His, her downtown showdown

Peter Bradford of Arbuckle has won numerous car show awards over the years with his 1938 Ford convertible.

Now he has serious competition.

Bradford's wife, Jan, earned Assemblyman Jim Nielsen's pick at the Arbuckle Revitalization Committee's big car show and barbecue Sunday, which drew more than 1,000 people to the downtown.

The red 1962 Ford Thunderbird convertible was restored just in time to give the couple "his and her" awards to decorate their family room.

"I just got the car back from Oregon last week, and gave it a test drive around town on Friday," Jan Bradford said. "Then I drove it down here to the car show. That's my entire experience with this car. But it's going to be a lot of fun."

Bradford's car was among 286 cars on display at Arbuckle's big event.

The car show included plenty of vendor booths, oldies but goodies music, and a tri-tip barbecue served to about 800 people, show organizers said.

The seventh annual event raises money for downtown improvements, said Debbie Charter, president of the revitalization committee.

The committee plans eventually to rebuild and restore the old train depot as a museum, about 30 feet west of the tracks.

The commitee owns the building, but the land is owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

The old depot is one of very few left in Northern California among the hundreds that once dotted the landscape along railroad routes, sparking growth and industry.

Now officials hope it will spur new life downtown.

"Our ultimate goal is downtown revitalization," Charter said. "We would love to bring in new businesses. We're very limited here."

Arbuckle's car show was only down eight cars from last year, an indication that the slow economy didn't have a huge impact on car show enthusiasts and those that come to enjoy the day, organizers said.

It was the first show for Colusa woodcarver Jack Staple, 84, with his 1915 "Woodie."

"This was my dad's car," Staple said. "He wrecked it, so when I got it, it was in pieces."

Staple restored the old wagon, including the woodwork and running board, complete with a metal ice chest, pullout sink and water spigot.

"I've driven it all over," Staple said. "I like having a car 10 years older than me."

Contact Susan Meeker at 458-2121 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.