Plans continued to move forward for the newly-named 2020 Wallowa Mountain Cruise, the June 12-13 car show to be held in Joseph. Organizers met Tuesday, March 10, at the Kokanee Inn for their fourth meeting.

The cruise, which will showcase a variety of hot rod, antique and classic vehicles, will be the first under the new Wallowa Mountain Cruise name. The event was previously called the Oregon Mountain Cruise. The “new” event was renamed after the previous organizers decided to retire.

“Everything remains the same — except there’s no silent auction,” said chairwoman Jude Graham, adding that the auction was shelved — possibly to be resurrected next year — because of the difficulty in attracting volunteers.

The primary issues identified at last week’s meeting were fundraising and a continued need for volunteers.

“The big things are we need sponsors and to get the word out,” Graham said.

Graham said the group is aiming at a fundraising goal of $10,000 to $12,000 in order to both cover the costs of this year’s event and have a little seed money for next year. May 1 is the deadline for sponsorships.

Graham said another major issue yet to be decided upon is who will provide the Friday-night dinner. She plans on putting that up for bid.

Deena McFetridge said that so far, 77 entries have registered to take part in the classic car event. A maximum of 200 entrants was agreed upon at an earlier meeting due to limits on space. McFetridge said last year there were 130 entrants.

So far, entries have been coming in from the Boise, Idaho-area and The Dalles, with a few from the coast and Tri-Cities, Wash. They’ve even gotten one from Texas and a possible one from Alaska. Locals have been sluggish about entering, though they usually wait until later dates.

“We’ll get people right up to the last minute,” Graham said.

The event will have a 1950s-1960s theme based on “Grease,” the movie. The band that is scheduled to play at the dance Friday, June 12, and during the day Saturday, June 13, The Senders, is an Idaho group that specializes in music from the theme era, Graham said.

The organizers plan to hold their next meeting at 5:30 p.m. April 7 at the Kokanee.

For more information, call Graham at 503-781-5545, email wallowamountaincruise@gmail.com, visit the website at wallowamountaincruise.com or the group’s Facebook page.