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Michigan Cities That Host Woodward Dream Cruise Vote To Cancel Event

Earlier this month, Woodward Dream Cruise president Michael Lary said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic would not stop the event from going forth in August, claiming event organizers were “working to deliver the same caliber of family-fun activities that you have come to expect for the past 25 years.”

But the cities that help host the Woodward Dream Cruise don’t want to see the event go forward. Officials in Birmingham voted 7-0 in favor of a resolution to cancel Woodward Dream Cruise, while city leaders in neighboring Huntington Woods voted 5-0 against the annual classic car cruise. Other Michigan cities, including Ferndale, are expected to vote on the matter in the coming days.

Woodward Dream Cruise attracts classic car fans from all over the world. The event sees thousands of classic cars and car enthusiasts line Woodward Avenue in Metro Detroit and passes through nine different Michigan townships in the process.

Lary is also the events organizer for the city of Ferndale and says voting against the event will be difficult but is necessary to protect the public amid the ongoing pandemic.

“There are enormous fans of this event. They’re passionate about their cars. Believe me, I’m not happy,” Lary told The Detroit Free Press. “We’re making a decision for hundreds of thousands of people. But we’re doing it for the right reason.”

But the cities can’t stop car fans from showing up on Woodward Ave. on August 15th and cruising around. Woodward Ave. is a public road, so would-be attendees can still show up and go for a drive – there just won’t be any installments or events to accompany the annual cruise.

“In some ways, you could say we’re going retro,” Lary said. “All we’ll have is cars on Woodward, and people will be social distancing.”

Lary also said classic car owners will not be ticketed by police for showing up in a car and driving up and down Woodward on the day of the event.

Woodward has previously attracted as many as 1.5 million spectators and more than 40,000 cars to the Oakland County region, according to The Detroit Free Press. It’s not clear how many will attend this year’s unofficial cruise, but it’s safe to assume it will be a smaller affair than in previous years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to the cancellation of other Detroit-area summer events, including the 2020 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. Just my opinion, but these local politicians are certifiably nuts! I drove my C7 Z06/Z07 Coupe to Michigan from western Montana for the Dream Cruise in 2018 and the traffic was at a crawl from Royal Oak to Birmingham Friday evening and all day Saturday. In the evenings on both days, traffic thinned out north of Birmingham, as that’s where the crazies were racing and driving at very high speeds so I headed for the hotel.

    As the article states, the number of cars were reported to be in the neighborhood of 40k and spectators somewhere around 1.5m . . . and the city fathers think they can stop this! Cut it in half and that’s still 20k cars.

    I raced on Woodward in the sixties during the heyday of street-racing there. At that time, the police looked the other way between 12 Mile Road and Quarton Road. Anyway–if memory serves–on warm and dry summer evenings, one would see a couple of hundred very hot cars racing from dusk to midnight. “Looky-lou’s” were probably ten times that number.

    As I said, they’re nuts . . . but that’s just my humble opinion.

    What say the rest of you, particularly those either live there or have experienced it?

    Montana Bob

    Reply
    1. Montana Bob, I agree whole heartedly! The state politicians are driving this great country’s economy into the gutter. Enough is enough already. The cruise is in AUGUST for crying’ out loud. This is the Middle of May! This country needs too get back to work, and play. The so called, “New Normal” will be nearly a socialist type government. This is AMERICA!!!!! Lets take back our Constitutional rights. We all need to start to have constructive revolt. This is, or was, the greatest country on the face of the earth. Lets get back to it—-and soon!! Just sayin’

      Reply
      1. Pete,

        Amen, brother!

        You and I discussing politics would look like a couple of chickens nodding our heads up and down as the other spoke.

        As you say, we’ve got to get this nation turned around and back to work. This Chinese Virus started out as a disease issue. It has now become political. These local political types don’t realize, that there is no way they can stop the Dream Cruise, short of blocking Woodward every mile or so with military vehicles and that ain’t agonna happen!

        Montana Bob

        Reply
        1. Montana Bob, Thanks for shake. Yer right. The local politicals. including at the state level, are using this thing as a power move. We all have to stick together. If we don’t, it’s 1984, come to life. Keep the faith. Pete

          Reply

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