Hot rods a shared passion Cape Girardeau couple

Owning classic hot rods has been an important part of Mark Watson's life for many years.

People in Cape Girardeau may remember Watson as the owner of Pagliai's Pizza for nearly a quarter of a century. He sold a 1967 Corvette to get the down payment to buy the restaurant. And when he needed a break from the long hours and stress of operating the business, he turned to his hobby of classic cars to escape.

Today, instead of baking pizza, Watson provides counseling to recovering substance abusers at the Gibson Recovery Center. But his passion remains hot rods, which help him pass the time and his wife Judy make a living.

The Watsons are members of the River City Rodders Ltd., a classic car club that will host the 32nd annual River Tales Classic Car Show on Sept. 20 in downtown Cape Girardeau. Old Town Cape is a co-sponsor of the event.

Watson's first hot rod was a 1927 T Bucket Roadster -- a modified Ford Model T. Today, his pride and joy is a 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster which he has named "Sea Deuce." The name is a play on the term "deuce" (a 1932 Ford) and the seductive beauty of the black and chrome show car.

Judy Watson's 1948 Chevrolet Panel Truck Deluxe Model is one of only 300 made in that model year. (Kit Doyle)

"I always dreamed of owning a '32 Highboy, and three years ago my dream finally came through," Watson said. Fellow Rodders member Ron Keller, a farmer who builds hot rods, took Watson's concept and built the car at his shop near Gordonville.

"The parts came from all over the country," Watson said of building the Hi-Boy. A few were stock parts, others were custom made for his design. The Ford engine was replaced with a 383-cubic-inch Chevrolet motor, and a custom-made "Sea Deuce" emblem replaced the Ford hood emblem.

His Judy Watson, also has a 383 Chevy motor in her rod, a 1948 Chevy panel truck.

"It's not a show truck," she said. "It's a hard-workin' old truck."

Judy estimates she has put more than 300,000 miles on the truck since 2001, when she started driving it for her business, Freelance Design USA. She travels to horse shows from coast to coast selling equine-themed art, some of which she creates herself.

Regulars on the horse show circuit have come to know Judy Watson as much for her hot rod as for her art.

"I can't hide from anybody," she jokes. "It's made me a lot of friends."

Judy said that although her love of classic cars has grown during her 42-year marriage to Mark, she has been interested in them since she was a youngster, when "the guys in my family always had old cars."

Although Judy and her truck will be at a horse show in Texas during the River Tales car show, visitors to the event can see Mark's 1932 Hi-Boy, which will be among the more than 200 entries the Rodders are expecting.

Show chairman Danny Essner said the Rodders expect a big turnout for the show if the weather cooperates. Admission to the show is free, Essner said, to make it affordable for families to come to the event. "We want to start a new generation of car enthusiasts," Essner said.

On Sept. 19, the day before the show, the Rodders will host a welcome event at Capaha Park that includes free hot dogs, drinks and oldies music. A poker run will take entrants to points of interest in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Proceeds from the River Tales Classic Car Show will be used to buy bicycles for the Cape Girardeau Jaycee Toybox program.