Where were the classic cars this September? For more than 40 years, a fall weekend meant hot rods parked along First Street in downtown Snohomish. In 2026 the street stayed open to traffic. The show didn't move or shrink. Nobody was left to run it, so it didn't happen.
From Fobes Hill, downtown Snohomish is where most of the season's traditions happen, and the rest of 2026 is still full. Most of the familiar events are going ahead. Underneath, though, the calendar is being reorganized, and one pattern runs through all of it. In 2026, a Snohomish tradition keeps going when an organization with staff, a standing mission or a city partnership takes it on. Events that depended on a small group of volunteers are being handed off, moved out of town or ended.
The car show that ran out of hands
The Snohomish Chamber of Commerce produced the fall classic car show until 2025. That year it passed the show to We Heart All, a nonprofit. The Snohomish County Tribune reported in July that Chamber director Krystal Dhondt pointed to rising costs for street closures and traffic control, along with a shrinking volunteer base, as the reasons the Chamber let it go.
We Heart All left after one year. According to the Tribune, founder and CEO Alli Sharp said the all-volunteer group decided to put its attention on its international programs for children in Uganda and Ethiopia. The show could still come back. Dhondt told the Tribune it might return downtown if an organization steps forward to take on the "significant planning, volunteer coordination, and operational responsibilities required to produce it."
Closing a downtown street takes money, permits, traffic control and a large crew on the day. A tradition can be well loved and still fail to cover those costs.
Where the cars went instead
Two car events now take place on Snohomish-area farms.
Stocker Farms hosted the Kla Ha Ya Days car show on July 19, 2026, and has offered to be its permanent home. The Tribune's report on the move explains why it works at the farm. Stocker Farms hosts weddings and corporate retreats, so it already has staff for big crowds and relies less on volunteers. Keith Stocker, the farm's president, told the paper:
"We host events. It's part of what we do. We're set up to do this successfully."
He also said the farm has "plenty of parking." That counts for a lot when a show was expected to draw between 150 and 300 participants and thousands of spectators.
The Chamber took a similar route. In 2025 it started Fields of Wheels at Craven Farm, a show of historic and modern four-by-four vehicles with local vendors, food trucks and an all-ages beer garden. The 2026 show ran on August 2. Dhondt said Fields of Wheels isn't meant to replace the downtown classic car display. She described it as the kind of event the Chamber now favors, one that is "financially sustainable, volunteer-supported, and beneficial to local businesses."
Kla Ha Ya Days is handing events back
The same kind of reshuffling is going on inside Kla Ha Ya Days, the group that took in several of the town's orphaned traditions.
The Tribune's August report says Kla Ha Ya Days is neither run nor directly funded by the city. About a dozen volunteers produced this year's core festival events, and the paper called that "arguably shorthanded." Organizer Bill Webster cited city data showing that 2024's Kla Ha Ya Days events brought 26,000 people downtown. That works out to roughly one volunteer for every two thousand visitors. The festival also gives back, donating all of its profits to local charities. Webster said that has added up to more than $100,000 since 2017.
Over the years the group adopted GroundFrog Day and the Easter Parade from the Snohomish Chamber, and the Zombie Walk from the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association. Now it is passing them on so it can focus on the summer festival. GroundFrog Day and the Zombie Walk are going to the Snohomish Community Food Bank. In August, the Easter Parade had no new host. Webster told the Tribune that without an adopter there would be no 2027 parade. The paper's Fall/Winter 2026 Downtown Historic Snohomish guide lists an "Easter Parade and Bonnet Contest, First St." on its 2027 calendar but doesn't name an organizer, so the parade's future is still open.
The festival is also changing leaders. Bill and Erin Webster are stepping back after four years and said they would use this last year to mentor whoever takes over. Board elections to pick the new leadership were scheduled for mid-October. Webster put a number on what it takes. A board seat can mean up to 100 hours over a year, and serving on an individual event committee takes about 25 to 50 hours.
