About Cruise Puyallup

What is your first memory of cruising?

First memory of cruising is my sister, Anita, teaching me how to drive a Ford Falcon. Then it expanded to cruising the loop of downtown Puyallup with friends and family.

How was the idea of Cruise Puyallup developed?

Dana Wilcox who runs Cruise Enumclaw was running events prior to covid and after attending an event up in Enumclaw I started the Cruise Puyallup Facebook page, and the rest is history.

What was the first date of a Cruise

Cruise Puyallup had their first cruise on July 10th of 2020. The Facebook page had a few thousand members by this point and everything was coordinated on there in terms of time and place. It ended up being a huge hit and we then worked with the city to get these events permitted and managed accordingly. They have only grown from there.

The first cruise had at least 800 attendees as it was Covid times and it allowed people to get out of their houses, support downtown local business by ordering food to-go while at the same time safety socially distancing and cruising the loop with family.

How many cars attended the cruise this year? All nice days

Easily thousands of attendees this 2024 season. We have heard people coming from all the way from up in Bellingham to all the way down near Ocean Shores. We were lucky and even our last cruise in October was beautiful weather.

Why did you start Cruise Puyallup?

Cruise Puyallup was started to first bring our family together and allow all generations to experience the amazing experience of coming together and simply cruising around in cars of all shapes and sizes. Secondly, we wanted to help support our local downtown and the town as a whole. Our family is made up of many generations of Puyallup residents, so the Puyallup pride runs deep.

What are some of the good things that Cruise Puyallup has done in the community?

We have supported many local charities and continue to challenge ourselves to expand our reach further each season. We work closely with the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Association, Washington State Fair & the City of Puyallup to ensure we are helping as much as we are able. We are mostly self-funded, and we happily cover the cost of these events because we have seen how it has positively impacted our community.

What is in the future for Cruise Puyallup?

First and foremost, we wish to continue Cruise Puyallup in honor of those who are no longer with us to pay tribute to their legacy. To those cruisers who came before and those that will come after us. We want to continue to support our local town and local business to ensure their success. Having the ability to expand beyond just cruises and car show to make a greater impact.