By Mark Rutkowski, Heritage Newspapers
Judging from the reaction of organizers and sponsors alike,
cruise fans may soon be able to mark their calendars for the second annual
Cruisin’ Downriver.
Everyone involved in Saturday’s big event are giving it a big
thumbs up, and several say they fully expect it to hit the streets again next
year.
"Based on the positive comments we’ve received from a
variety of sources involved with the cruise, I think it’s likely this will
become an annual event," said Donald Thurlow, publisher of The News-Herald
Newspapers.
"Considering this was the inaugural event, I was
pleasantly surprised at how well things turned out. Everyone seemed to enjoy
themselves, and the attendance, especially later in the day, was better than I
expected.
"I’d like to thank both of the major sponsors, Ford and
the Heritage Group, for their participation and economic support, as well as the
contributing sponsors: ASC Inc., Rodgers Chevrolet, Oldies 104.3 WOMC and the
Southern Wayne Chamber of Commerce."
Ed Clemente, SWCCC president, agreed that the cruise had an
impressive debut, with some estimating the crowds at more than 250,000.
"For a first-time event, I thought it went really well and
showed a good effort," Clemente said. "It was a good, positive event.
We’ll take what we learned and use it for next year."
Pete Campbell, Ford product analyst and leader of the
gotFUN@car committee, also said he was pleased with how the day turned out and
is looking toward the future.
"We were very pleased with the size, organization and
turnout," Campbell said. "We went through 2,500 bottles of water in
four hours at our booth, so that tells you what the foot traffic was like.
"We are extremely interested in continued involvement next
year."
Bill Stedman, program director for Oldies 104.3 WOMC, said he
was very impressed with Cruisin’ Downriver’s first showing.
"For a first-time event, I thought it was just
great," said Stedman, whose station is involved with a number of other
cruises. "We were broadcasting from three or four sites and we had cruisers
out. The reception was terrific and we were happy to be there."
For Mark Pauze, director of marketing and communications for
ASC Inc., it was nice to see the cruise become such a big activity for a lot of
the employees.
"For us, it’s a natural fit because we’re a Downriver
company and we work with specialty cars," Pauze said, adding that in
addition to the ASC cars on hand, several employees brought their own vehicles
to the company booth at Pep Boys near Pennsylvania Road.
"I was very pleased with (the cruise)," Pauze said.
"It was actually smoother than I expected. There was a good turnout and it
was run really well."
Thurlow and Clemente both credited the four cities involved —
Lincoln Park, Riverview, Wyandotte and Southgate — for their efforts.
In addition, Thurlow said the police officers on duty during
the event deserve special thanks, especially Gordon Loveday, deputy police chief
in Lincoln Park, who volunteered to coordinate the efforts of the various law
enforcement agencies involved.
"If any group deserves to be singled out for their efforts
last Saturday, it would have to be the police departments," Thurlow said,
crediting the four city departments, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and
the Michigan State Police.
"Most people are unaware of the tremendous amount of
planning that goes into maintaining an atmosphere of public safety at an event
this size."
