On Saturday, October 5, 2024, a convoy of military vehicles will pass through our area as they travel from East Grand Forks and travel on their route down to the Gulf of Mexico, during the month of October, traveling 2500 miles. The convoy will be making a stop in Watkins for lunch. Arriving at approximately 11:30 a.m., the convoy will be available for viewing at the St. Anthony Catholic Church parking lot for about 90 minutes, while the group is fed a lunch furnished by the Wat-Kim Valley VFW Post 5468. All are welcome to view the vehicles while the group has their lunch stop. For those interested in having lunch during the visit, hamburgers will be available, served by the Post members, with a free-will offering suggested, to cover expenses.
The convoy has been dubbed “The longest 4th of July Parade in the Country”. The visiting group are members of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, a non-profit organization established in 1976 and has over 3000 members. The visiting convoy is expected to be 30-50 historic military vehicles, re-tracing the vehicle portion of the original 1915 Historic Jefferson Highway journey. The vehicles are all privately owned, and are from WWI through recently retired vehicles. Anyone with questions should contact Chuck Unterberger (320-249-7360 ) Article by Rita Hennen (hennenrc@gmail.com).
