Live from Woodward - Wednesday: 800 Corvettes Parade; Businesses Gear Up for Big Day

The Woodward Dream Cruise is three days away, with cruisers already in full force along Woodward Avenue and in communities throughout Metro Detroit – and Patch is on the scene. Follow this live blog, compiled by Patch staffers, all week and through the Dream Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Fred Drew of St. Thomas, Ontario, pulled his teardrop trailer behind his 1929 Ford Roadster Pickup to take part in the pre-Cruise activities on Wednesday. He built the trailer himself, completing it in 1988; included was a stove from 1957 and refrigerator from 1965. 

Drew and others along Woodward enjoyed the festive atmosphere, clear skies and roar of engines along Woodward south of 13 Mile.

The thunder of nearly 800 high-powered Corvettes' engines roared and shook the pavement around the in Bloomfield Hills on Wednesday night. 

“When they peel out of here it’s something else,” the hotel's Paulette Kruger said as she helped direct the Corvettes out of the driveway.  “It puts chills up and down your spine.”

Bloomfield Hills police officers blocked two lanes of southbound Woodward while on the road toward Royal Oak. Organized by America’s Corvette Club, the collection of vehicles from many different states also gathered for a good cause to raise money and food donations for the Open Hands Food Pantry.

8:10 p.m., Royal Oak: At , it's like a weeklong St. Patrick's Day with classic rock instead of Celtic music. Both parking lots are full, as are the downstairs and upstairs tables – which have a 90-minute lingering limits these days. Bar patrons jostle two deep.

The festival-like scene includes four portable toilets, valet parking (mandatory) and a refrigerated trailer from Gordon Food Service. In addition to a two-story prime viewing site north of 13 Mile, the draw is real-deal cruising nostalgia.

Black-and-white blowups of young cruisers half a century ago hang on walls. Gas station and racing memorabilia hangs overhead. Live music comes Friday.

Legendary Big Chief Burgers, originally served to 1950s and '60s cruisers at the Totem Pole drive-in on Woodward in Royal Oak, are on the grill. The double-decker's tasty sauce is blended from the original recipe, owner Larry Payne said.

7:25 p.m., Bloomfield Hills: About 800 Corvettes – old and new – are lined up to parade from the Kingsley Raddison Hotel in Bloomfield Hills down Woodward to St. John's Episcopal Church at 11 Mile Road, where they'll deliver food pantry donations. If you haven't seen this 'Vette parade before, hurry out there! If you missed them going south, they'll head back north to the hotel and Moose Preserve for a meetup.

Chevrolet sets up shop in Birmingham

Chevrolet hung a building-size banner on the 555 building this week, overlooking the grassy triangle where Woodward and Old Woodward meet in Birmingham. The car brand will be setting up between Old Woodward and Lincoln on . Guy Fieri, Food Network chef and host, will also be , too. 

6:49 p.m., Birmingham: Live music at  starts with the Toppermost Beatles Tribute Band, which returns Friday night. First song: "Please Please Me" (1965).

The  brings thousands and thousands of people to Ferndale. But what does that do for businesses in Ferndale?

Restaurant and bar owners, especially those with patios, say they see an uptick in business. And many report the Dream Cruise brings in a whole new clientele.

"It's an influx of new customers and that's a good thing to have," said Dean Bach, owner of .

Not every business will attract a cruiser, though. Some businesses in Ferndale have cut hours this weekend and will completely close the official day of the Cruise.

4 p.m., Royal Oak: Cruising and other traffic along Woodward, especially between 13 and 14 Mile roads, has really picked up. Lots of folks eager to take advantage of the nice day for cruising or just gazing.

2:40 p.m., Bloomfield Hills: A back corner of the Radisson hotel parking lot, not far from a row of half-century-old sports cars, is set aside for Chevys of a decidedly different generation. Ten plug-in charging stations are set up by Gross Electric of Rochester for a Thursday gathering of GM's new Volt electric vehicles, whose owners will participate in a Chevrolet centennial parade starting there at 2 p.m. 

Woodward is being transformed for the big day

Everything is going up on Woodward today: scaffolding for radio and TV broadcasts, signs hawking reserved parking spaces, "no parking" signs in neighborhoods, "customers only" parking at restaurants, protective tarps and fencing around landscaping and banners plastered on the walls of buildings. Woodward is abuzz with preparations for the big day on Saturday.

1954 Ford Modified to Shoot Flames

Jim Snider modified his '54 Ford Crestliner a little here, a little there. "It rides good," the Woodward Dream Cruise regular said as he sat along Woodward on Wednesday.

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