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ROYAL OAK — The Woodward Dream Cruise is celebrating 30 years of showcasing classic and new cars.
The Dream Cruise will take place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 16 on a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue involving nine suburban communities.
Lee Collick, operations manager for the Department of Public Services for the city of Royal Oak and a Cruise Committee member, said that he will be overseeing all the barricading of Woodward, rubbish collection and more.
“The biggest thing we are excited about is this is our 30th year. So, I think everybody, all of the communities that are involved, are all looking forward to the 30th year and celebrating that,” Collick said.
The Woodward Dream Cruise includes vendors, food and more during the duration of the event. Collick said that the majority of the vendors and food options will be the same from previous years.
The Dream Cruise also includes the Performance Park Classic Car Show, which is open from noon to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Park at 13 Mile and Woodward. It is hosted by the Michigan Hot Rod Association.
Collick said that in light of the historic milestone, the Woodward Dream Cruise Committee decided to make the logo look vintage.
“We wanted kind of a fun, vintage throwback color for everything. It’s like a neon green — to me it will seem very 90-ish,” he said.
Royal Oak resident Ted Page has been going to the Dream Cruise nearly every year since it began. Page has lived in the Woodward-Coolidge corridor for his whole life.
“I think I have only missed one of all the years. It’s something you live with and either love it or hate it, but I choose to enjoy it,” Page said. “I enjoy it more when there are people coming from out of town who want to take it on.”
Page said that the way the cruise brings people together and provides classic car lovers a chance to show off their babies is the reason why it has lasted for 30 years, and continues to be a staple in the metro Detroit area.
“You see people my age playing like kids with their fixed-up cars. I really enjoy the atmosphere and the excitement that the people have, and enjoy watching the cars. I’m not one of the people who goes out to Woodward and sits in a lawn chair, but I do enjoy seeing the cars, and seeing the people so enamored with their vehicles and how well they take care of them,” Page said. “They look forward to this event all year long, so they can bring their cars out and show them off.”
The Dream Cruise brings nearly a million visitors a year, according to the Woodward Dream Cruise website, woodwarddreamcruise.com.
Because of the large attendance, Chief Michael Moore, of the Royal Oak Police Department, said it’s important to know the rules and stay vigilant during and after the event.
“For us, the No. 1 thing is, it’s an alcohol-free event. We have zero tolerance for any alcohol consumption at the event. So that goes, obviously, for anybody that’s driving in the cruise, but spectators as well,” Moore said. “Another thing is we are on the lookout for dangerous driving. We want people to enjoy the cruise, but we want to encourage people to drive in a safe manner. So, we are going to be out enforcing any dangerous driving that we do observe.”
Moore continued to say that people need to be aware of the increase in traffic and pedestrians near the roadways during the duration of the cruise.
He also wanted to remind spectators that the median of Woodward is for law enforcement only; no spectators are allowed to sit on the median during the weekend.
The Woodward Dream Cruise is a free event to both cruise and watch. Those who are not driving a classic car are being asked to stay out of the two right lanes nearest to the curb.
For more information visit woodwarddreamcruise.com.
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