Photo by Seb [ P34K ] Hamel on Unsplash
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Photo by Seb [ P34K ] Hamel on Unsplash[/caption]I don't know why, but this year, the Woodward Dream Cruise just kind of snuck up on me. This annual event that sprouted organically in Motown has become a major event. The main day-long event this year happens on Saturday, August 20th.

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The first Dream Cruise was a desire by organizer to recreate the heyday of car cruising, maybe not quite to the level of what was show on History Channel's "The Cars that Made America", but it was some of those kids, now grown up who never lost their love for America's greatest generation of cars. And, did you know the first one, in 1995, was a fund-raiser for a soccer field in Ferndale?

Apparently that first year really struck a chord, as organizers hoped for maybe 25,000 to show up to show off their classics, or to watch, but instead some 250,000 showed up, and a legend was born.

A Chevy billboard at the Woodward Dream Cruise, in the early years. The words read "Remember when your cup holder sat next to you and wore a poodle skirt?" (Dave Benson, TSM)
A Chevy billboard at the Woodward Dream Cruise, in the early years. The words read "Remember when your cup holder sat next to you and wore a poodle skirt?" (Dave Benson, TSM)
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The best guess is, now, the Dream Cruise draws somewhere around and million and half people and some 40,000 classic cars, though as happened in Battle Creek, some people think their three year old car is a classic, and that ruins it for everyone.

As the day goes on, parking on the side streets along Woodward is at a premium. Bring a comfortable pair of shoes, or a comfortable lawn chair and prepare to 'ooh and ahh'. With everyone having a camera, there will plenty of photo ops with all these cars.

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