"Engraved once a year." That's how the City of Oldsmar describes the Veterans Wall at Veterans Memorial Park. The Veterans Advisory Board selects the names, and each year's new names are read aloud at the Veterans Day ceremony on November 11.
This year the ceremony falls on the park's 20th anniversary. The city says the park was officially dedicated on November 11, 2006, "in honor of all veterans of the armed services." Three days later, the 4th Annual Oldsmar Rod Run Car Show takes over R.E. Olds Park, and every dollar it raises goes to Oldsmar Cares.
Each event is built around the people who live inside city limits. The wall takes only names with a documented tie to Oldsmar. The holiday meals that Rod Run money helps fund are for Oldsmar residents only.
The week at a glance
- Wednesday, November 11, 11 a.m. to noon. The Veterans Day Celebration at Veterans Memorial Park, 250 Shore Drive East, with a roll call of names newly inscribed on the Memorial Wall.
- Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Oldsmar Rod Run Car Show at R.E. Olds Park, 107 Shore Drive West. Spectators get in free.
- Every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Upper Tampa Bay Chamber's Saturday Market in the east lot of City Hall, 101 State Street East, with vendors, food trucks and yard-sale space.
- Monday, November 30, 7 to 8 p.m. The city's Tree Lighting Ceremony at City Hall, 100 State Street West.
Both parks sit on Shore Drive, but on opposite sides of the address line. Veterans Memorial Park is on Shore Drive East and R.E. Olds Park is on Shore Drive West, so check the side before you set out.
How a name reaches the wall
The roll call on November 11 lasts only a few minutes. The process behind it starts months earlier and follows rules Oldsmar City Council approved on February 5, 2013.
The city's Veterans Wall Engraving Application Form lists four groups who are eligible:
- Honorably discharged U.S. or Canadian veterans who currently live in Oldsmar
- Children of a parent currently living in Oldsmar who died on active duty
- Veterans who are city employees with at least 10 years of city service
- Honorably discharged U.S. or Canadian veterans who formerly lived in Oldsmar, with proof of prior residence
For current residents, the form spells out what "residency" means: physically living within Oldsmar's jurisdictional limits for at least one year before applying. An application needs a copy of the veteran's discharge paper. You can upload it online or make another arrangement with the City Clerk. A paper version in the Veterans Advisory Board's September 2026 agenda packet sends the form to the City Clerk at 100 State Street West. The online form lists the Clerk's phone number as 813-749-1115.
This year's deadline was September 10 at 5 p.m., so the application window for the November 11 roll call has closed. The city's park page describes the usual deadline as early September. If someone in your family qualifies, the next cycle's form is the one to watch next summer. The park page also offers commemorative bricks at $100 each. Those are a separate program from the wall engraving.
The city's listing for last year's ceremony followed the same format: November 11, 11 a.m. to noon at Veterans Memorial Park, with a roll call of the newest names engraved on the wall. The park itself is set up for staying a while afterward. The city's facility listing includes monuments, a gazebo, a kayak launch, trails, picnic shelters, outdoor exercise equipment and a bocce court.
Saturday's show runs on the same idea
The Rod Run is built the same way as the wall, with local people supporting local people. The Upper Tampa Bay Chamber's listing describes "a Rod Run through Oldsmar" along with the show itself, plus trophies, a 50/50 drawing, door prizes, food, entertainment and vendors. The same listing says all proceeds benefit Oldsmar Cares.
The registration fee spells out the connection. Entering a car costs $20, or $15 if you bring a canned good. For spectators, the show is free. When the city listed the 2024 show, it described classic, exotic and late-model cars and trucks, food trucks, vendors and music, with free admission.
You can help without owning a hot rod. The Chamber listing asks for event sponsors, vendor booths and day-of volunteers. It also welcomes donated gift baskets and gift cards for the raffle. Sign-ups go through the Oldsmar Cares Rod Run page.
Where the money lands
Oldsmar Cares calls itself "100% volunteer-run." It says donations go directly to people in need, and it puts a price on what each gift covers.
| Gift | What Oldsmar Cares says it covers |
|---|---|
| $25 | One bag of groceries for a family |
| $50 | A holiday dinner for a family |
By that measure, the $5 off for bringing a can is a small amount. The $20 entry fee from a single show car comes close to a full bag of groceries.
Each Oldsmar Cares program has its own boundary. The food pantry serves the 34677, 34695, 33635 and 34684 ZIP codes. Households may visit once a month, and the amount of food depends on household size. The pantry stocks nonperishables, meats, bakery items and fresh produce. The clothing closet covers the same four ZIP codes and allows two visits a month.
The holiday programs serve a smaller area. Oldsmar Cares lists boxed Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter meals as "open to Oldsmar residents only." Each box includes meat for the main course plus the sides and fixings for a traditional holiday dinner. A Children's Christmas program provides presents for children in need in the community. Weekend Food 4 Kids sends food home on Fridays with students at Oldsmar and Forest Lakes elementary schools. Rent and utility help is limited to Oldsmar's 34677 ZIP code, at up to $200 per household per calendar year.
The timing matters. The Rod Run is November 14, and Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year. Money and food collected at R.E. Olds Park arrive less than two weeks before Thanksgiving, the first of the three holidays on the Oldsmar Cares meal-box list.
Giving after the show
If you can't make the show, you can still donate. Oldsmar Cares takes unopened nonperishable food and clothing at its building at 149 State Road 580 West. Its giving page also lists City Hall, the Oldsmar Public Library, Cypress Forest Recreation Center and a fire station as food drop-off points. Money can be given online or mailed to Oldsmar Cares, P.O. Box 981, Oldsmar, FL 34677. Volunteers can help in the pantry and other areas. The organization asks people to stop in during open hours and fill out an application.
City Hall is the place to drop off a bag of cans on the way to something else. The Saturday Market sets up in its east lot every Saturday morning, and the Tree Lighting on November 30 is at City Hall too. You can bring a donation to the market one Saturday and to the tree lighting on the last Monday of the month.
If November has you thinking about a move or about settling a family home, Conci, REALTORS® can take care of the details, from estate-sale coordination to closing, so you can stay focused on the people involved. Schedule your complimentary concierge consultation whenever the timing feels right.
