Cars gather for Caboodle event
Planning is well underway for Whanganui’s annual Mainstreet Caboodle, the Saturday component of the popular Heritage Weekend, held over Anniversary Weekend in January 2020.
Running for more than 14 hours in the town centre, the Caboodle encompasses entertainment, food, fashion, a vintage market and veteran, vintage and classic cars, all in a vintage themed extravaganza.
This is the 10th Mainstreet Caboodle, incorporating a Decade Dinner to help celebrate.
“We’re looking at bigger, geographically,” says Mainstreet’s Kelly Scarrow. “We’re looking at taking over block 1, Taupo¯ Quay through to Ridgway St. The Decade Dinner will be based there, involving three of our members — Momiji, Stellar and La Quattro. We’ll be doing a three-course meal in Momiji’s forecourt.”
One of the highlights of Caboodle is the car display.
“People from around the country are organising club runs to coincide with the weekend,” says Bruce Ardell, Chairman of the Wanganui Vintage Car Club (VCC). The Wanganui VCC is expecting a lot of out-of-town people with their cars.
Their involvement in conjunction with the Caboodle started with the big international rally in Whanganui in 2012.
“That day we had 35,000 people at the racecourse for show day. Since then we thought it was a good idea to continue.” Bruce says it’s for the benefit of Whanganui and they have kept a similar format each year, keeping it simple to put together.
“It’s a great time to bring a lot of car club people to Whanganui. We’ve even got people from the South Island coming up so we’ve got a lot of clubs now doing something that brings them to Whanganui for the weekend, and it’s all organised for them. They join in all the functions from Friday to Sunday.” Bruce has been a member of the local VCC for more than 50 years.
Pena Hikuwai, chair of local Ma¯ ori Wardens, says Ma¯ ori Wardens have been involved with Caboodle from the start.
“We’re huge supporters, not only of the event, but working with Kelly and her team. It’s awesome. Our job is to assist, promote and help Whanganui in whatever capacity, making sure everyone has a safe event and goes home happy.”
Mainstreet has brought in two sponsors — More FM Whanganui, supporting the More FM Majestic Stage, and Bayleys Whanganui, supporting Bayleys Mainstage.