Americarna fuelled town into a frenzy | Taranaki News | Local News in Taranaki

The streets of Stratford were left at a standstill last Thursday when the main drag was cordoned off to make way for Americarna.

Parked five-abreast down Broadway, over 150 specialised American vehicles lined the streets as part of the first stage of the Americarna celebrations, a journey down State Highway 3, with stops in Stratford and Hawera.

Nearly 5000 people packed the space between the roundabouts to comb the rows of cars and die-hard enthusiasts were caught admiring the American muscle from all angles, including lying on the ground.

Children from Stratford Primary and St Joseph's Schools were seen excitedly weaving between the vehicles, waving American flags. Local shop owners turned red, white and blue in honour of the occasion, many decorating their windows, dressing up and hosting special displays of Americarna specials.

The Stratford Lions Club were rushed off their feet selling American hotdogs as a fundraiser and rock'n' roll music could be heard pumping from the town's loudspeakers to set the mood for the event.

Stratford Business Association spokesperson, Raewyn Gordon, was thrilled with how well the event was received.

"It was fantastic to see the public and business community turn out in force in support for Americarna. The whole town really got in behind the event and the shops looked great with their decorations. Nothing this big has happened in a long time and it was a real boost for Stratford to have them stop here," she said.

The Americarna festival continued over the weekend with the cars moving north to New Plymouth.

Hundreds more cars joined the ranks of the convoy and events surrounding the festival were in full swing until Sunday.