Branch County car show and swap meet returns with new cruise route

COLDWATER, MI — Favorable weather is expected for the Branch County Swap Meet and Car Show, returning to the Branch County Fairgrounds on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9.

The Branch County Fair Board revived the annual Mother’s Day weekend tradition after the original organizers stepped down last year.

Last year’s event attracted over 800 vehicles and 2,000 spectators.

Organizers anticipate even higher attendance this year, with many vendors already registered for the swap meet—one of the region’s first opportunities to showcase classic cars and motorcycles, both restored and in progress.

Spectator admission is $5 per person; children under 12 enter free.

Last year’s event did not include the traditional car cruise because it was organized in just 60 days and permitting was not possible.

Fair Manager Alyssa Blonde announced that the cruise will feature a new, shorter route, approved by the Coldwater City Council, to improve traffic management.

Participants will travel north on Jefferson, west on U.S. 12, south on S. Clay Street, east on Park Street, and return to the fairgrounds.

Vehicles will assemble at the fairgrounds at 3 p.m. and depart at 3:30 p.m.

Schedule:

Friday, May 8:

Advertisement

• Swap & Craft Meet: 8 a.m.–6 p.m.

Saturday, May 9:

• Swap, Craft, Car & Bike Show: 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

• Blessing of the Bikes: noon

• Muffler Rap: 12:30 p.m.

Swap meet vendors will sell and trade automotive parts and related items on the west side of the fairgrounds.

Arts and crafts booths will be located in buildings and throughout the grounds.

Food booths and trucks will line the road.

Vehicle registration is available online only and is non-refundable.

The event will take place rain or shine, with sunny skies and temperatures around 65 degrees expected on Saturday.

The Branch County Fairgrounds are located at 262 S. Sprague St., Coldwater.

For more information, contact organizers at 517-278-5367, email branchcountyfair@gmail.com, or visitwww.branchfair.com.

Organizers encourage early online registration for participants and highlight that vendor spaces for the swap meet and crafts are still available.

The event is a major community attraction that celebrates automotive history while supporting local vendors and the fairgrounds.

Subscribe:Support local news. Subscribe to the Coldwater Reporter

Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter:Branch County, Mi car show and swap meet returns

bySator Tenet

in

May 05, 2026

Branch County car show and swap meet returns with new cruise route

COLDWATER, MI — Favorable weather is expected for the Branch County Swap Meet and Car Show, returning to the Branch County Fairgrounds ...

Read More

Natalie Portman Inspired “Stranger Things”’ Gabriella Pizzolo to Get a Psychology Degree (Exclusive)

Gabriella Pizzolo said Natalie Portman inspired her to pursue a psychology degree alongside music, calling it a “smart” alternative to studying drama

NEED TO KNOW

• The Stranger Things actress balanced filming with college life on campus, saying the experience helped her grow and meet people outside the industry

• Pizzolo also said she still keeps in touch with her former costars, especially Gaten Matarazzo

Stranger Thingsstar Gabriella Pizzolo revealed thatNatalie Portmaninspired her to pursue a psychology degree.

Pizzolo, 23, who played fan-favorite Suzie Bingham on the Netflix sci-fi series, recently caught up exclusively with PEOPLE at the Broadway premiere ofBeachesin New York City on April 22. During the conversation, the actress shared that she holds two college degrees.

“I have a degree in psychology and music,” she said, before sharing that Portman, 44, was the reason she chose to major in psychology.

“I remember I was looking for what to study, and I saw Natalie Portman studied psychology, and not necessarily anything in the world of drama,” Pizzolo said.

“And I was like, ‘That's actually really smart.' It's an alternative to drama and theater, but you still learn a lot about people and how they interact through that,” she explained.

Portmanattended Harvard Universityfrom 1999 to 2003 while working on severalStar Warsfilms in her off-time.

Pizzolo went on to say that she also continued her work as an actress while attending school.

“I was filming all the time at night and then going to school during the day. And I think the best part of that is that I didn't do it from home or anything. I was on campus,” she said.

Pizzolo said that campus life helped open her up to people and experiences that she never would have encountered had she just stuck to acting.

Advertisement

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I kind of got to get to know new people that I would've never known, and they kind of got to share all of that stuff with me while I was going out and doing those things,” she said.

