Live on Woodward: Cruise Fans Venture North to Rochester

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

Sunday Afternoon on Woodward: Calm Before the Storm?

Huntington Woods: All was quiet Sunday along Woodward Avenue in Huntington Woods, belying the activity that will take place along the stretch of historic road next Saturday during the Woodward Dream Cruise. Under a light drizzle, a sign at the Huntington Professional Building South at 26711 Woodward silently enticed cruisers to book a spot in the parking lot, which was empty today.

Berkley: Volunteers were busy bagging and selling official Dream Cruise merchandise Sunday at the corner of 12 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. "No storms today!" Denise Brainard of the Berkley Junior Women's Club said cheerily, as she bagged Dream Cruise merchandise. "It's been very, very busy," fellow Berkley Junior Women's Club member Cinda Coon said. "If the storm wouldn't have come through yesterday, we would have had a lot more business." Coon said visitors to Clawson's on Saturday usually stop by the Berkley stand after the event, but were kept away by the nasty weather this year.

Despite threatening skies and dreary weather, locals came out to downtown Rochester on Sunday to show off or ogle the dozens of classic cars and roadsters that lined Walnut Boulevard for the 12th .

"I'm pretty impressed," Troy resident John Schmitt said. "They have a decent turnout." Schmitt brought along his gold 1972 Monte Carlo, which his father-in-law had purchased brand new. Schmitt, who has owned the car since 2004, said with a chuckle, "My grandkids call it the mustard car."

2 p.m Sunday: OK, so maybe you didn't get out to Woodward today. Maybe the gray skies – or the need for toilet paper – sent you to ... Costco instead. No worries! The official dream cruise table greets Costco customers in Bloomfield Township. The colorful tee with the official cruise logo on it is $8.99,  by the way.

11 a.m. Sunday: Rochester's already has at least 300 people viewing more than 100 classic cars in downtown Rochester. The event, sponsored by the Rochester Lions Club, goes on til 6 p.m., and is one of several pre-Dream Cruise events in the area this weekend.

Organizations, businesses, bike enthusiasts and environment watchdogs were on hand Saturday for , which took place in the "Green Alley" in downtown Ferndale. Families; couples; riders of bikes and non-motorized scooters; roller bladers; and roller skaters hung out til mid-afternoon, enjoying the nice weather and atmosphere

"We like going green," Said Cario Miller, who brought his son to the Green Cruise.

Saturday Night Washout: Some Cruisers Return.

10:45, Royal Oak. A small group of dream cruisers returned to Woodward Avenue — specifically to the Shell Station in Royal Oak — after the thunderstorm scared the crowds off earlier Saturday night.

Lin O'Connell, 55, of Waterford, said she and her friends took shelter during the storm and got coffee, then returned to the Shell Station to find that few had returned.

She said she thinks she knows why.

"You are not going to want to leave your classic car with a $10,000 paint job out in the rain," she said.

 8:13, Royal Oak. WeatherBug reported a severe thunderstorm warning for Royal Oak and the surrounding Detroit Metropolitan area. Heavy rain and frequent lightning and thunder were spotted in the Royal Oak area – and cruisers and spectators scattered quickly to their cars and out of the threatening weather.

As of 8 p.m., much of the cruise-related activity on the Royal Oak section of Woodward Avenue had stopped.

Now, will the cruisers return? Or will this night be a big washout on Woodward? 

One Week to Go: How are Businesses Faring?

7:15, Birmingham.  cook Rob Garrison said he has seen some Dream Cruise-related business, but was expecting much more later this evening (that was before the storm hit, so that remains to be seen). He said last night was standing-room-only for seven straight hours.

6:55, Bloomfield Hills. At Little Daddy's just south of Long Lake on Woodward, general manager Michael Meduvsky said he had seen only a little bit of extra Dream Cruise business. He expects big business booms later in the week.

"Wednesday we start getting busier, Friday we get slammed and Saturday our breakfast is outrageous; people line up outside the door," Meduvsky said. 

This in Clawson features classic car owners talking and showing off their vehicles, from an '82 Riviera convertible to a '57 Chevy 210 model to a '67 VW Bug. A light rain didn't keep away the car lovers as about 300 showed up along Main Street in downtown Clawson. Check out the sweet photos in .

Daren Borza of Warren brings his  to the at Normandy and Woodward because it's "always hoppin." 

Adam Bernard of Royal Oak was at the Shell recently as well, showing off his 1963 Buick Riviera. While Bernard has been coming to the cruise since it started, he's only had this car for nine months. 

Do you have a favorite cruise spot? Tell us in the comments below.

If you want to head away from Woodward and still find car lovers, Farmington's got you covered. On a typical Monday, about a hundred classic car owners park in the lot at Village Commons starting at 5 p.m., for . The group meets unless it's raining or cooler than 60 degrees.

"You get a sunny day, and it's really nice ... it'll be 200," said organizer Harvey Ettinger. His club, the Grand River Cruisers, hosts the event.

The group sells T-shirts and holds a 50/50 raffle to raise money for local charities. There's no admission charge for either cars or spectators, said Ettinger, who owns a 1940 Nash Ambassador Coupe and a 1939 Ford Coupe that his mother's aunt purchased in 1939, along with a couple of hot rods.

Here's a from one Monday earlier in the season.

Corvettes, Camaros, antique pickups and other classic cars will line Main Street today for Clawson's annual car show. Thousands of people are expected to attend the Down on Main Street Car Show hosted by the Clawson Lions Club. The event goes from noon to 7 p.m. and includes food and music.  Howie Airriess, a car show organizer and Lions Club member, said the event usually attracts 300 to 500 classic cars.

The Dream Cruise kicks off early in White Lake today with a at Alpine Valley Ski Area. More than 1,000 Corvettes are expected at the event organized by America's Corvette Club President Richard Heldenbrand, a White Lake resident. The show is already under way, and runs until 4 p.m.

Scenes from Friday night

Becks Davis of Detroit Moxie declared that "North Woodward Avenue is crazypants" and shared this photo via instagram as evidence. Were you on Woodward Friday night? Tell us in the comments area below what you saw. 

10:13 pm., Twitter: Cruisers are tweeting or tweeters are cruising ... or something like that. @BrianKoziara tweeted at 9:46 p.m.: "Love how even though the #DreamCruise is over a week away, #WoodwardAve is already jam packed with cars... #americanmuscle #Detroit"; a half-hour before that, @nikkistephan tweeted:
"The Dream Cruise insanity has already begun. Woodward is totally backed up. People sitting in parking lots. Nuts! #backchannel"

8:30 p.m., Royal Oak: Cruisers put on a show for folks in Royal Oak, north of 13 Mile. It was a beautiful, clear night – 75 degrees at 8:30 p.m. With scattered thunderstorms expected in the area on Saturday, it was the perfect night to pop the hood or pull out a lawn chair and watch the action.

Tony Smith of Berkley maintains that heading to Woodward in his 1986 Grand National IS a religious experience. In one of several Dream Cruise Snapshots, he talks about his car being a perfect blend of power, mileage and ... AC. You can find snapshots from Berkley, Royal Oak, Ferndale and Birmingham Patch sites tonight, and all week long.

As Motor City classic car enthusiasts buff and polish their vehicles this weekend, others will be strapping on sneakers and decorating their bicycles as they prepare to show off in a different kind of cruise.

Skateboarders, cyclists, roller bladers and plain old pedestrians will participate in the parade portion of this , a series of long- and short-distance bike rides starting in downtown Ferndale.