Royal Oak ― A summer of cruisin’ reaches its zenith on the third Saturday of August with the 31st anniversary of the world’s biggest one-day car event: the Woodward Dream Cruise.
In contrast to the same-weekend Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance’s invitation-only car show in Monterey, California, that requires a ticket for entry, the Aug. 15 Dream Cruise is an epic celebration of the automobile open to anybody in anything.
“It is the ultimate diversity and inclusion event,” said Tom Zielinski, a Cruise regular and head of Z Performance in Holly. “You’ve got guys with stuff that’s been in their garage for so long, next to Ferrari guys, next to off-road pickup trucks. I just love that spirit about including everybody.”
As is tradition, the Cruise actually kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, on Nine Mile in Ferndale with a ribbon-cutting led by Michael Lary, Ferndale special events director and president of the Dream Cruise for 21 years.
At 5:30 p.m., the Ferndale Emergency Vehicle Show in Nine Mile rumbles to life ― rolling up Woodward to 11 Mile and back for the annual Lights & Sirens Cruise Parade. Look for an array of modern/classic police, fire, military and other EMS machinery.
Further up Woodward at 6:30 p.m., the city of Berkley gets into the act with its traditional CruiseFest Classic Car Parade on West 12 Mile between Coolidge and Greenfield Roads with cars entering Woodward at Roseland Cemetery. Showgoers can extend the festivities well into the night in both locations by enjoying live music, kids play zones, and official Woodward Dream Cruise merchandise tents.
Then on Saturday, it’s Katie bar the door.
Over a million people and some 40,000 classic cars will flood 16 miles and six lanes of Woodward from Nine Mile to the south to the Wide Track Drive loop in Pontiac to the north. Official Cruise times are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. with Oakland County’s finest directing cruisers off the avenue after sundown.
Early risers are welcome, of course, with fans setting up their lawn chairs, tents and picnics along the route at sun-up.
Cruise President Lary encourages spectators to enjoy the event and leave the road to the cruisers.
“We ask for the public to be mindful that, for this one day, try to avoid driving on Woodward,” he said in an interview. “Get your lawn chair, your blanket, enjoy the show. (The Cruise) is a celebration of all things automotive, and this is the time when we get to really see them on the road. The men and women who own these unique vehicles put in a lot of money, passion. This is their moment to shine.”
Tony Michaels, a long-time Dream Cruise strategic adviser, adds some rules of the road for those who can’t avoid Woodward or who want to ogle from the driver’s seat.
“The collector cars, the hot rods . . . they should be in the right two lanes going each way,” said Michaels. “All other vehicles should stay to the left. Enjoy the day out there, but it’s really about the collector cars, the hot rods. Give them their due, give them those right two lanes.”
Vehicles prohibited from traveling on the Cruise’s 16-mile stretch from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. on Aug. 15 include commercial vehicles, vehicles exceeding 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and vehicles towing trailers.
There are plenty of cool cars to see off the strip as well.
At its Mustang Alley, Bronco Corral and Ford Racing Experience exhibits on Nine Mile, Ford will reveal a new performance car. Its Ferndale display will be choked with goodies including the Woodward debut of Bronco Desert Rising, the first of a new line of Ford Custom Garage mod trims the brand calls the Horizon Series.
Other notables include the Bronco RTR, Ford Racing Bronco DR, 1941 Ford GP “Jeep,” Mustang Dark Horse SC, Mustang GTD, Mustang RTR and F-150 Super Duty Proud to Honor Edition pickup.
Memorial Park at 13 Mile and Woodward has the richest array of car clubs, including the Woodward Tri Five Cruisers. Like many Cruise clubs, it’s a class reunion of old friends.
Celebrating Chevrolet cars from 1955, 1956 and 1957, Tri Five Cruisers was founded in 2002 by Roger Posey and his wife, Amy. They have reserved 46 spaces for owners from Florida, New York, Canada ― even as far away as Australia.
“We’ve got the Babbages from Australia, and the Fosters ― who live about 100 miles north of Toronto ― who just bought a (Chevy) Nomad,” said Posey, 76. “(We start cruising) Tuesday night from a urology clinic parking lot across the street from 7:30 p.m. on. We do our picnic and then . . . sit and have a good evening together, watching all the activity.”
Other car clubs in the park, in lots and on Old Woodard in Birmingham include the 1996 Mystic Cobra Owners Association, Cosworth Vega Owners Association, Chrysler Crossfire Club, DeLorean Midwest Connection, Duesenberg Club of Auburn Indiana, Grand Rapids Street Racers, Jaquar Affiliates Group of Michigan, Michigan Vintage VW Club (MVVC), Motor City Camaro Club, Ohio Corvette Club Alliance, Red Cedar Antique & Auto Club, The American Road Thunderbird Club, and many more.
Corvettes on Woodward, which wows on Wednesday, Aug. 12, with its annual cruise down Detroit’s main street, will gather eight generations of America’s supercar at an 11 Mile and Woodward lot.
General Motors Co. sets up shop at the west-side triangle where Old Woodward meets Woodward with a display of its latest hellions. Across the street at 33202 Woodward, the parking lot of the legendary Pasteiner’s Auto Zone Hobbies store will be choked with eye candy.
The world’s greatest traffic jam eases a bit north of Big Beaver Road.
Behind Joe Muer Seafood at Long Lake and Woodward in Bloomfield Hills, the DMAN Foundation gives rides in convertible muscle cars to people with disabilities, including paraplegics. Companies will rent out lots for employees, too, such as Bank of America occupying Duggan’s Irish Pub in Royal Oak.
In Pontiac north of South Boulevard, M1 Concourse will host the Woodward Drift Festival. The private car club ― which also opens its gates for Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge on Saturday, Aug. 8 ― charges just $25 for two days of drifting by top drivers on its Champion Motor Speedway. A VM & Shift Society car is also on the menu along with vendors and live music.
Cruise around the Wide Track Drive loop in Pontiac and do it all again headed south. Adviser Michaels says there is plenty of parking to be found along the route. More detail can be found at the Woodward Dream Cruise Parking & Events Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/woodwarddreamcruiseparkingandevents/
“Huge, huge shout out to the police and all the communities,” said Michaels. “This is such a big event, and they deserve all the kudos.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: How to navigate the world’s biggest car event, the Woodward Dream Cruise
Reporting by Henry Payne, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Henry Payne, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
