Cruise night kicks off summer downtown

YAKIMA, Wash. — Summertime brings a night of cruising to Yakima Avenue this weekend.

The fifth annual Welcome Summer Open Cruising Event is set for Saturday from 6-10 p.m. downtown.

"Cruising events have become an important part of downtown Yakima's revival," said Randy Beehler, the city's community relations manager.

Until the mid-1990s, Cruisin' the Ave was a popular tradition in Yakima. But concerns over safety brought an end to the practice in 1994, when the Yakima City Council adopted an ordinance that made it illegal to cruise.

In 2005, a group of downtown business owners came up with the idea of holding family-friendly cruising events. The City Council approved the plan and has since permitted cruising on a limited basis a few nights each year.

A second cruising night will take place near the end of summer on Sept. 5.

"The special cruising nights have done what they were originally intended to do," Beehler said. "They've brought a lot of people downtown and have become events that the community looks forward to. They've preserved the best parts of a Yakima tradition. They've really been a great success."