If it’s old, restored & wheeled, you might find it at the Winthrop Auto Show
By Don Nelson
The 38th annual Winthrop Auto Show, renowned for its display of vintage cars and trucks on Riverside Avenue, adds both motorized and non-motorized attractions this year that will give visitors a reason to use their personal ambulation beyond downtown.
The show on Saturday (Sept. 7) is free, so what was already a bargain offers even more this year with the addition of vintage motorcycles, tractors, travel trailers, bicycles and pedal cars.
The tractors will be at the Shafer Museum on Castle Avenue, the motorcycles will be at Riverside Printing on Riverside Avenue, travel trailers will be at Pine Near RV Park on Castle Avenue across from the Shafer, and the bicycles will be at Methow Cycle and Sport on Highway 20 at the western entrance to town.
Kristen Smith, marketing director for the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce, said the idea of expanding the show beyond cars and trucks had been kicking around for a while, but got a big boost when Anna Kominak, co-owner of Pine Near, decided to invite owners of vintage travel trailers the same weekend as the show. Kominak is expecting upwards of 50 trailers to be on display, Smith said.
After Kominak’s commitment, Smith said, show organizers including Don Carlson and Steve Mickens contacted Carl Miller at the Shafer, Jerome Thiel at Riverside Printing, and Joe Brown and Julie Muyllaert at Methow Cycle and Sport to see if they would host other wheeled antiques. All of them signed on, Smith said.
In addition, Smith said, a local collector of antique toy pedal cars will have several on display at a spot on Riverside Avenue.
Smith said that exhibitors come from all over the Northwest, but local residents are also encouraged to bring out their vintage wheels for display. At least 100 cars and trucks will be on display, Smith said.
Exhibitors like Winthrop because the town closes off Riverside Avenue for spectators and because they appreciate the Western town setting, Smith said.
The schedule includes a cruise-in at the Winthrop Barn from 5-7 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 6); and on Saturday a swap meet at the Winthrop Barn from 7 a.m.-2 p.m.; a parade line-up for antique cars from 8-9:30 a.m.; staging at the motorcycle, travel trailer, tractor and bicycle sites at 10 a.m.; the car show parade at 11 a.m., after which the cars will be parked on Riverside Avenue for viewing; and an awards presentation at 3 p.m.Trophies will be awarded in all categories including Best in Show and a People’s Choice Award.
Registration for owners of vintage wheels can be found on the Winthrop website at winthropwashington.com. Vintage motorcycles owners can contact Riverside Printing at 996-3816; antique bicycle owners can contact Methow Cycle and Sport at 996-3645; antique tractor owners can contact the Shafer Museum at 996-2712; and vintage travel trailer owners can contact Pine Near RV Park at 996-2391.
