Harper Charity Cruise will kick into gear Aug. 31

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Shine up that chrome and start those engines: the 28th annual Shorewood Kiwanis Club of St. Clair Shores Harper Charity Cruise is driving into town from 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 31.

During the evening, hot rods, muscle cars and vintage vehicles will decorate Harper Avenue from Old Eight Mile Road to Bayside Street near 11 Mile Road. There is no entry fee to cruise your classic car, and despite construction work on Harper, the cruise is still on.

The charity cruise, always held on the last Wednesday in August, is a St. Clair Shores staple with cruisers, car aficionados and spectators who never tire of the souped-up automobiles. Horns will honk, engines will roar and fuzzy dice will hang from rearview mirrors.

It’s estimated that at least 40,000 people attend the annual cruise. At the wheel this year is chairperson Rosanne Minne and co-chair Mike Denewith, both of the Shorewood Kiwanis Club.

“It’s a very exciting, fun family event and the last hurrah of the summer before the kids go back to school,” Minne said.

The cruise is run by volunteers, and sponsorship donations from local businesses help give the cruise a smooth ride. Every dollar generated after expenses is donated back to the community. Money raised from the event, including official T-shirt sales, will benefit the following three charities this year: Kids On The Go, Ribbons of Hope and Turning Point. Volunteers also walk the avenue soliciting monetary donations.

Kids On The Go, found online at www.kidsonthegocamp.com, is a pediatric nonprofit program designed to provide children ages 3-17 years with special needs with physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapies both over the summer months and during the school year.

Ribbons Of Hope, whose website is www.ribbonshope.org, designs “comfort items,” such as apparel, jewelry and gifts, for those touched by cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and autism.

Turning Point, found online at turningpointmacomb.org, is an emergency shelter that provides temporary housing for survivors and their children who are fleeing from domestic violence or sexual assault.

In past years, the Shorewood Kiwanis has helped other causes, as well. In 2019, the nonprofit organization donated $16,000 to the St. Clair Shores Fire Department for the purchase of a Lucas 3 chest compression system. Another recent event was “Christmas in August” in which Shorewood members took 48 local children back-to-school shopping at the Meijer in Roseville.

On cruise night, plenty of action will take place in the Kroger parking lot at Harper Avenue and Nine Mile Road. That’s where Roy O’Brien will set up a “hot spot” with food trucks and live music from Smoke & Ash. Car buffs, too, can check out a display of classic and new vehicles.

“We look forward to an evening full of family fun for everyone,” said Amy O’Brien-Kravitz, sales manager for Roy O’Brien. “It’s exciting when our city gets to entertain thousands of people in one evening. Best of all, it’s for charity.”

While COVID-19 put the brakes on an official charity cruise in 2020, that didn’t stop the hardcore car buffs from bringing out their prized possessions for an unofficial cruise. O’Brien-Kravitz remembered that when cruisers began showing up, Kiwanis volunteers went out to the event to garner donations from the crowd.

“People still came out and cruised. People donated their change,” O’Brien-Kravitz said. “That’s how loved this event is.”

For more information on the Shorewood Kiwanis of St. Clair Shores Harper Charity Cruise, visit the Harper Cruise Facebook page.