FeedsOrganizer hopes for big cruise turnout
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Bob Harris' book includes pictures of the late Michael Jackson and his brothers.If all goes according to plan, Michigan Avenue will be jammed with classic cars and cruisers on Saturday.
Don Nicholson, organizer of the Michigan Avenue Cruise that starts at noon on Saturday in communities from Dearborn to Wayne, said the event has grown in its second year.
“I’m optimistically looking at doubling what we had last year,” he said. “We’ve got a lot more people on board.”
The cruise will take place along Michigan Avenue, from Miller Road in Dearborn down to Hannan Road in Wayne. There will be several mini-events throughout its length along with classic cars, muscle cars and motorcycles rumbling up and down the thoroughfare.
“There will be a lot of good stuff going on,” he said. “The response has been phenomenal this year.”
In the City of Wayne, there will be a beer tent and a concert at the Red Apple restaurant, where the official band of the cruise, The 10 Foot Poles, will perform throughout the day. Jack Demmer will host a car show in both the Wayne and Dearborn locations, according to Nicholson. Brownie’s Diner will serve up 50-cent Coneys all day.
There will be several vendors set up in the parking lot of Community Living Services, where the praise band from Cross Pointe Church in Wayne will perform.
At Polk’s Auto, on eastbound Michigan near Venoy Road, former Westland resident Bob Harris will sign copies of his book detailing the history of rock and roll in Michigan. The band 10,000 Eyes will perform there, too, he said.
“They are a good local band,” said Harris, a former publisher and music promoter. “They play everything from classic rock to rhythm and blues.”
In the City of Inkster, the event ties in with the Inkster Jazz Fest, which takes place on Inkster Road. In Dearborn Heights, there will be an emergency response vehicle show in from of the Hall of Justice on Michigan Avenue. The Dearborn Elks will host ‘Vet Fest,’ an all-day concert designed to benefit Veteran’s Haven in Wayne.
Nicholson started the event last year to bring another activity to the region and to build on the automotive heritage of the area-and to help out the economic climate, too.
“The event is designed to bring businesses to the communities,” he said.
The cruise sponsors several charities and he said he hopes to develop a scholarship fund, too. The more the cruise generates, he added, the more he’ll be able to give back.
“It looks like we’re going to break even this year,” he said. “We’re on the way up.”
