John Carter will be participating in his first Mustang Alley, and he hopes to bring his 1985 Mustang GT hatchback, which has spent almost 30 years in his garage.
By: Mike Koury | Woodward Talk | Published August 5, 2025
FERNDALE — Three decades ago, Nelson House organized a fundraiser in order to build a soccer field in Ferndale.
The idea for the fundraiser was a car show that celebrated vehicles from the 1950s and ’60s that maybe a couple of thousand people would attend.
Instead, 250,000 people participated in the first Woodward Dream Cruise.
Ferndale now is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Dream Cruise. The city will be hosting a variety of events Friday, Aug. 15, and Saturday, Aug. 16 — the day of the cruise — near both sides of Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue.
“It’s proven in 30 years that the dream that (House) thought of and created, and he empowered more people to participate … was because of a dream of a soccer field that still exists and kids still use it every season,” said Event Director Michael Lary. “A lot of things that people start years ago kind of fade and drift away or they moved on or redeveloped, but it’s great to see that kids are still using that soccer field and people still believe that there’s a value to having the Dream Cruise every year; otherwise, it would fade away itself.”
From its small beginnings with the goal to build a soccer field in Martin Road Park to now an event with a 16-mile route, Lary said the cruise has continued going on strong.
“It’s certainly kept its momentum as being one of the largest car cruising events in the world,” he said. “That’s something that not just anyone gets to talk about or brag about.”
On Aug. 15, the Ferndale Emergency Vehicle Show will be from 1 to 7 p.m. on East Nine Mile; the ribbon cutting ceremony will be at 5 p.m. on East Nine Mile; and the Curry Motorsports Formula 1, Pit Crew Challenge and classic Lincoln and muscle cars will be available from noon to 8 p.m. on West Nine Mile. The Lights & Sirens Cruise Parade also will take place starting at 5:30 p.m. from East Nine Mile and Woodward, traveling to 11 Mile and back to Nine Mile.
The day of the Dream Cruise, Aug. 16, Mustang Alley will be along East Nine Mile and the Bronco Corral will be along West Nine Mile. Both will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Bronco Corral is new to Ferndale’s Dream Cruise celebrations this year, as Ford Motor Co., which sponsors the cruise each year, wanted to make Ferndale “Ford Country” for the event, according to Lary.
The corral will hold up to 100 Broncos, while Mustang Alley will have more than 600 Mustangs from throughout its decades of existence.
John Carter, of Dearborn, owns two Mustangs, a 1985 Mustang GT hatchback and 1992 Mustang LX convertible, one of which will be in his first Mustang Alley.
Carter hopes to bring his GT, which was the first vehicle he bought after college.
“It’s the first new Mustang I ever owned, and it’s the last year of the carbureted Mustangs,” he said. “Mine was built in the last month of a production year. I still have it. So it’s a one-owner car.”
Carter has been to almost every Dream Cruise but never participated in Mustang Alley.
The reason Carter wanted to bring his ’85 Mustang to the Alley was because it hasn’t been running in 30 years, coincidentally the length of the Dream Cruise itself.
“I kept saying once I get it running, I want to take it there,” he said. “And every year I go there and I meet other people that have cars like mine, and I tell them about mine, and I enjoy seeing theirs there. And I keep saying I want to get my car here.”
Carter has spent years repairing his GT, from replacing old rubber, belts and spark plugs to brakes and the fuel tank.
Just recently, he was able to drive the ’85 for the first time in 30 years, and as long as he is able to work out a few more kinks, Carter will bring it to the cruise.
“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “It’ll be exciting to be participating instead of telling everybody about the car I have at home that nobody has ever seen.”
Along with the car shows, there will be live music, a kids zone, a food court and merchandise vendors on-site.
For more information on the event, visit ferndaledreamcruise.com.