Get ready, Canby: Here comes Cutsforth’s Cruise In
The 31st annual Cutsforth’s Cruise In is set for Saturday, Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wait Park in Canby. Organizers expect as many as a record 800 cars and thousands of spectators for the vintage car show.
From above, Frank Cutsforth is looking down and smiling.
The Cutsforths and their grandchildren a few years ago: From left, Frank holding Milo Cordill, Kathe holding Esme Cutsforth, Kellen Cutsforth sitting in the truck, Norah Cordill, Bellemy Cordill, Harper Cordill, Island Cutsforth, Macallan Cutsforth, Campbell Cutsforth and Lachlan Cutsforth (courtesy Cutsforth family)
Cutsforth, long-time proprietor of Canby’s Cutsforth’s Market and the man responsible for running the Cruise In, died in 2023 at age 80. The event has grown exponentially through the years, but when Frank passed, there were concerns it might go away.
Three of Frank’s five children are employees at Cutsforth’s, a family-owned business and local institution since its inception in 1928. Kelsey Cutsforth Cordill is CFO. Tanner Cutsforth is marketing manager. Joel Cutsforth runs the wine and natural foods departments.
from left, Tanner Cutsforth, Joel Cutsforth, Kelsey Cordill, Kathe Cutsforth, (Cutsforth’s store manager) Mike Dipari and Frank Cutsforth (courtesy Cutsforth family)
“I was encouraging them to keep it going, while knowing how big a job it is,” says Dwight Smith, the man in charge of parking from 2020-24. “Frank put in a lot of time throughout the year. It was real busy in the summer, working with vendors and planning.
“I was afraid that was going to take more time than the kids were willing to put into it. If they had said, ‘No, it’s just too much,’ I would have understood.”
The Cutsforths met shortly after Frank’s death to discuss the situation.
“It’s what you might call a ‘big beast,’ ” Cordill. “The emotions were mixed, knowing how much work it takes to stage the event. It felt daunting, to me at least.
“But it was unanimous that we wanted to continue with the Cruise-In in memory of our dad.”
The Cruise-In has become an annual tradition in the Canby community, tied into the exalted reputation of Cutsforth’s and the family name.
“It is an extension of Cutsforth’s Market,” Cordill says. “It is a promotional event, linked to our business.”
For the 2024 Cruise In — the 30th annual, a big deal — the Cutsforths dug in, got help from several sources and staged a great show. Weather issues kept the car count down to about 650, but it was by all accounts a success.
“It was much better than I thought,” says Smith, 78. “I have been pleasantly surprised with the job (the Cutsforths) have done since Frank passed. They have really picked up the ball.
“The Cruise-In is going to keep going, and it should. Kelsey has gotten right behind it. She said, ‘We are going to keep this going for Dad.’ Tanner is doing a great job, too. They are all taking it very seriously. I am real impressed, and happy to see that.”
Throughout his life, Frank Cutsforth was a bit of an exotic car buff. One of his favorites was a 1975 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible, which he purchased in 1994. The iconic Frank Cutsforth auto, however, was probably his 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible.
Frank Cutsforth displayed his 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible at the Cutsforth’s Cruise In road show through the years (courtesy Cutsforth family)
Four of Cutsforth’s friends were also gearheads. Wayne Austen, Gary Wright, Mike Tomlison and Roy Bentz formed a group they called the “Canby Cruisers.” Austen — who ran Austen’s Body Shop in Canby and taught in the auto body program at Clackamas Community College for years — had known Frank since they were young adults, playing slow-pitch softball against each other in the summers.
Canby Cruisers, circa 1998. left to right, Dan Sandburg, Wayne Austen, Craig Blackman, Mike Demitrakikes, Gary Wright and Roy Bentz (courtesy Connie Austen)
“We became good friends,” Austen says. “He was always a gentleman. He was a big part of Canby, loved the community and its people.”
Austen owned a 1932 Ford Roadster. The others had mean wheels, too, including a 1934 Ford Coupe.
“We were going to car shows pretty regularly around the area,” Austen says of the quartet.
In 1995, Cutsforth decided he wanted to put on a car show of his own.
“He just wanted to have a car show with old cars, hot rods and that kind of stuff, like you would see at a normal car show,” Austen says.
So the “Cruisers” helped Frank stage the first event. It was held in the Cutsforth’s Market parking lot.
An advertisement for the third Cruise In in 1997 (courtesy Connie Austen)
“We had a table set up and checked in 15 cars,” Austen recalls. “Half of them were our own cars.”
After the show, the “Cruisers” huddled with Frank.
