My office is located where Old Woodward and New Woodward meet in Birmingham Michigan and I have had a birds-eye view of the parade of vintage cars all week. I did a little preview video in anticipation of the 15th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise and wasn’t about to miss the Big Event. With all the talk about two of the Big Three having gone through bankruptcy and all three pulling out of sponsorship, everyone was wondering about the turn out and success of an event that, in previous years has drawn up to 1.5 million people.
Parking was a snap upon arriving at my office and I began to wonder – a couple years ago, our parking lot was turned over to a parking service and I had to pretend work was calling to get a spot. However, upon turning the corner I was not disappointed. On the meridian between Old Woodward & New Woodward, the crowds were there, vintage cars were parked near downtown Birmingham and all was well with the Dream Cruise – even the scorching heat.
There was a restaurant set up with table cloths and flowers, a couple of bands, 94.7 broadcasting near by, a baseball game of sorts for the kids, face painting and, of course the cars. Driving to the Cruise, I was listening to the radio where they talked about how uncomplicated the engines were then – ‘you knew what you were looking at when you opened the hood’. Well, that may be the case for some but I was just wondering how they keep the engines so clean – an important question answered here in my interview with Chris Fusco, owner of a 1966 E-Type Jaguar Coupe.
From Birmingham Michigan - Woodward Dream Cruise 2009 from Cathy Tishhouse on Vimeo.
I admit that I am not very knowledgeable about cars and to some – “how do you keep an engine clean” may not be a good interview question. However, there was another woman who came and asked the very same question. Chris, who works as an automotive designer for Johnson Controls in Auburn Hills treated my question with respect. I could tell he has put a lot of work and pride into restoring his Jaguar. He also told me about his 1965 Mustang Fastback that he drives a bit more than the Jaguar and he is currently working on a 1967 Mustang Fastback.
To the many car enthusiasts who come – whether as an owner or novice bystander – it was a great day to see over a million people lined along Woodward enjoying and celebrating what Detroit has always been know for – cars.
Birmingham Michigan Realtor selling Oakland County Real Estate. TishHouse sells Houses - selling Real Estate in Southeastern Michigan with RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan. Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales. See what my clients have to say about my extraordinary customer service. Follow me on Twitter.
