Photo by Kaila Jones

The ninth annual Antique & Exotic Car & Boat Show hosted by the Wheels & Keels Foundation and held at the Moorings Yacht and Country Club is now a two-day, highly-anticipated event that draws visitors from the Treasure Coast and beyond.

While car-lovers and boat enthusiasts might debate over the benefits of wheels versus keels, all support the foundation’s goal of positively impacting the lives of residents through local organizations focused on the preservation and conservation of the Indian River Lagoon.

“What’s particularly exciting for us is that we’re pulling everybody from Vero Beach into this,” said Gordon Sulcer. “We’re an outside group of Moorings guys who care about cars and boats who want to give back.”

On Friday evening, more than 225 guests enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a live auction and a delicious dinner in the Governors Lounge, and learned more about the five nonprofit beneficiaries.

It’s no coincidence that event founder and foundation president, Gavin Ruotolo, an avid car collector and Moorings resident, honed in on the lagoon nearly 10 years ago when he first thought to host the fundraiser.

“The nonprofits that we support really appreciate what we do and are a very important part of the lagoon,” said Ruotolo, noting that three of the nonprofits involve youth, the lagoon’s future stewards.

Funds donated to the Youth SailingFoundation and Vero Beach Rowing enable disadvantaged youth to learn how to sail or row, while also teaching them discipline and the importance of that stewardship. The Navy SEAL Trident House is a place for SEALs and their families to recover from the ravages of war, and funds donated to The Arc provide wages for clients making oyster mats to help filter water in the lagoon. Lines in the Lagoon, a nonprofit youth fishing tournament founded by high school students several years ago to raise awareness about the lagoon, was added to the roster this year.

On Saturday, more than 100 cars and boats, glistening brightly from hours of loving care, took over the green near the clubhouse for gearheads to ooh and ahh over. And there were some real beauties. Everything from a 1940 Woody sporting a hand-carved canoe on top, to a banana-yellow 1955 Chevy Nomad, with a matching surfboard parked alongside an orange version of the same vehicle. A little further down the line, a 1950 Studebaker Commander looked almost more like a futuristic airplane than a car.

To tempt boat hands, the varied watercraft included such vessels as an antique wooden Chris-Craft, a ’41 Gentleman’s racer and a 30-foot Prowler.

Representatives of the lagoon-centric nonprofits were also on hand to pass out information.

Matthew Villafuerte, a 16-year-old Vero Beach High School student, said he had two reasons for supporting Wheels & Keels. A Lines in the Lagoon junior board member, Villafuerte is also the proud owner of a candy apple-red ’68 Pontiac Firebird.

“For people who were young when these cars came out it’s very nostalgic. I’ve just always loved old muscle cars,” said Villafuerte. As to his love of the lagoon, he added, “I’ve grown up on the lagoon and have seen it deteriorate over the years. I know just how bad it has gotten. I just want to help get the lagoon back to the way it was.”

For more information, visit wkvero.com.