Nearly 20 years after Longmont banned cruising on Main Street, the City Council on Tuesday officially embraced the tradition, proclaiming July 25 as Longmont Cruise Night.
The proclamation recognizes cruising as a tradition dating back to the 1930s and signals the city’s intent to support the event as a sanctioned community celebration. The moment drew such a large crowd that council chambers were filled to capacity, prompting the city to open an overflow room for attendees.
Councilmember Crystal Prieto, who spearheaded the effort to recognize Cruise Night and repeal the city’s cruising ban, said restoring the tradition became a recurring topic while she campaigned for city council last year.
The proclamation also comes almost exactly 20 years after “No Cruising” signs were installed around Longmont following the city’s 2006 ordinance prohibiting drivers from passing the same traffic control point more than three times in the same direction within three hours.
Members of several local car clubs attended Tuesday’s meeting, including Suavé Car Club, 303 Outlawz, the ColoRODans and the Niwot Chiefs Cool Car Club.
Johnny Chavez, president of 303 Outlawz, attended alongside members Ron Inskeep, Taylor Gorczynski and David Salaman, who said he was excited to see the city formally recognize a tradition that has long brought families together. Victor Lazaro and Jose Carrillo represented Suavé Car Club, which has helped organize the annual unofficial Cruise Night in recent years.
Craig Doolittle, founder and president of the Niwot Chiefs Cool Car Club, said his club has been around since 2012 and brought about 20 members to Tuesday’s meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the clubs, Inskeep told council members that they were eager to continue working with the city to ensure Cruise Night remains a safe, family-friendly tradition.
“We’ve cruised Longmont. We’ve lived here for many, many years,” Inskeep said. “This has been something that we’ve all grown up doing, and we want to pass that on to new generations.”
The proclamation itself does not repeal Longmontap nearly 20-year-old anti-cruising ordinance. Lifting the ban would require separate council action, an effort Prieto said she plans to pursue in the future by bringing forward legislation to formally repeal the ordinance.
Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring ended the proclamation with a nod to the eventap tongue-in-cheek history, declaring, “Longmont will definitely be cruising.”
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