's Light Shining
Updated: Aug 26
The 2nd Annual Glitz & Gears Car Show & Festival is officially in the books, and we are sitting here with full hearts, tired feet, and an enormous amount of gratitude.
This event does not happen because of one person. It happens because a whole lot of people say, “Yep, we’ll help.” So today, we want to say THANK YOU to the people who made this day possible.
First and foremost, thank you to The Church Covington. Without your generous donation of the location for this event, Glitz & Gears simply would not be here. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity and for giving us a place to bring our vision to life. And a very special thank you to Ms. Valerie, who spent the entire day with us. We appreciate you more than you know.
To our volunteers… YOU. ARE. THE. BEST.
Thank you for setting up, directing traffic, checking cars in, helping vendors, keeping the area clean, assisting at Snapping Shoals, answering a million questions, packing everything back up, and jumping in wherever you were needed.
There is no glamorous behind-the-scenes of an event like this. It is a whole lot of lifting, sweating, walking, problem-solving, and saying, “I’ve got it.” And you did. Every bit of it.
DJ Whittles, thank you for quickly becoming part of our team. Your positive nature, great energy, and ability to keep the groove going all day are absolutely top notch. You brought exactly the kind of energy we wanted for Glitz & Gears, and we are so glad you’re part of this crazy little family we’ve built.
Kale Waddleton, thank you for bringing a trained, independent eye to judging our cars. We appreciate you taking on the tough job of looking at some seriously beautiful rides and helping make the judging fair and independent.
CAR OWNERS
To every driver who brought a car: THANK YOU. From antiques to brand-new beauties, polished classics to bold rides, you brought an incredible collection of cars to Oxford. You could have spent your Saturday anywhere, and you chose to spend it supporting Shelby Shines On Foundation. That means more to us than we can put into a trophy.
And thank you for your feedback. We are listening, taking notes, and already thinking about how to make next year’s show even better.
TOUCH-A-TRUCK
To everyone who brought a Touch-a-Truck vehicle, thank you for giving kids, big kids, and the grown-ups who refuse to admit they’re big kids a chance to climb, explore, ask questions, and get up close with some seriously cool equipment.
A special thank you to Amy Marie Fulk at Peterbilt Atlanta for being our Point of Contact and helping bring the Touch-a-Truck experience together.
City of Covington, GA - Government, thank you for bringing out the claw truck! Let’s be honest, the kids weren’t the only ones fascinated by that thing. We heard more than one adult asking, “Okay, but how DOES that thing work?!”
And Snapping Shoals EMC, thank you for donating the bucket ride. That was one heck of a view!
We also know of at least two dogs who found their people thanks to
the Rockdale Animal Control truck being there. We consider that a pretty spectacular bonus.
The kids absolutely loved the Newton County Fire Department Smoke Trailer, and watching them explore the Covington Police Department patrol cars was pretty darn special too.
OUR SPONSORS
We cannot say thank you enough to the businesses and organizations that invested in Shelby Shines On Foundation and helped make Glitz & Gears possible.
A HUGE thank you to our Title Sponsor, Wild Willies Custom Accessories Inc. You didn’t just show up, you SHOWED OUT. Those swag bags were great, and you helped make the day extra special for our car show participants. We are incredibly grateful for your support.
And thank you to all of our local sponsors who continue to believe in what we’re doing:
Courtesy Family • CN ReVamped • Randy & Taylor at Outskirts Thread Co. • Covington’s Courtyard Collective • K & K Motorsports • Fieldstone Center • Joyous Roots • Snapping Shoals EMC • Newton Farm Bureau • Los Charros • Berry's Tree Farm • Jays Custom Auto Repair
When local businesses choose to support a local foundation, the impact stays right here in our community. We don’t take that for granted.
OUR VENDORS
To our vendors, thank you for showing up with your beautiful creations, amazing products, and very necessary yummy treats. You added so much life to the festival, and we are grateful you chose to spend your Saturday with us and support our foundation.
OUR OFFICIAL PAPARAZZI
And one more VERY important thank you… Lorin, our official Glitz & Gears paparazzi, deserves a HUGE shoutout!
She took OVER 2,000 pictures throughout the day, because apparently one camera roll simply wasn’t enough.
The photos we’re sharing here are just a tiny little peek at the day. There are MANY more to come later, so keep your eyes peeled!
AND FINALLY…
To everyone who came out.
Whether you came for the cars, the trucks, the food, the shopping, the bucket rides, the music, the dogs, the people, or simply because you wanted to be part of something that honors Shelby…
Thank you.
This was never meant to be just a car show.
It is about bringing people together.
It is about creating joy.
It is about giving back.
It is about making memories.
And it is about keeping Shelby’s light moving forward.
Glitz & Gears 2026, you were pretty damn special.
Until next year…
LOVE LOUDLY. LIVE BOLDLY.
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