Last Minute Dream Cruise Preparation On Schedule

Although cruisers and some vendors have already been out on Woodward, the official cruise has yet to start. Royal Oak public service workers have been getting the city's portion of Woodward Avenue "cruise ready."

Director of public services for Royal Oak and President of the Woodward Dream Cruise, Greg Rassel knows there is plenty yet to do even though they are on schedule.

"Things are going well and hopefully the rain will blow through tonight and we'll have a great Friday and Saturday," Rassel said.

Tents and vendor displays "are still going up" according to Rassel even though the "things don't start until Friday. There is a lot of activity for a 36-hour event. We should be ready to go by noon tomorrow."

"At this point in time we are only dealing with problems so the fewer phone calls I get the better off we are," Rassel said. "The crisis management has been minimum."

Police remind cruisers Saturday is a family event

Royal Oak police have been doing this for several years now so they have a master plan and everything is falling into place nicely, said Lt. Tom Goad. Police posts and portable toiles are being set up today.

"We are right on schedule with all of our pre-Dream Cruise staffing events," Goad said.

The biggest message police want to send out to anybody who's attending is to keep in mind this is a family event and it's alcohol free. Officers will be looking for cruisers who are driving recklessly on Woodward Avenue, which is a misdemeanor violation that could receive a fine up to $500.

Rassel said he will be out and about from the "start of the footrace on Saturday until the time we close Woodward on Saturday night."

Woodward will close on Friday night at 10 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday. Cars will be fed onto mile roads to clear the avenue and all pedestrians will be cleared from the roadsides.

"We will tell everybody sitting on the shoulders to go home and then we'll open it back up," Rassel said.