A GIFT FOR MOM

"I did this just to give back to my community,” – Justin Juencke, Founder {

of spectators, Cruise Night also brings the community together to support the businesses on Miracle Mile, a necessity even more so following the on-and-off-again closures fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just wanted something to come back to the mile,” Justin says of his desire to kickstart Cruise Night in 2019. The born-and-raised Stockton boy was inspired by his parents’ stories of driving up and down Miracle Mile in high school, often in his mom’s 1964 Corvette. “That’s kind of where it started,” he explains. “I knew that Stockton had a lot of cars."

In addition to the history of the mile, it’s also the location that makes the midtown shopping and dining district the perfect spot for this, according to Justin. The older buildings hint to a simpler time when (now defunct) Costanza’s still served classic Italian dishes in the 80s and Justin was just a young kid growing up in Stockton. “It was more about the community and bringing people back to the mile,” he says of the vision for Cruise Night.

After returning to his hometown following a 14year hiatus in Southern California, Justin started eating out at La Palma often. It was with owners there that he first sparked conversations about a sanctioned cruise night. The ideas was to offer something fun and free for the community while also integrating Justin’s personal love of cars. There would be no awards and no stipulations on what types of cars could join and what couldn’t. With La Palma’s support— and eventually the support of other businesses along the mile, too—the first event kicked off in July 2019. Nearly three years later, on a typical night, Cruise Night sees 100-150 cars, plus motorcycles. “I’ve seen cars anywhere from a muscle car to a lowrider to an old stock original car,” Justin says. With summer dates, the weather is usually in the event’s favor, however occasional hot spells can drive down attendance.

Because the event runs from 6-8 PM, people can take advantage of the area’s two-hour parking. Some people cruise, some people park. “Young and old people get to come out and see cars they’ve never seen before,” Justin says.

If you choose to attend, plan ahead. Cruise night can get busy, and that means reservations and a little patience may be needed. While you browse cars or wait for a table at nearby Cocoro Bistro Sushi Bar, stop by the Cruise Night booth where Justin sells merchandise to help fund the event, and is always up to talk about cars, including his dream vehicle, a 1959 Chevy Impala, which he doesn’t own yet.

Proof of its success, Cruise Night—in its fourth season—has only gotten bigger each year. In 2022, there are six cruise nights on the calendar, which is the most Justin has planned so far. Always on the third Thursday of the month, mark your calendars for the kick-off on May 19. Other dates for the season are

June 16, July 21, August

18, September 15, and October 20. Justin says, “With cruise night, you see it all, and you always see something different.”