Outer SE Cruise-In signals the end of summer

hen the parking lot at SE 122nd Avenue and Division Street fills up with classic, show, and specialty vehicles, on a crisp Sunday afternoon – people come from miles around to check out this great, low-key car show …

Bill Dayton takes a look at Ken Krolikoski’s classic 1932 Packard.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Lots of folks come to the “End of Summer Cruise-in” in the parking lot of Bill Dayton’s Pizza Baron on SE 122nd Avenue at SE Division Street to gawk at the cool classics, hot rods, and other specialty vehicles. We like hearing the owners talk about their rides!

10th annual event
“It’s put on every year by the Chrysler RT Club,” says organizer Dr. David Lee. “The best part is looking to see what everybody has done with their cars. These people put a lot of the time, talent, and money into their cars.”

Lee tells us that this event, now in its tenth year, draws auto enthusiasts from as far away as Hillsboro and Longview, WA. “It’s all about nice cars and good pizza.”

Classic cars; classy owners
We find Pizza Baron owner Bill Dayton talking with Ken Krolikoski about his slick-looking 1932 Packard.

“There are probably about ten of these left,” comments Krolikoski. “I wanted to find a classic, open car. But, I found all the ‘good’ ones are taken. I finally paid the price. It wasn’t perfect. Because they’re scarce, you can expect to put in some work to bring it back [into showroom condition]. It’s got 44,000 miles on it.”

“How does it drive?” we ask.

“Like a 1932 car!” Krolikoski says.

The Aragons show off their 1935 Dodge.

The car’s paint job attracts us to a beautifully modified ’35 Dodge belonging to Anthony and Leona Aragon.

“It’s been chopped, and has late model suspension.” Anthony reports. “It’s got a 350 Chevy engine. The project has taken a couple of years.”

He tells us that the best part about this car is that it is very drivable. “It is fun to drive. We like it when people smile, wave, and give you a thumbs-up. We can cruise down the road in it. But no, we don’t go shopping with it – it’s never left unattended in a parking lot.”

Rows of cars, modern to classics, attract car buffs, and people who enjoy looking at cool cars.

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