Woodward Dream Cruise

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Woodward Dream Cruise
2007 Dream Cruise photo.jpg
A view of the 13th Annual Dream Cruise (2007) from atop a building located on Woodward Ave. near Maple Road (aka: 15 Mile Road) in Birmingham, MI
TypeEvent
DateThird Saturday in August
2022 dateAugust 20  (2022-08-20)
2023 dateAugust 19  (2023-08-19)
2024 dateAugust 17  (2024-08-17)
2025 dateAugust 16  (2025-08-16)
FrequencyAnnual

The Woodward Dream Cruise is an annual automotive enthusiast event held in the northern suburbs of Detroit. Held each year on the third Saturday in August, the Cruise runs along Woodward Avenue, a major thoroughfare in the region, from Ferndale to Pontiac.

Contents

Background

Starting in 1848, when the roadway was converted from logs to planks, young carriage drivers would race along Woodward Avenue. [1] Woodward Avenue was developed as a major street in Detroit in the early 20th century, and was lined with mansions and major churches.

By 1958, the roadway was used by youth for unofficial street racing. The wide width, median, and sections lacking a large commercial presence attracted drivers eager for the competition. The numerous drive-ins along the road, each with its dedicated local teenaged clientele, were also popular. In the age of the muscle car, Woodward had numerous car dealerships and automobile accessory shops. [2]

History

Berkley's Custom Police Cruiser, a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice complete with a 502-CID V8 and flames, donated by a group of residents for use in the Woodward Dream Cruise. Berkley Custom Cop Car.jpg
Berkley's Custom Police Cruiser, a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice complete with a 502-CID V8 and flames, donated by a group of residents for use in the Woodward Dream Cruise.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is the world's largest one-day automotive event, drawing about 1.5 million people and 40,000 cars, trucks, motorcycles, and supercars - both classic and modern - each year from around the globe. [3] Spectators can see muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles dating across several decades. [4] The majority of the cars on display are those that were available and popular during the 1950s, 60s and early 70s prior to the OPEC oil embargo. This had resulted in the federal government's Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations of 1975 and the proliferation, temporarily, of more fuel-efficient and less powerful automobiles. However, the Woodward Dream Cruise also welcomes vehicles of all models whose owners have either scrupulously maintained or customized their car to create a unique vehicle or statement.

Prior to the organizing of the Dream Cruise residents of the west side of Detroit and the western Detroit suburban communities had been cruising Woodward Avenue since the 1940s. The ad hoc cruising caused traffic jams on many summer evenings, automobile accidents and included many cruisers drinking and driving. With the organizing of the Dream Cruise most of these bad influences simply disappeared.

Pamela S. McCullough, Mayor, and Nelson House, a plumber from Ferndale, came up with the idea for the cruise in 1994 to help raise money for a children's soccer field in his community. [4] Organizers initially expected 30,000 or 40,000 people to come to the August 19, 1995, inaugural cruise on Woodward Avenue in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak and Birmingham. About 250,000 showed up. [4] It is now the largest single-day classic car event in the world, and brings in over $56 million annually to the Metro Detroit economy. [5]

Although the cruise officially takes place on only one day, each year the celebration starts early in the summer as the classic vehicles begin to appear on local streets. The sponsoring communities of Birmingham, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, and Pontiac collaborate on ancillary events. [5]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, event organizers cancelled the 2020 Woodward Dream Cruise. Despite the official Woodward Dream Cruise being cancelled, an unofficial Dream Cruise was held by Woodward-area residents. [6] The Oakland County Republican Party attempted to host a "MAGA Classic Car Cruise" in the absence of the Dream Cruise, causing controversy due to its political nature. [7] The Dream Cruise resumed in August 2021. [8]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferndale, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Ferndale is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Ferndale borders Detroit to the north, roughly 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,190.

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References

  1. ↑ Whitall, Susan (March 12, 2007). "Woodward Avenue: Michigan's Main Street". The Detroit News. ISSN   1055-2715. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  2. ↑ Genat, Robert (2010). Woodward Avenue: Cruising the Legendary Strip. North Branch, MN: CarTech Books. pp. 15, 41, 90, 124–5. ISBN   978-1-932494-91-4.
  3. ↑ Runyan, Robin (2018-08-16). "The Woodward Dream Cruise: Everything you need to know". Curbed Detroit. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  4. 1 2 3 "Woodward Dream Cruise History". woodwarddreamcruise.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  5. 1 2 "Woodward Dream Cruise FAQ". woodwarddreamcruise.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  6. ↑ Rubin, Neal. "Unofficial Dream Cruise looks, feels a lot like the real one". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  7. ↑ Kelly, Larry Spruill, Dane (2020-08-15). "'MAGA Classic Car Cruise' takes spot of cancelled Woodward Dream Cruise". WDIV. Retrieved 2021-06-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Saturday at the Woodward Dream Cruise". www.detroitnews.com. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
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