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One Third Fewer Attendees Lined the Famed 16-Mile Detroit Roadway
After facing the worst power loss in U.S. and Canadian history, that caused a gasoline and water shortage as well as a drenching downpour midday Saturday Aug. 16, it would be fair to expect the ninth annual Woodward Dream Cruise to turn into the nightmare crawl.
Not so, but the blackout did force the cancellation of several pre-Cruise festivities, including the Revvin with Ford Charity Preview and a noticeable decrease in the number of participants and spectators.
The Woodward Dream Cruise, sponsored this year by Eaton Automotive, is one of the biggest annual automotive events in the United States, usually drawing an estimated 1.5 million to 1.7 million spectators  | | This stretch of Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, Mich., drew crowds of people to see the General Motors racing displays and the classic (and not so classic) cars during the Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 16. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, American Auto Press) |
to see the some 30,000 vintage cars, muscle cars and hot rods that takeover Detroits major north-south thoroughfare.
It was originally started as a grassroots event by car enthusiasts to recapture the crusin days of the 1950s and 1960s and grew into  | | Ford Special Vehicle Team Owners Association Marketing Manager Jim Owens, standing next to an SVT Mustang and SVT Lightning, was happy to be out at the Mustang Drive In along the Woodward Dream Cruise route on Aug. 15. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, American Auto Press) |
a mega cultural event in the Motor City as not only the "Big Three" car manufacturers became involved -- DaimlerChrysler rolled out its Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 3 and Ford sponsored music concerts at the "Mustang Drive In" -- but also Hyundai and auto supplier companies try to capture a portion of the spotlight.
Hyundai  | | Just two blocks off of Woodward Avenue, Ford usually holds its Revvin with Ford Charity Preview Party on the Friday night before the Dream Cruise and thousands of people would be congregating around. However, the worst power outage to hit the U.S. since the 1960s put a damper on all pre-Cruise festivities, including a cancellation of Fords party. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, American Auto Press) |
had 25 of its 2003 Tiburons in various levels of customization on a lot just south of Eleven Mile Road. The display was co-sponsored by Hyundai and Speed, Style & Sound magazine. No doubt it is a sure sign that the Dream Cruise is extending far beyond its original Grease-like roots.
Organizers  | | This big red Cadillac convertible was one of the few vehicles gassed up and ready to take to the street on the Friday before the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit. Motorists who didnt have a full tank of gas were urged not to come to Woodward that day because the power blackout had closed many gas stations.(Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
were expecting an additional 500,000 people to line Woodward for the Cruise, which ran 16 miles through nine cities, anchored by the city of Pontiac to the north and to the south at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit at the Eight Mile intersection. Cars on the road ranged from 1930s Ford V8s to such "classics" as 1980s Chevy Astro Vans, 1990s Mustang GTs and even newer Chrysler PT Cruisers. However, early estimates from officials | | It was unusually subdued Friday, Aug. 15, in Birmingham, Mich., on the evening before the Woodward Dream Cruise. Normally, the area would have throngs of people and entertainment, but due to the power blackout that struck Michigan, much of the Northeastern United States and parts of Ontario and Quebec, the only visible street entertainment came from Paul Miles who was singing the blues to cheer people up. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, American Auto Press) |
say that the turn out was a third lower than last year.
The power black out on August 14 that affected 50 million people in the northeastern United States, including southeastern Michigan, and impacted large parts of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, had Detroiters scrambling to find ice for their refrigerators, bottled water and gasoline. Power to Detroits water pumps had been cutoff for several hours, and when it came back on, residents  | | Ford Motor Companys Mustang Drive In has been a staple along Woodward Avenue, just south of 13 Mile Road, for the past several Dream Cruises. This year, it was the site for members of the Special Vehicle Team Owners Association to congregate and enjoy the rock bands on stage, such as Mitch Ryder on Saturday, Aug. 16. During the power black out that plagued Michigan that week, festivities were a bit subdued even here. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, American Auto Press) |
were ordered to boil their tap water due to fears that contaminants may have worked their way into the drinking supply while water pressure was low. The boiled water order was finally lifted late Monday afternoon.
And, without power, many gasoline stations were temporarily out of business. All motorists, not just Dream Cruisers, went out in search of gasoline stations that still had power, thanks to emergency generators, or drove more than 30 miles to the exurbs, such as Brighton, halfway between Detroit and Michigans  | | General Motors has been offering public showings of its concept Chevrolet SSR for the past two years during the Woodward Dream Cruise. This appears to be one of the production models coming out in 2004. (Photo: Joseph Cabadas, American Auto Press) |
capital, Lansing, which had been unaffected by the blackout. Lines formed at open gas stations throughout Thursday evening even until Sunday, resembling the gas lines of the OPEC oil embargos of the 1970s.
As a smattering of cars with empty gas tanks lined the sides of roads and highways, Dream Cruise organizers warned on the radio that would-be spectators and cruisers should not venture to Woodward unless they had a full tank of gas.
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