“He wanted to know what it would take to really put on a car show,” Austen says. “We told him the most important thing is to get the word out in advance. To do that, you had to go to car shows and leave flyers in cars. The Cruisers and our wives were going to a lot of car shows in Oregon, so as we went throughout the state, we distributed thousands of flyers” advertising the second annual Cutsforth’s Cruise In, to be held in 1996.
The second year, “all of a sudden, we had 100 cars,” Austen says. “And the next year, more than 100. It just exploded. As Frank kept sponsoring it and we spread the word, it kept growing. Mike got out of it after a few years, but the three of us went all over the state through the years. That’s what got the whole thing going.”
By 2000, the event had outgrown the Cutsforth’s parking lot. Through arrangements with the city, including permits of several varieties, Frank moved the Cruise-In to Wait Park in central Canby, adjacent to the downtown area.
“We needed more parking space, but Frank’s goal in moving it downtown was to try to get the rest of the townspeople involved,” Austen says. Frank’s goal was to do something for the community, not just have a bunch of (car enthusiasts) in his parking lot. And he added things as we went along.”
A note from Frank Cutsforth to participants of the second Cutsforth’s Cruise In in 1996 (courtesy Connie Austen)
As the years rolled by, “It became his passion,” Cordill says. “That is what he focused on a lot toward the end of his life. It exemplified who he was, which was about community and relationships. He poured his heart and soul into it, and it was a lot of fun for him.”
“Frank was in 100 percent,” Austen says. “First couple of years, he counted on us to spearhead the thing. Once he had some shows under his belt, he had it down. After he saw the potential, he was all in.”
Cutsforth got critical help from Debbie Wright, Gary’s wife.
“A lot of the wives were involved, but Debbie was the organizer, the person who kept everybody on track, and she did it for so long,” Kelsey says. “Once Gary passed, she considered it a tribute to him to continue working on it. She became an integral part of running the Cruise-In.”
When the event moved to Wait Park, “Frank had a big sell job to do, to make sure business people around the park were happy,” Austen says. “He emphasized the idea that it was going to benefit them.”
Before the 2000 event, Austen, Gary Wright and Bentz visited the owner of a small eatery by the park.
“We went to talk to him as messengers from Frank,” Austen says, “and told him he needed to let his customers know that on Saturday, they wouldn’t be able to drive there unless they parked outside the area.”
But the “Cruisers” had a suggestion: “If you put together a ‘hot rod’ breakfast — two or three different items you don’t normally serve — and open at 6 or 7 a.m., I guarantee that you will have more people coming in to eat than ever. There will be thousands of people surrounding your building.”
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“We talked him into doing that, and when he opened his door, there was a line that wound halfway down the park,” Austen says. “He couldn’t believe it. That was the thing that Frank emphasized to business owners. If you would be a part of this, not opposed to it, you could make some money off it. He preached that. There were some who weren’t real happy about it, but the ones who would join in, they had banner selling days.”
For many years, Austen was in charge of parking cars at the event.
“The ‘Cruisers’ were basically the car parkers,” he says. “In recent years, we have had a crew of about 30 to help. Frank was heavily involved in organizing just about everything. We just did what we could to help him all the time. And there were a lot of others who helped in other areas, too.”
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In 2020, Covid hit, and distancing became an issue. It was assumed the Cruise-In would be cancelled, “but Frank wanted to do it, anyway.”
The event was moved to the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. Austen bowed out of a leadership role in parking cars, and Smith and Brad Baker took over.
“It was a whole lot easier to park cars there,” Austen says. “We didn’t have to park them all over town. It was ‘In one gate, and go find a spot.’ Dwight and Brad did the inside, and my guys stayed outside the fairgrounds bringing cars in.”
Rather than having people walk around the fairgrounds and forming crowds, the event was turned into a drive-through.
“People lined up in their cars single file in the parking lot and drove through to view the cars,” Austen says. “Everybody who came to see the show drove through. We lined them up and let them go. Our car count was huge. The only thing it (reduced) was the spectators.”
Smith knew Frank Cutsforth for more than four decades.
“He was a good friend of mine, just a stellar guy and a good Christian influence on everybody around him,” says Smith, 78 and retired from his last job as a truck driver for Safeway. “Frank was a giving person. I saw him give groceries (at Cutsforth’s) to people on credit. I’m sure a lot of times those (bills) were never collected.”
When Cutsforth’s Market was built, Frank included a conference room above the main floor.
“Canby didn’t have a nice meeting place,” Smith says. “They built that room for the city. It is open to the people of Canby for use in things like wedding receptions, annual prayer breakfasts, Rotary meetings.
“It shows their character. They aren’t in it just for the money; they are in it to help make Canby a great place to live. The Cutsforths are true friends of the city of Canby.”
