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Woodward Dream Cruise 2004
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WOW! What a wonderful 50th birthday present! My loving wife, Babs, sent me to the 2004 Woodward Dream
Cruise for my 50th birthday, fulfilling one of my "50 Things...". Her gift included airfare, hotel,
spending money, and the rental of this 1966 Chevelle Malibu Convertible with a big block and a 4 speed!
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When I was 13 or 14 years old, I remember reading about the cruising and street racing on Woodward
Ave. in the northern Detroit surburbs. I particularly remember this 1967 Plymouth GTX driven by Jimmy
Addison; it ruled the street. Those reading slipped into a distant memory until about 10 years ago when
I read about a cruise being organized on Woodward as a rememberance for those days gone by and as a fund
raiser for inner city Detroit. That first cruise had only a few cars, but the popularity of the event
grew year after year. I put it on my list of things to do one day. 2004 marked the 10 year anniversay
of the revived cruise. There were 300,000 cars and 1.5 million people in attendance. The cars run the
entire spectrum from classic antiques, hot rods, customs, and one-offs. But the dominant car is the
muscle car.
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The WDC is a well organized event that takes place the third Saturday in August. However, the unofficial
cruise starts days earlier with cars cruising Woodward and occasionally engaging in street racing. Big,
smoky burnouts are the order of the day; spectators along the roadside even bring bottles of bleach to
assist/encourage the practice. On the official cruise day, almost all businesses along Woodward shut
down. Cars fill every concievable parking spot along the 16 mile one way loop from the Detroit Fairgrounds
to the Pontiac Silverdome. And Woodward is 4 lanes in each direction! Car clubs park together along
the road sides. Spectators bring folding chairs and must get there early to claim a choice spot. As
cars cruise past, they hold up number signs indicating their approval with your car of choice. The Malibu
I was driving got 10's every time!
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While my 50th birthday present was pretty spectacular in its own right, my story gets even better.
While researching the WDC, my wife contacted the cruise organizers. After explaining what she wanted
to do, they were very helpful in giving her advise on hotels, etc. And they said the local papers my
be interested in the story. Sure enough, a few days later, she received a call from the Royal Oak Press.
She sent them pictures of me receiving the present package one night at dinner. They also called and
interview both of us. The story ran in the Press on the Friday before the WDC. Much to my surprise,
the publisher of the Royal Oak Press was touched by my desire to cruise Woodward as he and his wife had
done in the 50's and 60's. He wanted me to remember my trip fondly, and so he gave me a gift certificate
to Woody's, a resturant that was cruise central back in the day. He even told me waht to order as the
classic cruise burger, and man, was he right! Awesome food! Here is a picture with Renee, the reporter
who wrote the story.
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But wait, there's more! When I received this wonderful gift, I did a little research on my own. I
found a WDC forum on the internet and signed up as a member. I read through all the postings, but still
had a few questions, so I posted them to the forum. A few minutes later, I received a reply from some
smart ass who thought a toothless redneck was coming from Alabama to crash his party. I struck me the
wrong way, and naturally I fired back. Several other posters apologized for his response and were helpful
in answering my questions. A few days later, I received an eMail from someone named Jim Ellison. It
started out something like "Please don't think this is a hoax, but my name is Jim Ellison and I'm the
mayor of Royal Oak, MI. I'd like for you to be my special guest for the WDC..." I called Jim as soon
as I got into Detroit. On Thursday, he had me attend a dinner reception for the event sponsors. AT
that dinner, I met the mayor of Berkley, MI. The next day, she invited me to drive in the official WDC
kickoff parade thru her town. The parade stages in a local cemetery then slowly cruise thru the town
center. As I drove along, people recognized my picture from the newpaper and yelled out,"Hey, you're
the guy from Alabama!" Mayor Ellison also treated me to the most valuable treasure on WDC day, a parking
spot! Not just any spot mind you, but the first spot at "ground zero", the mall at the center of the
cruise route.
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Anything and everything can be seen cruising Woodward. Here are a few miscellaneous shots including
a Pro Stock car going thru the drive thru at McDonalds, a VW Bettle made out of ornamental iron, and
several race and classic cars.
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50 Things To Do Before I Die
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