Independence Festival, Cruisin’ 53 return to Center Line

CENTER LINE — Being a small city tucked in Warren, the third largest municipality in Michigan, means you have to show what sets you apart. Center Line’s Independence Festival and Cruisin’ 53 aim to do just that for the “heart of metro Detroit.”

“That’s where the name Center Line Independence Festival came from,” Center Line City Manager Dennis Champine said. “It was not because of the Fourth of July; it was independence separate from that of Warren.”

“We’re really happy to have it,” Center Line Mayor Bob Binson said. “We’re happy it draws so many people from all the surrounding areas. We’ve very excited to be doing this.”

Champine said that Center Line became a city 21 years prior to Warren becoming a city.

“They always had this community pride, and this want to be independent,” Champine said.

The Independence Festival runs from May 30 to June 1. The Cruisin’ 53 car cruise will run in conjunction with the festival on June 1. Champine said the event is one of the first of the season in Macomb County.

Festival Vice Chair Shawn Massaria said there will be nine food trucks at the event and over 20 craft vendors. She said both have increased from previous years.

Champine said there are more food trucks and vendors set to appear at this year’s festival. The festival is located in Memorial Park.

“We’ve made a lot of investment in the park itself to make sure it can handle such an event,” Champine said.

The carnival will be set up near the corner of Lawrence and Bernice avenues on property owned by Crest Ford, according to Champine. The carnival requires a wristband, which is $25 before midnight on May 29. After that, they’ll be $30 at the event.

Cruisin’ 53 will take place at a lot owned by Ed Rinke Chevrolet Buick GMC, due to the ongoing construction on 10 Mile Road. If you want to show off your vehicle, registration for the event is $30. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. with vehicles lining up by 11:30 a.m. for the parade down Van Dyke Avenue at noon. Awards will be announced at 4 p.m. Those who register will receive a free T-shirt. The Warren Community Foundation donates a portion of proceeds from registration to nonprofits and charities. The foundation is a nonprofit established under the umbrella of the Warren Center Line Chamber of Commerce, one of two area-specific subchambers of the Southeast Michigan Chamber of Commerce, according to the Cruisin’ 53 website.

Champine said to register early to make sure you get a spot.

There will be a space for kids at the event featuring bounce houses and, replacing the petting farm, a foam party. Entry is $10 for an all-day wristband. The zone will be open on all three days of the event.

On Saturday night the festival will feature a fireworks display at dusk. If there’s rain, it’ll get pushed to June 1.

There will be live music on each day of the festival. May 30 will feature Set N Stone, Larry Lee and the Back in the Day Band, and Sunset Blvd. The following day, the BlueSkye Band, Band Wagon, Bernadette Kathryn and the Lonely Days Band, and Family Tradition will perform. The final day will feature music from The Prolifics, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band called Island, and Magic Bus.

“We’ve got a lot of good bands coming,” Binson said.

A social district will be made along Van Dyke Avenue between Sandbaggers Bar & Grill and Te Roma, which are the only two bars in the city.

“You could have an adult beverage along Van Dyke between those two bars,” Champine said.

The Independence Festival has been around since 2016. Cruisin’ 53 was added to the event in 2019. In 2020, the festivities paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival started in the wake of former Center Line Mayor David Hanselman’s death, according to Champine.

“It was at that time he (Binson) and I began speaking about how we could expand the typical Tuesday night fireworks display we did every year for many years,” Champine said. “We came up with this idea of doing a three-day event.”

“We just felt there needed to be something that brought people to the community,” Champine said. “We’ve successfully been able to do that. We’ve averaged 35,000 a weekend for the three-day event, which isn’t too shabby for a small town.”

“I think this will be continuing for a long time, people really like it,” Binson said.

Free parking will be available at Mopar Parts on Liberal Street west of Lawrence Avenue and south of 11 Mile Road, and there is a free shuttle service that can take attendees from the parking lot to the festivities.

Binson offered some advice to those wishing to attend.

“I would recommend that everyone avoids 10 Mile Road as much as possible,” he said.

Those interested in showing off their ride at Cruisin ’53 have to register at cruisin53.com.

For more information about the festival, go to centerlinefestival.org.