Just in case you haven’t heard of it, The Woodward Dream Cruise has been an annual event for the past 19 years in suburban Detroit.  One Saturday in mid-August Woodward Avenue (Michigan Highway 1), is once again the home of Detroit muscle cars, and other unusual domestic and foreign vehicles.
“The Cruise”, as we in the neighborhood refer to it, is a free event that stretches along Woodward Ave. from the State Fair Grounds, which is located inside Detroit just south of the city line (8 Mile Rd), continuing on a northwest path, terminating in the center of Pontiac, MI.  On it’s route (roughly 15 miles), it passes through the communities of Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, and Pontiac.  In 2013, August 17th is the Big Day!

From Wikipedia:  Nelson House, a plumber from Ferndale, came up with the idea for the cruise in 1994 to help raise money for a children’s soccer field in his community. Organizers initially expected 30,000 or 40,000 people to come to the August 19, 1995, inaugural cruise, but about 250,000 actually showed up.   It is now the largest single day classic car event in the world, and brings in over $56 million annually to the Metro Detroit economy.
Ferndale hosts Mustang Alley along 9 Mile Rd these days, and is “Ford Country” during the Cruise.  Cruise attendance has been in the 1.5 million range (estimated, since it is a free event), but organizers think there may be up to 2 million this year, since the weather is cooperating in a big way – dry and temps in the high seventies.  Instead of 40,000 people, there are now about 40,000 classic cars participating.
Those in the neighborhood (including yours truly, who lives about 1/2 block from Woodward, but not in Royal Oak, where the traffic is heaviest), are not so happy that the unofficial Cruise starts the previous Monday, and runs into the following Sunday.  We try to avoid the Avenue while commuting to and from work.  The best thing to do is to enjoy the views, and plan a party on Saturday, to drink, eat, and car watch.  Even businesses, who suffer because of the crowds, close their doors for the day, rent out their parking to Cruisers, and plan parties of their own.
My route to and from work most days is Woodward Avenue to Square Lake Rd, then a hop over to I-75. On the days leading up to the actual event, it is pretty funny to see folks in lawn chairs at the edge of the road at 7:30 am, watching traffic roll by!  It happens again in the afternoon (or maybe they stayed there all day, who knows?)  As I understand it, a lot of car enthusiasts come to town for the entire week to show off their rides, and look at the others in attendance.
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2013, 13 Mile and Woodward, Royal Oak, MI.
Each community has special events, such as outdoor screenings of classic movies (Ferndale is screening Grease this year), dance competitions, live music, fun runs, and charity fund-raisers of all kinds.
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/08/15/events-of-all-kinds-surround-this-years-woodward-dream-cruise/
It’s the Motor City on parade, and a good time is had by all!

THE Hot Rod Lincoln is here this year.

I drove this car in high school!

Starting in 1848, when the roadway was converted from logs to planks, young carriage drivers would race along Woodward Avenue.   By 1958, the roadway was used for unofficial street racing with cars. The wide width, median and sections lacking a large commercial presence attracted a reputation for the competition. The numerous drive-ins, each with its dedicated local teenaged clientele, were also popular. Woodward also had numerous car dealerships and automobile accessory shops in the age of the muscle car which completed the formula for young adults to cruise, race and hang out along the road.

(from Wikipedia)