“I feel like it's a very Suzie track to go to school, and be in school while everyone else is out saving the world, doing their things, demogorgons, all that,” she added, referring to her brainy character onStranger Things.

As for what she plans to do next?

“I feel like theater is where I am, and film and acting,” Pizzolo said. “But I feel like psychology helps a lot of actors.”

Pizzolo also told PEOPLE that she still keeps in touch with many of her formerStranger Thingscostars since the series ended — something which she says has “been great.”

“I have gotten to see the people from the show, and it's been great to get to reunite and go over everything after [the show ended], and be people together who aren't on the same show anymore, but still have that connection,” she explained.

She added that she andGaten Matarazzo, who played her on-screen love interest Dustin on the series, “talk all the time.”

“He's doing a lot of theater now, so it's really, really exciting to get to see,” she said.

Read the original article onPeople

bySator Tenet

in

May 05, 2026

Natalie Portman Inspired “Stranger Things”’ Gabriella Pizzolo to Get a Psychology Degree (Exclusive)

Gabriella Pizzolo said Natalie Portman inspired her to pursue a psychology degree alongside music, calling it a “smart” alternative to ...

Read More

Jon Cryer Looks Back on Duckie’s Iconic “Pretty in Pink” Dance: ‘I Wanted to Make a Point’

Jon Cryer is remembering his iconic dance as Duckie in Pretty in Pink

NEED TO KNOW

• In a new interview, the actor said he "always felt like it was Duckie's moment to sort of prove how great he could be"

• He acknowledged, however, that some of his costars thought it was "cringe" at the time

AsPretty in Pinkcelebrates its 40th anniversary, Jon Cryer is looking back on one of the film's most unforgettable scenes — Duckie's now-legendary dance.

During an appearance onThe Viewon Friday, May 1, while he was promoting his role in the Off-Broadway revival ofThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cryer was reminded just how much time has passed since the beloved John Hughes film first hit theaters on Feb. 28, 1986.

When Cryer, 60, was reminded that the film turned 40 in February, he playfully pushed back, joking, “I don't know what you're talking about! We shot that about a month ago!”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE'sfree daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Cryer then touched on the moment that has stood the test of time — his character Duckie's energetic dance at the record store set to Otis Redding's “Try a Little Tenderness.” The scene has become one of the most iconic sequences in teen movie history, and one that fans, and the cast, still talk about decades later.

“[I] feel great about it now, obviously, and I felt good about it at the time,” Cryer said. “I wanted to make a point. I always felt like it was Duckie's moment to sort of prove how great he could be.”

At the time, however, not everyone saw it the same way.

Advertisement

“Whereas Andrew [McCarthy] at the time thought it was kind of cringe,” Cryer added, referencing his costar, who played Blane. “But that's who we were at the time.”

McCarthy, 63, spoke to PEOPLE ina recent interview, saying, "I remember watching John Cryer do that dance scene. And I remember watching him do the beginning of it. I was like, 'Wow, this is really embarrassing for him.' "

McCarthy continued: "And then I kept watching and I went, 'Wow, this is really great of him,' you know? So it was an interesting evolution — and I don't know if it was me, that I gave it up or whether he relaxed in the infinitesimal degree — but Jon always jumped right in."

Looking back, Cryer said age and a bit of hindsight have changed how they view those moments.

“And it's funny because as adults — we've talked and I went on his podcast and he made a documentary calledBrats, he did a great job on it,” Cryer shared of McCarthy. “And he's a wonderful travel writer by the way, if you've ever read any of his travel writing. But as adults, you just go, ‘Oh my God, we were such teenage idiots.' "

McCarthy's relationship with Cryer was the subject of headlines in the 1980s, withPretty in Pinkthe source of some reported clashes between the two, who played rivals in the film.The two ultimately mended their rift in 2012 while backstage at — of all places —The View.

Read the original article onPeople

bySator Tenet

in

May 04, 2026

Jon Cryer Looks Back on Duckie’s Iconic “Pretty in Pink” Dance: ‘I Wanted to Make a Point’

Jon Cryer is remembering his iconic dance as Duckie in Pretty in Pink NEED TO KNOW In a new interview, the actor s...

Read More