The 2007 edition of Criuisin’ Downriver is set for the last Saturday of June – June 30 – and promises to be another successful event with a couple changes to herald its 8th year.

Pre-registration was in-troduced last year for the free event and will get a big boost this year.

“Last year we started vol-untary pre-registration and it was very well received,” said Sandy Mull of the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber. “And this year we are starting earlier and will expand that program.”

Last year, pre-registration packets included an official Cruisin’ Downriver T-shirt and a dash plaque courtesy of the event’s title sponsor, AutoAlliance International.

This year, she said, spon-sors will be able to add cou-pons and other promotional items that would be of value to cruisers and get some recognition to the sponsors.

The price of this year’s packet is $25, which in-cludes postage and han-dling. The packets will be mailed out before Cruisin‘ Downriver this year be-cause there was some con-fusion last year when peo-ple had to pick them up at the chamber offices, ac-cording to Mull.

Again this year, AutoAlli-ance International is the event’s title sponsor with The News-Herald and SWCRC serving as contrib-uting sponsors and organiz-ers of the event.

The gold sponsor is Mei-jer, which is located along the cruise route and is a tremendous supporter of local car shows and the cruise.

The silver sponsor of this year’s event is Rodgers Chevrolet.

Bronze sponsors include AT&T, Bosch, Co-Op Ser-vices Credit Union, Crystal Gardens, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bu-reau, Nationwide-The Kul-berg Brandes Agency and Painter’s Supply & Equip-ment Co.

Oldies 104.3 WOMC-FM will again serve as the offi-cial radio station.

And, WOMC is expanding its coverage this year, broadcasting from Patriot Park in Riverview on Fri-day night — for the first time — to help that city celebrate its Summerfest celebration and to get the cruise weekend rolling. WOMC will also broadcast from three spots along Fort Street the day of the cruise.

Once again this year, the cruise activities will offi-cially kick off Thursday night, June 28, with the fourth annual Cruise Kick-off Party at Crystal Gardens.

Mull noted that Cruisin' Downriver is not a money-making event and that after expenses are paid, all extra dollars go back to the com-munities for police and DPW.

“It’s just a community ef-fort, this is not a profit cen-ter,” said Mull. “We’re try-ing to enhance the cruise for the people and spon-sors.”

And finally, there had been talk of construction on Fort Street during the cruise, but Mull said MDOT has a member on the board and he has assured the group that it has been post-poned and will be worked on after the cruise. So ex-pect smooth sailing.

As usual, The News-Herald will publish a Cruisin’ Downriver special section again this year, and will provide tire-to-tire cov-erage of planning and up-coming events.

For more information, visit www.cruisindownriver.com or call the chamber at 1-734-284-6000.

To advertise in The News-Herald’s Cruisin’ Downriver special section, call Bill Dillingham at 1-734-246-0819.