Corrections: The Courier-Herald misreported that Amy Boucher worked for the city of Tacoma; she worked for Metro Parks Tacoma’s Chip In Program, which is its own entity. Additionally, the city of Buckley does have economic and community programs, just not dedicated staff. The article has been updated.

Buckley’s downtown has been a little more lively as of late, thanks to the efforts of the Buckley Downtown Association.

Headed by Executive Director Amy Boucher, the Association is putting together a swath of events like local markets and car cruises right on the city’s main drag.

“Our mission is to make downtown a place community gathers, businesses thrive, all while preserving history and culture,” Boucher, who used to do much of the same for Metro Parks Tacoma’s Chip In Program as a a prior employee, said in a recent interview.

One of Buckley’s struggles, she continued, is that the city does not have dedicated staff for economic development or community development departments, so the Association formed act as one.

“We’re really hoping to really build a strong partnership with the city, to come alongside them with some of these efforts,” Boucher said.

The recent car cruises — which are held every third Saturday of the month through October from 6 to 9 p.m. — have been a big hit; Boucher said some businesses made as much as a month’s worth of revenue from just that one day.

Related to the cruises are the Meet Up On Main event, hosted every second Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. These get-togethers are geared toward car lovers, but the event is open to anyone.

Then there are the Hometown Markets. One goal of the market is to help local small vendors, crafters, and artists, but another is highlight and connect community members with service opportunities like food access, transportation, and youth-focused opportunities.

”This isn’t just another street fair,” Boucher said. “This is a market meeting community needs.”

Hometown Market is held every Thursday evening in July and August.

Finally, the Association, with the Buckley Chamber of Commerce, jointly hold Buckley Business Connections Meetings every second Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Le Sorelle Inn.

In addition to those events, Boucher is eager to get a few other programs off the ground in the near future.

One is the “Buckley Eats” program, which would establish a “to-go” food menu from participating businesses for locals or tourists on the move.

For more information about the Buckley Downtown Association and its events, or if you want to volunteer at the Association, head to buckleydowntown.com.