The streets of Watson were bustling on Saturday with their Spring Into Watson event, a June staple that’s always well attended.
Residents welcomed the early pancake breakfast sponsored by the Watson and District Museum. The Museum was open all day; watch for an upcoming story on their Sports Hall of Fame display.
Antique tractors lined the street along with a great turnout of collectible autos. As with the other regional spring auto shows, there is something for everybody – bike enthusiasts, hot rod aficionados, and truck fans all had their favourites. Some vehicles even morphed between makes, like Dick and Brenda Fiddler’s 1968 Ford Fairline retrofitted as a Thunderbolt, the production race model with fewer than a hundred made.
“It was an old drag car, chopped up with no suspension, so I hauled it home,” explained Dick. “In 1989, I subframed it with a Camaro frame, and we raced it back in the 90s at SIR. We parked it for about 20 years, and now it’s the second time around.”
As the noon hour rolled around, the cooks of the Watson Fire Department and Emergency Response started raising the smoke with their burger barbecue. The line started down the street before noon and was still going strong two hours later.
Meanwhile, down at the Watson Arena, 76 vendors from area businesses, services and agencies gathered to meet with the steady stream of traffic at the always busy market.
“It’s been phenomenal,” said Faith Buhs, exhibition organizer and founder of her own business, Stressed Out Mamas. “When we opened at 11 am, we had a lineup outside of our door for our swag bags. We had a few vendors who showed up, so we threw them in.”
It’s all about bringing people to Watson for spring, said Buhs. Residents of the town mixed with neighbours from east, west, north and south of the Crossroads community for another great showcase of Watson’s friendliness and versatility.