Are you ready for Meeker Days? Kimchi, vintage cars, and 9-hole putt-putt await
One of the biggest gatherings in Puyallup is coming back in full force with a competitive art show and vintage cars.
The Puyallup Main Street Association is hosting its annual Meeker Days Festival June 17-19 in downtown Puyallup near Pioneer Park. The free event will run from 12-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Attendees can expect to see over 300 vendors with many already participating in the farmers’ market, which runs from April 16 to Oct. 8. The festival is for those who like arts and crafts, candles, food and artisans, event planner Kelty Pierce said.
“We have a really good balance of folks who have been here … and a lot of new vendors this year, which is really cool,” Pierce said.
Some of the new vendors include Stone Soup Kitchen, Dewdrop’s Perch and Amanda Sarah Metals. Stone Soup Kitchen sells kimchi, Dewdrop’s Perch offers apparel and clothing, and Amanda Sarah Metals provides handcrafted metal work. A full list of vendors can be found on the PMSA’s website at bit.ly/3NFfs1l.
The vintage car show is new this year and will be run by Cruise Puyallup on Second Street Northeast. Another new addition to the festival is Art Battle, during which artists of all ages must create a masterpiece in under 20 minutes Sunday. The public will choose the winner.
Attendees can also expect to hear live music from musicians and bands such as Fables of the Fall and The Fentons. There will also be aerial acrobat performances and a kids’ zone, which will have a 9-hole putt-putt course and other games.
The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a small-scale festival occurred in 2021. The last normal year for the festival was 2019.
PMSA executive director Kerry Yanasak wrote via email: “The Meeker Days budget is $153,000 which is paid for by our budget, vendor booth fees and sponsorships.”
Event planner Stacy Ringer said they are expecting to see about 200,000 people or more this year.
“There’s something for everyone. You can come and buy a gift. You can come and have a drink. You can come and eat food that you would never eat before. And then you can get out and … kick off the summer,” Ringer said.
This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
