Main Street in the Early 1900s

The Apple Annual was held in downtown Watsonville from 1910 to 1913. For the first event in 1910, William H. Weeks, renowned Watsonville architect, designed a pavilion to house the show exhibits which was located on Second Street, now the site of the Fire Station. Included in the week-long festivities were box-making contests, band concerts, vaudeville attractions, speeches, and parades with horns, bells, and confetti. The first apple show was a huge success with some 30,000 people attending from all over the state and nation.

During the 1911 Apple Annual, 5,000 people from the county seat came over to the show on Santa Cruz Day, and almost every professional and business office in Santa Cruz was closed for the day. The contingent arrived on four special trains, 33 cars, and the road from Santa Cruz to Watsonville was one continuous line of automobiles.

The first actual automobile parade held in downtown Watsonville was during the 1912 show with 135 autos chugging down Main Street.

The 1914 Apple Annual was moved to San Francisco, and in 1916, due to WWI, the domestic crop was reduced and the Apple Annual was unfortunately discontinued.

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