Woodward Dream Criuse, Glory Days Revisited

Michigan's Woodward Avenue, also called Route M-1, boasts many popular attractions. Among the many tourist sites along Woodward are the Detroit Zoo, the historic Fox Theater, and the Detroit Institute of arts. It also has the distinction of containing the first mile of road, in the entire world, to be paved with concrete. But the numerous historic sites and areas of interest along this by-way, pale in comparison to what has become a worldwide phenomenon. In 14 short years, the Woodward Dream Cruise has grown to be the largest single day automotive event in the world. On August 16, 2008, one million visitors, and about forty thousand classic cars and hot rods, descended upon a sixteen mile stretch of this legendary thoroughfare. Early reports state that this year's cruise brought more revenue to metro Detroit than the Superbowl!

As much as I would love to bring you my first hand account of this year's event, it was my misfortune to be at work, on cruise day. All of the photos in this hub are courtesy of the Detroit News.

While I couldn't attend, I wanted to write this hub, because there are quite a few car enthusiasts on hubpages, and I haven't seen any Dream Cruise hubs, to date.

In the 50's and 60's, when cruising was in its heyday, Woodward Avenue was a popular hangout. It was seen as an opportunity to show off your new car, or the hard work that went into customizing your hot-rod. People drove up and down the avenue, often meeting at the abundant drive-in restaurants, and just enjoyed the ride. Traffic lights were often used as an excuse for a drag race, or a burnout.

In short, cruising was a social gathering. A place to meet old friends, and make new ones. It continued to be popular throughout the 70's and, to a lesser degree, the 80's. As traffic increased, as well as safety concerns, it was eventually banned in most communities, and made a ticket-able offense.

In 1994, a plumber from Ferndale, Michigan came up with the idea of a classic car show, to raise money for a children's' soccer field. Several community members jumped on board, and began planning the inaugural Dream Cruise. Slated for August 19, 1995, they hoped to draw 30- 40,000 spectators, and enough money to finance the field. What they got, was a quarter of a million visitors, and a brand new soccer field. It has been held on the third Saturday in August, every year since, and only continues to grow.

Despite record high fuel prices, the Dream Cruise shows no sign of slowing. Gas guzzling street rods poured in by the thousands, this year. And, it would seem that over the course of fourteen years, the news has spread. At first, people came from across the state to attend. Then it became known across the United States. Today, people travel from many countries to participate in this spectacle of automotive history. It is not unusual to see people parking RVs in parking lots along the route, two weeks in advance. This serves as a place holder, to ensure they will have a prime spot from which to see the parade. They come with coolers (no alcohol allowed, though. It's a family event.), lawn chairs, and even recliners. Lining the curb, people enjoy the day, and watch as fond memories of a bygone era go cruising by.

There are now several car shows attached to the Dream Cruise, as well as a classic car auction, and some offshoot cruises on other historically popular cruising boulevards in the metro area. You can also find a food court, memorabilia and souvenirs, and many pubs and restaurants that were there for the original cruisers, forty or more years ago.

If you would like to see more of the cars, I have added a few videos for you to enjoy.