Royal Oak prepares for the Woodward Dream Cruise

ROYAL OAK — The iconic, world-renowned Woodward Dream Cruise is preparing for its 29th year, and Royal Oak is ready to welcome thousands of patrons to the area.

Over 40,000 classic cars from around the world participate in this event, which brings in roughly 1 million people per year to watch the cars cruise by.

In the city of Royal Oak, there will be two days of events for people to enjoy. From noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 16 and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 17 will be the Performance Park Classic Car Show at Memorial Park, 31050 Woodward Ave.

Open all day on both Aug. 16 and 17 will be the official Woodward Dream Cruise tent, vendors and food court. The official Woodward Dream Cruise will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 17.

From 7:30 to 9 a.m. Aug. 17, the Cruise in Shoes 5k run will take place. The run will begin on Yorba Linda Boulevard, go onto Woodward Avenue and wind through several Royal Oak neighborhood streets before finishing at Shrine High School.

To register for the run, visit cruiseinshoes.com/registration or sign up on the day of the event at Shrine High School.

Because of the massive influx of people, the Royal Oak Police Department must be fully aware of the dangers that could come with it.

Chief Michael Moore said that the entire Royal Oak Police Department is on duty during the weekend of the Woodward Dream Cruise, patrolling the area and ensuring that everyone is having a safe and enjoyable time.

Moore said one of the biggest concerns going into the cruise each year is alcohol consumption, which is not tolerated at all during and around the event.

“We have a good handle on it; in the earlier years, not so much,” Moore said. “And what we found is if we are not on top of it, the more people drink, the worse our problems are towards the end of the event.”

If someone is to be found drinking in public, they will be ticketed or arrested, but Moore said that over the past few years, alcohol has not been too much of an issue.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is an event that takes months to plan and prepare. Director of the Department of Public Service and Recreation Aaron Filipski is one of the many people who work behind the scenes to make the Dream Cruise happen.

Filipski said that he and his crew coordinate with public safety, set up barriers along Woodward, and are in charge of cleanup before, during and after the event.

“We have somewhere around 20 people on hand that are picking up trash during the event along the Royal Oak portions of it and otherwise assisting the police and fire in any kind of way that might be necessary,” Filipski said.

Filipski said that his crew works tirelessly both Friday and Saturday to make sure the Woodward Dream Cruise goes according to plan.

“It sounds simple, but there is so much that goes into it with special events and everything else that we actually start working on it in the April time frame,” he said. “We start hearing from different vendors, and it’s a lot of prep work leading up to the event.”

The Department of Public Services is also responsible for cleanup following the cruise. Filipski said they go out early on Sunday morning to pick up any leftover trash in the Royal Oak area.

People who are looking forward to attending the Woodward Dream Cruise should be aware that the streets are going to be congested around the location of the cruise.

“If they just want to come and enjoy the show, there are a number of parking lots and places to go,” he said. “I encourage researching that before they go — to have a plan for that.”

In the city of Royal Oak, guest parking is available at all municipal parking lots that are in walking distance from Woodward.

There is also parking available at the Royal Oak Golf Center at 3500 Edgar Ave.; Gunn Dyer Park, which is located south of Normandy Road between Coolidge Highway and Woodward, at the intersection of Chester Road and Hampton Boulevard; and Upton Park, which is located south of West 14 Mile Road and west of Coolidge Highway, at the intersection of Nakota Road and Mandalay Avenue.

More information for parking can also be found at the Woodward Dream Cruise Parking Facebook page, facebook.com/woodwarddreamcruiseparking.

Some locations farther away from the middle of the cruise provide a shuttle service for people who wish to be shuttled closer to the action.

The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation shuttle service will be running from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 17 and will be shuttling along the 16-mile stretch of Woodward, from Ferndale to downtown Pontiac.

The shuttle service is free, and patrons can get on at any RED SMART or FAST bus stop along Woodward Avenue. The shuttles are wheelchair accessible and equipped with bike racks.

For further information on parking, hotels, restaurants and more, visit www.woodwarddreamcruise.com.