Summer Planner: Detroit Auto Extravaganza This August

Detroit is the home of the American auto industry, a bastion of automotive prowess and wonder. All right, both the city and America’s three big automakers have been taking on the chin lately, but when it comes to history, few destinations outside of Germany compare.

Cruisin’ MotorCities Debuts

An all new automotive celebration, “Cruisin’ MotorCities,” is being planned, a series of individual auto events which will create a week-long festival of auto-tourism this August. The event, which is being managed by MotorCities National Heritage Area, is designed to bring visitors to downtown Detroit and the Southeast Michigan region with a festival of activities during the weekend and week prior to the 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise. The event starts on August 8th and concludes eight days later.

“The Motor City will be revved up with excitement this summer,” said Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and chairman of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Cruisin’ MotorCities will have events that appeal to everyone and should be a huge tourism draw for our region this year, and years to come. And that’s a good thing for all the municipalities throughout the metropolitan Detroit area, the state, our residents as well as visitors to the area.”

Cruisin’ MotorCities gets started on the weekend of August 8 – 10th with the admission-free Detroit Festival of Speed and Style presented by The Detroit News. Based at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit, the festival starts with a “Hot Latin Night” on August 8th, featuring high-style, low-rider custom cars and hot rods set to exciting Latin and Hispanic music. The Festival itself takes place on Sunday, August 10 and features vehicles that marry the finest examples of the world’s classic cars with high performance factory-built cars and motorcycles from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.

Next in line will be eight days (August 9 – 16th) of AutoFair at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. AutoFair offers car shows and displays, manufacturer’s midway, automotive art exhibits, parts market, music and entertainment.

On August 9th and 10th the First Annual Flint-to-the-Fairgrounds Motorcycle Ride will be held. The Ride includes a Saturday night reception at the Alfred P. Sloan Museum to see the “Rides and Rebels” motorcycle exhibition. On Sunday, the ride itself travels from Flint to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills before continuing to the Michigan State Fairgrounds for a BBQ and concert.

On Monday, August 11th, invited guests will kick back in The Whitney Restaurant’s Garden Party and Classic Car Show. Classic Chrysler and MOPAR muscle cars will be the fare for the evening, complemented by the Whitney’s signature hors d’oeuvres in the restaurant’s lush gardens on Woodward in the heart of the D.

On Tuesday, August 12th, the GM Heritage Center and the GM Headquarters will be hosting tours. Begin with a visit to the GM Heritage Center for a special tour sponsored by MotorCities, to see its stunning collection of GM vehicles before touring the GM Renaissance Center headquarters and the new Detroit Riverwalk. Visit www.motorcities.org for details.

Wednesday, August 13th, offers a sunset cruise along the Detroit River for the AFL-CIO Boat Tour on the Detroit River. You will be able to hop on the Michigan Princess River Boat and participate in conversation on the history of the auto industry and the labor that powers it while enjoying the remarkable scenery including many interesting automotive heritage sites.

Thursday, August 14th, has Model T’s Live at Campus Martius Park. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the car that put the world on wheels, The Henry Ford will provide free Model T rides around Campus Martius Park. On that same day, the Woodward Dream Cruise Downtown Detroit event, the anchor event of Cruisin’ MotorCities, arrives in full force. The theme of that afternoon’s Tigers game at Comerica Park is “Celebrating the Woodward Dream Cruise”. The fun continues after the last pitch with a street scene event along Madison Street where hundreds of classic cars will be on display. The Detroit Opera House will be a focal point where guests can enjoy chamber music, finger food, air conditioning and indoor plumbing while viewing the collection of vintage cars and participating in games and activities. The Opera House is by invitation only and is a fund raiser for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

On Friday, August 15th and Saturday, August 16th brings “A Michigan Drive-Thru Memory by Big Boy” at the State Fairgrounds, complete with roller skating waiters and waitresses. Saturday, August 16th will dawn bright and early with the mother of all car cruises as the Woodward Dream Cruise parades past its expected audience of more than a million wide-eyed spectators!

“Cars are an important part of our past, our present and our future,” said Gary Familian, managing director, MotorCities National Heritage Area. “This is an opportunity to celebrate one of the industries that made the D what we are today. We really encourage everyone to cruise MotorCities, take in the sights and sounds of all that makes this a great region, right in our backyards!”

Cruisin’ MotorCities is a collaboration between MotorCities National Heritage Area, Ilitch Holdings and the Detroit News and is supported by a coalition of business and community organizations, including; AFL-CIO; Alfred P. Sloan Museum; Big Boy Restaurants; Campus Martius Park; Detroit Athletic Club; Detroit Renaissance; Detroit Festival of Speed and Style; Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau; Detroit Opera House; Detroit Riverfront Conservancy; Detroit Tigers; DreamMakers; Flint Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; General Motors Corporation; The Henry Ford; Michigan Firehouse Museum; Michigan State Fairgrounds; Motor City Casino and Hotel; Olympia Entertainment; Woodward Avenue Action Association; Walter P. Chrysler Museum; The Whitney; and Woodward Dream Cruise.

Most Cruisin’ MotorCities events are free and open to the public, but some will be fundraisers and charge an admission fee. For a complete listing of Cruisin’ MotorCities events and schedules please visit www.cruisinmotorcities.org.

If you’re nuts about cars, this inaugural event is likely to offer everything that you can imagine and then some.