Through the years, town has preserved its unique identity

By ERIKA HAYASAKI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Inside Wally's Drive-In on state Route 410 in Buckley, walls are plastered with classic posters of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and James Dean. A jukebox sits atop the black and white checkerboard-tiled floor waiting for someone to request a tune.

Outside, cars and pickup trucks pull in and order lunch through a row of intercoms that restaurant workers call "dingers." Waitresses, with their hair tied up in pony tails, scurry outside to deliver hamburgers, fish 'n' chips, chili-cheese fries and milk shakes.

Despite changes in owners and names, the popular drive-in has kept its '60s flare for more than three decades. Old-time Buckley residents remember it as Viz's, a teen hangout and family gathering spot. Younger residents claim it still is a hangout.

In this town of nearly 4,000, small businesses have survived the recent influx of commercialism and population growth in surrounding cities.

The drive-in has managed to preserve its unique identity -- like the town itself.

Main street is lined with shops like Chuck's Drug, Vicky's Hair House and Klips by Kim. The restored buildings capture the town's old-fashioned ambience.

People here walk or drive to the post office to pick up mail because they still don't have home delivery.

The town was founded in 1888, with a population of 600. One remnant of its past can be found near a park: a century-old "steam donkey," which laborers used to haul logs out of the woods.

And every summer the community gears up for its most anticipated events: the log show in June and the antique car show in August.

But like most traditional small Pierce County towns -- Bonney Lake, Orting, Carbonado, Wilkeson -- urbanization, commercialization and population growth threaten the close-knit community rooted in history and tradition.

City planners expect a whopping 25 percent population increase over the next two to three years. The development of more than 300 homes was recently approved in anticipation of the influx.

Dozens of tan, gray and cream-colored modern bilevel homes with two-car garages and spacious front yards are springing up.