A festival revived
This was the scene at Cedar Street in Wallace on Saturday afternoon as the Depot Days Car Show began to wrap up — a large crowd was still hanging out at the Sixth and Cedar intersection as hundreds of classic cars lined the streets.
JOSH McDONALD
The 1955 Chevy Bel Air, owned by Dave Moore, was awarded Best of Show at the 2023 Depot Days Car Show.
A peek under the hood of a classic Oldsmobile 442.
WALLACE –– There was a noticeable buzz in the air on Saturday as thousands of people made their way through the downtown streets of Wallace for the 37th annual Depot Days.
The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and a light, warm breeze made for the perfect day to have a car show.
Depot Days is the annual fundraiser for the North Pacific Railroad Depot Museum. The museum’s board of directors always plan their event as if it’s the gateway to the summer tourist season – this year did not disappoint.
“In the 37-year history, this was one of the most well-attended shows, and of course that translates to greater support for our beloved Depot,” board member Cindy Lien said. “Sunny and warm weather brings out both cars and visitors, usually to capacity for our downtown area.”
This year 300 cars registered for the event, and it was estimated that 3,000 people made their way through the bustling downtown sections of Cedar, Sixth, and Seventh Streets.
The previous three Depot Days had left a lot to be desired in one form or fashion – in 2020, as COVID-19 spread across the globe, the show moved to a digital-only format in order to maintain its status as the longest-continuous-running car show in the Pacific Northwest.
This concept carried into 2021 as well.
In 2022 the live car show made a triumphant return to downtown Wallace – only for the day to be a cold and rainy event, however, the locals were thrilled to have the event in person once again.
This year, the general consensus among the masses was that Depot Days was back and better than ever.
With 2023’s event now in the rear-view mirror, organizers are excited for what they expect to be a great summer season in Wallace.
“Every year, the hope is that Depot Days is the kickoff to a great summer and tourism season for all of the businesses in Wallace,” board member Dick Caron previously said. “This year is no different.”
The addition of a parade, live music, and several different vendors ensured that there was something for everyone during the show, and in the end, several car owners walked away with some hardware.
This included Dave Moore, who won Best of Show for his beautiful 1955 Chevy Bel Air.
Mike Grebil was the grand prize winner for the Depot Days raffle and Danny Kenyon was second.
Depot Days began in 1986 dating back to the moving of the Railroad Depot in order to make way for I-90. After the Depot was moved many of the NP Depot Foundation Board members recognized the need for funding to maintain the Depot as a museum. Thus, the Depot Days Car Show was born and in that time it has become the longest-running car show in the Pacific Northwest.
“The countless volunteers, hard-working board members, generous sponsors, and participants that make this event the success it is today,” Lien said.
A full list of winners and awards from the 2023 Depot Days Car Show can be found at www.npdepot.org.
