By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
Yukon’s Main Street program is calling on local “help causes” interested in benefiting from an annual downtown car cruise.
Yukon’s Best Main Street and the Yukon 66 Main Street Association have established the third Thursday in September as the recurring date for the “Cruise-In for a Cause.”
So, the third annual cruise will be Thursday, Sept. 16 in downtown Yukon. All varieties of street-legal vehicles – from classics to customs to late-models – will cruise and park along Yukon’s stretch of Route 66. A “Park & Show” area will be along the Fourth and Fifth Street blocks of Main Street.
“The Cruise Team is accepting proposals from local non-profit help causes now through April 9,” Yukon Main Street Director Vicki Davis said. “The four selected causes for this year’s event will be announced during the April 16th Yukon Community Coffee at our Main Street office, 334 Elm.”
Cause proposals are available by email request – mainstreet@yukonok.gov
To be eligible, the cause must be a 501c3 organization.
“All local non-profits may submit proposals,” Davis added. “Priority consideration will be given to organizations that are help causes in downtown Yukon.”
The four causes selected for the 2020 cruise were: Yukon Sharing, Compassionate Hands, Manna Pantry, and Pets & People.
Each cause had an advocacy booth during the event, encouraging cruise-goers to donate cash and needed items for their “product drive” while promoting services they provide Yukon.
Last year’s event collectively raised $1,858 to support the four Yukon non-profits. This included $1,289 collected at the booths, $154 from two “donation stations” and $415 in contributions from 50% of each “Park & Show” entry.
“The generous support of sponsors allowed the Yukon 66 Main Street Association to contribute an additional $1,000 to the causes, bringing the total closer to $3,000,” event coordinator Judy Austin said.
Manna Pantry collected 92 pounds of peanut butter and jelly plus four packages of snacks. Yukon Sharing collected 157 pounds of soup. Compassionate Hands collected 681 rolls of toilet paper. Pets & People collected 200 pounds of kibble plus 42 cans of dog and cat food.
ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE
2020 marked the second year that Yukon Sharing, Compassionate Hands and Manna Pantry participated. These three non-profit agencies also benefited from Yukon’s first Cruise-In for a Cause in September 2019.
Pets & People Humane Society, a new participant in 2020, was buoyed by a large surprise gift from a local motorcycle club.
“I’d love to see more organizations and businesses use the night of the cruise as a great way to contribute to a cause they support,” Davis said.
After last year’s cruise, Yukon’s Main Street director talked about the strong turnout and great weather.
“The event gave us a sense of community – whether people got out of their vehicles and strolled some of the areas or just slowly drove along the route,” Davis said. “It really provided that ‘connectivity’ that we were looking for throughout the downtown district.”
Compassionate Hands’ Director Joanne Riley described Yukon’s Cruise-In for a Cause as an “excellent outreach” and a “fun event.”
For more information about the event, visit http://www.yukonok.gov or call the Yukon Main Street office at (405) 350-5999.
Yukon’s Best Main Street and the Yukon 66 Main Street Association are planning several other upcoming projects, including:
- Plans for a network of six more “Creative Crosswalks” to promote the walkability of the downtown business district. Supporters are encouraged to give to a beautification fund used to pay for the artwork installation. Yukon T-shirts showcasing the artwork are available at several downtown shops and online at yukon66mainstreet.com
- An “adopt-a-bench” program to provide seating in the Main Street district. Organizations and businesses will be invited to adopt benches that will be placed downtown.
- An annual “Style on 66” women’s spring fashion show and brunch set Saturday, May 15. Tickets go on sale April 15 at participating shops and online.
- A downtown Yukon clean-up and planting day on Saturday, May 8.
Read more about these Yukon’s Best Main Street projects in an upcoming edition of The Yukon Progress.
