Classic-Car Cruise Caters to Nostalgia

Aug 20 2008 by Sherrice Gilsbach

8/20/08

Annual Woodward Dream Cruise a Hit for Families

By: Sherrice Gilsbach

Detroit’s annual Woodward Dream Cruise is an event steeped in tradition and nostalgia. These days, this one-day classic-car festival revs the engines of 40,000 cars for nearly 2 million fans. But back in the 1950s and ‘60s, Woodward Avenue was the place to be seen on Friday and Saturday nights for guys with slicked-back hair and ladies in poodle skirts and bobby socks.

This year, I introduced my 6-year-old son to the festivities, now in its 14th year. We slid our car in next to a classic black sedan that would frighten even the toughest SUV. The top of the hood was higher than my 2001 Saturn SL1’s roof! Not that my Saturn isn’t cool enough, I’m just sayin’.

The WDC infuses more than $56 million annually into Detroit’s economy. I wonder how many milkshakes and pairs of fuzzy dice you could buy with that much money? It’s held on the third Saturday in August each year, according to its website. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., muscle cars, street rods as well as custom, collector and special-interest cars cruise Woodward Avenue, 16 miles of highway that runs between Detroit and Pontiac, Mich. And best of all, there are no fees to join the cruise.

The WDC has matured quite a bit. In this year’s gathering, the cast of classics was joined by cameos from souped-up new models, including Dodge Chargers and Ford Mustangs. There were even a few Smart cars buzzing around the gas-guzzling giants in the same way a toddler would’ve danced around his mom’s A-line skirt. Oh yeah, my son loved every moment of it.

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