Cruising down memory lane in Eastpointe

EASTPOINTE — Sitting on the grass median of Gratiot Avenue during Eastpointe Cruisin’ Gratiot June 15 brought back a lot of good memories for pals Bob Schuch and Dan Badalamente.

The pair used to cruise Gratiot — primarily between 10 Mile and 13 Mile roads in Roseville — when they were teens and young adults in the 1990s. For Schuch, a 1994 East Detroit High School graduate, getting his driver’s license meant freedom.

“You made good friends,” said Schuch, who now resides in Clinton Township. “Back then we were all pulling over in big groups, talking.”

Badalamente also remembered the various auto parts stores along Gratiot that sold anything you needed to fix your car.

This year, Schuch and Badalamente arrived at Eastpointe Cruisin’ Gratiot at 9 a.m., and Badalamente brought his girlfriend, Lisa Shelton, 58, of Livonia, and two young sons, who got into the spirit of the cruise culture.

“I love it,” Shelton said. “Last year was my first year. It’s a great time. I like all the cars and we have fun.”

“We try to spend all day out here,” Badalamente said. “It brings back memories for the older guys. This is one of the better cruises.”

“It’s nice to see everyone riding in one spot,” Schuch said. “You can see a little bit of everything.”

Also on the median, Al Bednarski, 66, of St. Clair Shores, and Bob Urraro, 66, of St. Clair Shores, watched the cars go by. The event marked Urraro’s 10th year attending the cruise.

“It’s fun. It’s a good show,” said Urraro, who owns an orange 1974 Pontiac Grand Ville convertible. “It came from an estate sale. It came up on the market and I decided to buy it.”

For Bednarski, this marked his first-ever Eastpointe Cruisin’ Gratiot.

“I’m loving it. It’s a lot of fun. It’s nice to see a variety of cars and be up close,” he said. “I’m seeing cars that bring back memories of the past. I’m partial to the gold metal flake. That’s when they put flakes in the gold paint.”

On the other side of Gratiot, Jim Boggis, 86, of Roseville, and his son Jim Boggis, 63, of Berkley, checked out the classic cars cruising the avenue.

“We come here every single year,” said the younger Boggis, who arrived at the cruise in style in his 1983 Buick Riviera convertible. “I love the old Cadillacs.”

“There was a gold Cadillac parked on the other side. It was absolutely stunning. The drivers were well mannered, they’re smiling, they’re waving,” the elder Jim Boggis said. “It’s a good crowd.”

“I used to cruise Gratiot back in the ’70s and ’80s,” the younger Boggis said. “We used to drag race.”

The younger Boggis also was a student in the auto shop class when he attended Roseville High School. He also regularly displays his cars at Detroit Autorama.

Robert West, of St. Clair Shores, made it out to the cruise as a spectator. He tries to get to as many classic car shows as he can.

“I love the old cars,” he said. “It kind of reminds us of a younger time.”

While growing up in Hamtramck, West had a friend and they both owned muscle cars. Racing on Joseph Campau Avenue was a favorite pastime.

During Eastpointe Cruisin’ Gratiot, Center Line resident Mel Arseneault pulled into the Eastpointe High School car show at about noon with his eye-catching, white 1961 Cadillac Fleetwood. He bought the car after spotting it in the weekly car shows at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren. It’s part of Arseneault’s vehicle collection that includes nine cars and 12 motorcycles.

“I just love cars. It’s my addiction,” Arseneault said. “How can you not love them?”

Arseneault is a fixture at many local car shows.

“I bump into a bunch of friends. The camaraderie with the car people is just fantastic,” he said. “You can’t get any better than that in Michigan. We’re all car guys.”