With sunshine and fall temperatures hovering in the high teens, Thanksgiving Sunday was a great day for a vintage auto parade, and Westman on Wheels took full advantage of it.
Virden’s Kevin Williams organized a procession of about 25 vehicles through the community, after which they assembled in the lot beside the CP Station on Sixth Avenue for a bit of visiting and viewing.
“Our group just decided we wanted to do something,” he said. “We kind of got harassed by some other clubs, who said ‘Hey, it’s your turn’, so we decided, what the heck, let’s put something on. In all honesty, in less than seven days (notice) this is what we got for a turnout.”
The route took the group past Virden’s personal care homes and seniors’ residences.
“We have aunts, uncles, and relatives in the homes, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to go by and show a little appreciation for not only the people in the homes, but also the staff.”
Williams was pleased with the turnout, which included locals as well as visitors from surrounding communities including Souris, Boissevain and Brandon.
“It’s a great turnout,” he said. “It’s a beautiful day and the weather’s perfect for it. This is the result of having the right weather and the right number of car people that wanted to come out. I think everybody's just sick of being at home and it's one more excuse to get their toys out and go for a drive.”
Williams said the cruise came together on relatively short notice, and without much fanfare.
“We wanted to tiptoe around the COVID situation so that's why we didn't turn it into a full function. We were more interested in getting the public to stand on the side along the route. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing.”
As for the group itself, Williams noted that Westman on Wheels began a couple of years ago as a means of disseminating information.
“We used social media to our advantage and decided to start a Facebook page and use it to notify people of these events,” he said. “As it turns out, a lot of people pay attention to our group and partake in whatever events are on. We notify people where we’re going to a cruise, when we’re leaving and if anybody wants to go to meet at a certain time. It’s kind of where it all started.”
