Dream Cruise 2010: Wet but still wild

Pontiac -- The wet weather may have kept some car fans away from the 2010 Woodward Dream Cruise, but the crowds that lined the streets from Ferndale to Pontiac made up for their smaller size with exuberance.

"Yeah baby, this is the place to be," said Pontiac resident Clancy DeJong, 33, who parked a lawn chair with an umbrella near Huron along the route. "Royal Oak's got nothing on us. The things are just more real here."

Police report the crowds were generally well-behaved, with few incidents. Bartenders and vendors agreed the Cruise drew fewer people than last year.

Bill Saputo, the owner/operator of the McDonald's on Woodward just south of 13 Mile in Royal Oak, said the crowds were up about 15 percent Monday through Friday compared with last year. But with the rain on Cruise day, the traffic to his restaurant dipped 20 percent. Still, it was busy. Each year around Cruise time, he brings in employees from other stores to keep up with the demand.

Crowds, he said, were civil and enjoying themselves. He credits a crackdown the past few years by Royal Oak police on drinking and rowdiness for keeping everything in line.

"Everybody's here for the right reasons," Saputo said.

A drizzle that lasted until around 6 p.m. in most areas may have kept some cruisers and their fans at home, but not Anthony Beno, 45, who made the trek from his home in Toledo to take in the classic car extravaganza in Pontiac.

"I've been here the last three years and I wouldn't miss it for the world," said Beno, a mechanic who drove up Friday in his 2000 Mustang GT. "Rain, I don't care."

The Mustang is the car of his dreams, he said -- and he works at a Toyota dealership.

"They razz me every day," Beno said, but he doesn't mind.

"They will bury me in that car. One hand on the steering wheel, one hand on the stick shift and they can put me in the hole."

Inside JD's Key Club in downtown Pontiac, there were plenty of seats this afternoon. And plenty of parking spaces, too. Crowds picked up later in the evening when the skies cleared and the sun shined. Revved engines and burnouts pumped up the crowds in Pontiac, on the northern end of the route. Police had Woodward cleared in Pontiac minutes after the official 9 p.m. shutdown.

Umbrellas, ponchos and hooded windbreakers were everywhere, especially as the light rain occasionally intensified.

Kevin Shelton saw a silver lining in the wet weather.

"It takes the exhaust fumes down," the 42-year-old Ferndale resident said as he lounged in a hammock on Woodward near Nine Mile.

Many cruisers kept the hoods of their rides shut because of the rain. Many also opted to forgo the Woodward tradition of gunning their engines to show off the growl the machines make when the gas is punched.

Kathleen and Jennifer LaTosch brought their sons Quinn and Donovan, both 4, in a Radio Flyer wagon with a canopy.

"They are covered," Kathleen LaTosch said as she pointed at the wagon. "We wanted to get them outside today."

The boys played with a toy truck and a toy Volkswagen Beetle. They zoomed them around Mustang Alley in Ferndale's downtown, oblivious to frowning adults fretting about the rain.

The boys giggled and pretended to drive their toy autos through puddles.

Elsewhere on Woodward, cruise fans were holding out hope the rain would let up.

"I really don't think it's going to last," said Mark Baysdell, talking to a friend on his cell phone in Royal Oak.

"This should blow over, so don't worry about it."

And blow over it did. By 5:30 p.m. the streets were dry in Pontiac. Car owners such as Mike Buyak towel-dried their rides, hopefully for the last time today.

"Hey, there's still no place I'd rather be," said Buyak, 48, who drove his 1971 Chevelle from Columbus, Ohio. "A little rain isn't going to damper my spirits.

Baysdell, manager of the Belle Tire store on Woodward north of 13 Mile, was having a very busy morning.

"We're giving away used racing tires that ran in official NASCAR races," he said.

"These are the real deal. All you have to do is have your photo taken at our photo booth and go over and claim a tire that has a sticker on it that says 'official Belle Tire NASCAR tire' on it.

"We've done this for the past few years, and it's really popular. Sometimes we get return visitors from previous years who are looking to get a complete set."

According to Baysdell, his store had given away 400 used NASCAR tires by 5 p.m. today.

Among those attracted to the free tires were Laura Sisson and Monica Alferi.

"My fiance is a big car buff and collects all kinds of stuff," said Sisson of Sterling Heights.

"I called him and asked if he wanted a tire, and he got all excited and said to get two."

That's where Alferi came in: She secured a second tire on her friend's behalf.

"This is going to fit in perfectly with all the hubcaps, license plates and stuff he has in his garage," Alferi said.

While some merchants on Woodward may decry the one-day event that ties up the strip for hours, Baysdell decided it was better to roll with it. "The cruise is going to happen whether you want it to or not," he said with a smile.

"So it's better to just try and enjoy it."

This was the 16th straight year hundreds of classic cars and thousands of drivers and fans turned out on Woodward for the annual homage to Metro Detroit's motoring heritage.

Grace Centers of Hope, one of southeast Michigan's oldest and largest homeless shelters, sold tickets during the Dream Cruise for a chance to win a classic red 1971 Dodge Charger. The annual car event is an integral part of the shelter's fundraising for the year.

"It's always very difficult to raise money in the summer," said Darin Weiss, chief operating officer of the organization. "We have an increase of women and children coming to Grace Centers of Hope in the summertime, so the raffle is crucial to us. We don't take any government money, so we rely on the community to support us."

The drawing is Oct. 3. Even with the Cruise over, the $20 tickets can be purchased by going to http://www.gracecentersofhope.org">www.gracecentersofhope.org.