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Cutsforth’s Cruise In is now the signature event of the “Big Weekend” in Canby, which includes a street dance on Friday night and potential visits for townspeople to Saturday Market and Swan Island Dahlias. The Cruise In is a free family event, with music provided by the Willamette Valley Big Band and a barbecue hosted by Canby Rotary Club.
“The barbecue is a vessel to help fund-raise for different organizations,” Kelsey says. “We don’t allow any other food vendors, unless they are a non-profit or for kids. We support a lot of the high school teams — volleyball, baseball, track and field.”
Cutsforth’s provides the supplies and the high school athletes work the booths. One might serve ice cream and pie, another root beer floats, a third coffee and donuts.
“We provide (the product) for them to sell, and they can keep the profits,” she says. “We put our labor and volunteering behind generating the money to pay for the event.”
Things changed dramatically with Frank’s death. Fortunately, his children had Debbie Wright to break them in as Cruise In organizers.
“Debbie stepped up to coach us last year,” Kelsey says. “Dad kept some notes, but Debbie was the organizer. She laid out a month-to-month itinerary of what needs to be done. She would come with meeting notes, an agenda for us and keep us on track. She innately knew what kind of things needed to be done.”
Alas, Debbie died on New Year’s Day, “so it’s another layer this year,” Kelsey says.
“We are learning what needs to be done and sharing the duties now,” she says. “Dad would go to each of the sponsors, probably two or three times a year. It’s about relationships. Tanner and Joel have done a lot of that. I have done more of the financials — making sure bills are paid. We have a gal helping us with registration. I keep an eye on it and manage the financial piece.
“All of us work together and play different parts. We are a pretty good team. It’s the way we do the store, too. We are having to fill the holes where we need it. We flex and fill where needed.”
Last year, there were about 85 trophies presented to car owners. About 70 of them came from sponsors, who have the option to choose their winner and present the trophy themselves if desired.
“If they choose to, they take the trophy with them and get to hand it to the winner and take pictures individually,” Kelsey says.
Other sponsors just want to support the event financially. Cutsforth’s has a judge — Jack Brito, owner of Dreamworks Collision — who chooses recipients on behalf of those sponsors.
“Jack has no parameters,” Kelsey says. “He looks for people putting work into their cars, but maybe aren’t spending the most money. He looks for really special cars, but they might not be what some judges would look at.”
Says Austen: “A lot of (car owners) get a trophy who wouldn’t get one, just because they don’t have a $200,000 paint job. They did it themselves, it’s a really nice rig, and somebody liked that rig.”
There are also 10 “best of the best” trophies distributed in era classifications, and a few memorial trophies, in the name of Frank Cutsforth, Gary and Debbie Wright and Lloyd Bentz.
Wayne Austen is the last of the original “Canby Cruisers,” though a few others were brought in and are still part of the group. The Cutsforths are appreciative that Wayne and wife Connie have been big contributors to the cause through the years.
Connie and Wayne Austen (courtesy Connie Austen)
“Connie has run our registration table for countless years, and Wayne runs the front gate with his team,” Kelsey says. “He is very reliable. He is happy to be a part of it, which we are thankful for.”
“Glad to do it for all those years,” Wayne says. “His kids are doing a great job of keeping it going. I am sure it was tough for them to take that over.”
Smith stepped back from his leadership role as lead car-parker after last year’s event. Tyson Hemrich will replace him.
“Dwight is a great communicator and has been awesome to work with,” Kelsey says. “Tyson shadowed him last year, so he should be ready to go this year.”
“I told Frank before he died that I wanted to just step back and enjoy the show,” Smith says. “I’ll stay involved, but I wanted to pass the baton. I worked through last year’s show. (Hemrich) is a sharp guy, enthusiastic, a good manager, good on detail. The transition will be smooth.”
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Cutsforth’s Cruise In has become a must-attend event for those in the Canby area.
“There are a lot of Canby cars in the show, though the majority come from outside of town,” Smith says. “A lot of locals turn out for it as spectators. It has blossomed to where there are a lot of people who don’t live in the area who are coming to see the show. It is getting bigger every year.
“I have had a lot of people say to me, ‘This is a much nicer show than I thought. This is a great location around the park.’ I have had lots of positive comments from car owners attending.”
In 2024, inclement weather caused some would-be participants to no-show.
“We had almost 350 cars preregistered, and 125 didn’t come,” Kelsey says. “The final count was around 650; otherwise, we would have been about 775. This year, we are on track for at least matching if not beating our preregistered number.”
The record high was 778 cars in 2023.
“We advertise that we have only 750 slots available, but we could push it up to the low 800s if necessary,” Tanner Cutsforth says. “If the weather is good, I think we will set a new record.”
