Cars, motorcycles, and a decades-old fire engine lined the grounds of Gaston College's Lincoln Campus in Lincolnton on Saturday as the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #85 held its first annual car and motorcycle show fundraiser. Running from 10 am to 4 pm, the event drew families with a bounce house, food trucks, live music, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle, all in support of the local police lodge.
The event was organized by FOP Lodge #85, according to a Denver Fire Department Facebook post announcing the fundraiser, with the lodge teaming up with community partners to bring the show together. Entry for cars and motorcycles cost $20, and the event was open to the public, with attendees able to enter by scanning a QR code. The lodge, chartered on March 25, 2004, operates as a non-profit fraternal organization representing police officers and sheriff's deputies across Lincolnton and Lincoln County, according to the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police.
Among the vehicles on display was Antique Engine 11, described as a piece of fire service history and shown by the Denver Fire Department. The department serves as Station 1 within Lincoln County's emergency services network, covering the county's northeastern district from its headquarters on NC-16 Business, per the County of Lincoln, NC. Founded in 1957 as a volunteer department whose early members reportedly paid for fire truck fuel out of their own pockets, the department has since grown to protect more than $1.8 billion in local property value across a main station and two substations, according to LetServe, which noted the expansion tracked residential growth along Lake Norman.
A Venue Built for Community Gatherings
The fundraiser took place at Gaston College's Lincoln Campus, located at 511 S. Aspen St. in Lincolnton. The campus functions as a central educational and civic hub, offering workforce training, a small business center, and community event facilities, according to Gaston College. The site has also hosted small business summits and Boy Scouts of America advancement days in recent years, reflecting its regular use as a gathering place beyond standard classes.
Live music came courtesy of Gunsmoke & Grace, the duo of Phillip Franklin and Anna Grace King, who released a self-titled original Western-themed duet just before the show, according to a Facebook post shared by an attendee. The pair have described the track as a Western narrative piece, adding a regional flavor to the day's entertainment lineup alongside the food trucks, silent auction, and awards for show participants.
Raffle Rules and a Pattern of Local Fundraising
The event's 50/50 raffle operated under North Carolina statutes that allow tax-exempt fraternal and non-profit organizations to hold up to four raffles per year, including 50/50 drawings with local cash prize caps reaching as high as $125,000, according to rafflr. Those rules give qualified non-profits like FOP Lodge #85 an exemption from general gambling prohibitions as long as they meet the state's prize guidelines.
This was not the lodge's first foray into community fundraising. FOP Lodge #85 previously partnered with the Lincoln County Coalition Against Child Abuse for a benefit concert in March 2022, according to Lake Norman Publications. Lincoln County law enforcement agencies, whose officers and deputies make up the lodge, routinely take part in regional public safety outreach and charitable programs aimed at building community trust, the outlet reported.
Part of a Countywide Emergency Services Network
Denver Fire Department's appearance at the show also underscored its place within Lincoln County's broader emergency response system, which relies on 11 distinct fire departments ranging from Denver as Station 1 to the City of Lincolnton Fire Department as Station 9. The county coordinates mutual aid and specialized emergency response teams across all 11 stations, according to the County of Lincoln, NC. Open questions remain about the fundraiser's specific financial goals, how proceeds will be allocated within the lodge's programs, and official attendance figures, none of which had been publicly detailed as of Saturday's event.
