Bob Davila had it 1937 Chevy 2 door sedan in the Worthington-West Franklin Farmer’s and Car Parade last night, showing off the 13 years of restoration it took to get the vehicle looking sharp.
by KP Intern Kyle Predmore
The rain held back for the annual Worthington-West Franklin Farmer’s and Car Parade last night.
Tim and Linda Mills from Worthington won the cash prize and was voted best car in the parade.
There were hundreds of families in attendance up and down the parade route in anticipation of the 51 farm tractors and dozens of nice looking cars rolling through the town.
One of the many cars in the parade was a 1937 Chevy 2 door sedan, driven and restored by Kittanning resident Bob Davila.
“It took 13 years to restore it. I’ve probably had it almost 25 years,” Davila said as he was explaining the history and work it took to bring the car back to life.
“This is the first parade this year for this car. It’s been out 4 or 5 time this summer so far.”
After bringing the same vehicle to the parade last year, he was invited back for this year’s event.
The official winner of the car parade went to Tim and Linda Mills with their 1949 F-100 pickup.
Dan Smith from Sarver drew inspiration from another parade and decided to make a tractor train for last night’s parade.
One of the more interesting rides was a tractor that resembled a train by having 17 blue drum barrels attached to it.
“I saw the same exact set up somewhere else, took a few pictures and decided to build one,” Dan Smith said.
Coming up from Sarver, Smith is also no stranger to this parade as it was his third time participating.
“It’s a great atmosphere and the kids sure love it,” Smith added.
Another participant was Joe Carven who came down from Chicora.
“It’s local for us, and we like to go to different tractor events,” Carven said.
The tractor he was on had a lot of history to it and was handed down from his father who inherited it from his father.
“My grandfather bought it new in 1949 and it’s been in the family ever since.”
When asked about the total work done, he talked about the restoration process and all the work he’s put it.
Joe Carven and his grandson Caleb rolled through the parade throwing candy for the kids who lined up and down Main Street.
“This is the first time I’ve been here. We just finished this tractor this spring, so this is the first time it’s been out.”
A lover of tractors and machinery, Carven is not new to restoring vehicles either.
“I’ve been involved with this kind of stuff all my life. We have restored a lot of stuff over the years. Cars included. Chevys, Corvettes, all kinds of stuff.”
The official winner for the tractor, truck and farm equipment portion of the parade went to Jim Oesterling from Kittanning.