Who is behind the rest of 2026
Each event left on this year's calendar has a host with more behind it than a few volunteers. Some have a business, some a school group, some a city partnership.
| Event | Date | Where | Who is behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zombie Walk | Thu., Oct. 29, from 3 p.m. | Carnegie Building, 105 Cedar Ave., then First Street | Snohomish Farmers Market and Snohomish Community Food Bank |
| First Street Trick or Treat | Sat., Oct. 31, 3 to 5 p.m. | First Street | Downtown businesses, with the City of Snohomish, Snohomish Police, Fire District 4 and Snohomish Lions Club |
| Holiday Open House | Fri., Nov. 6, 4 to 8 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 7, noon to 8 p.m. | Downtown shops | Historic Downtown Snohomish Association |
| Snohomish Tree Lighting | Sat., Nov. 28, 3 to 5 p.m. | Carnegie Building | HDSA and the City of Snohomish |
| Santa in the Shops | Weekends, Nov. 29 to Dec. 20, noon to 3 p.m. | Participating downtown shops | Downtown businesses |
| Winterfest | Dec. 11 to 13 | Throughout downtown | HDSA |
| Reindeer Games 5K and Kids Dash | Sun., Dec. 13 | Averill Field, 400 2nd St., and the Centennial Trail | Central Emerson PTA and HDSA |
The Zombie Walk is the first handoff to watch
The Zombie Walk is Thursday, October 29. It's the first event to run under its new arrangement, and its date ties it to another fixture. According to the Tribune's Fall/Winter 2026 Downtown Historic Snohomish guide, the walk falls on the last day of the Snohomish Farmers Market season, which runs Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. through October 29. Market vendors plan to light and decorate their booths for the occasion. The guide notes that the market has been running for 36 years.
The plan, per the guide:
- Gather at 3 p.m. at the Snohomish Carnegie, 105 Cedar Ave., for face painting, music, entertainment and local vendors.
- The costume contest starts at 4 p.m. in front of the Carnegie Building, with trophies in Children's, Adult, Pet and Group categories.
- After the awards, the walkers "lurch and shuffle" down the First Street sidewalks. Many First Street businesses offer discounts to anyone in costume.
Participants and spectators are asked to bring "rations for the survivors," meaning food donations for the Snohomish Community Food Bank. Cash donations are welcome too, toward a goal of $12,000. With the food bank presenting, the walk raises money for the organization that now helps produce it.
Two days later, First Street Trick or Treat shows how a downtown event can be supported. The Historic Downtown Snohomish Association's event page says the city is working with the Snohomish Police Department, Fire District 4 and the Snohomish Lions Club. Police will be at key intersections, some crosswalks will close temporarily, and Lions Club volunteers will be stationed along the route. Families are asked to walk westbound on the north side of First Street and eastbound on the south side. Over at St. John's Episcopal, 913 2nd St., music director Greg Fulton will play spooky music on the organ in the sanctuary from 3 to 5 p.m., and the church will be handing out candy.
Thomas Family Farm has added something new for 2026. Fun Park After Dark is family-friendly and has no scares, and it runs Friday and Saturday nights until 10 p.m. The farm describes it as more to do before, between or after its nighttime attractions.
The holiday season follows the same pattern
The holiday events are also continuing under hosts with a stable base. The Snohomish Tree Lighting is a free event organized by HDSA and the City of Snohomish. Santa arrives at the Carnegie at 3 p.m. on November 28, a live-music countdown and sing-along starts on the Carnegie Plaza at 4:45 p.m., and the tree lights at 5. The next day, Santa in the Shops begins. Downtown businesses host free visits every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. through December 20, and families bring their own cameras.
One holiday tradition came through the year with a new name. According to the same Tribune guide, the 5K formerly called Chase the Grinch is now the Snohomish Reindeer Games, set for Sunday, December 13. Runners start at 9 a.m., joggers and walkers at 9:15, and the Kids Dash is at 10:30. The course is a mostly flat out-and-back on the Centennial Trail, starting and finishing in a winter village at Averill Field. The Central Emerson PTA and the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association produce it together, and all proceeds support students at Emerson Elementary. Early packet pickup is Friday, December 12, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Quilting Mayhem, 1011 Second St.
The race falls on the last day of Winterfest, HDSA's three-day festival from December 11 to 13. Plans include gingerbread house decorating with Santa and Mrs. Claus, ice sculpting and the Holiday Wine Walk. The weekend opens Friday, December 11, with a 2 to 3 p.m. Gingerbread House Party at Top It Yogurt Shoppe. HDSA says ticket prices and registration links will be added as they become available and that the schedule may change, so check its page before you head down.
Every event on the calendar between now and December 20 has a city partner, a business, a PTA or a food bank behind it. The fall car show had none of those in 2026, and the Easter Parade still needs a host.
If your home has its own place in these traditions, like a porch on a parade route or a barn that once hosted a car show, and you'd like to talk about the stories your property holds, Tanya Mock would be glad to hear them over coffee on First Street. Let's Connect.
