Dream Cruise Saturday: Families, ‘Vettes, EVs flock to Woodward

Posted by Talbot Payne on August 18, 2024

Royal Oak — Saturday afternoon brought out everything on Woodward including first-time Cruisers, veterans, lowriders, even milk trucks. A rainstorm hit at about 3 p.m. during the 2024 Dream Cruise but didn’t deter the diehards.

Son of a Milk Man

Pontiac – The milk truck is back. A staple of American neighborhoods in post-World War II America, milk trucks delivered the precious liquid to homes everywhere. Dave Kerby grew up as the son of a milk man when his father returned to Detroit a decorated war hero and drove a truck for Twin Pines Dairy.

Years later, Dave made a barn find in California – purchasing and restoring a 1965 milk truck made by the Detroit Industrial Vehicles Company (Divco for short) – and restoring it in Twin Pines livery.

Dave Kerby and 1965 Twin Pines Dairy milk truck.

Dave Kerby and 1965 Twin Pines Dairy milk truck. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“It’s the last of a dying breed,” said Kerby at M1 Concourse in Pontiac where it was mobbed by fans. “I drove it my dad’s house on his 100th birthday and surprised him.”Located in Detroit, Divco made trucks for dairies, breadmakers and other delivery companies from 1926 to 1986. Few remain.

“Twin Pines had a lot of milk trucks in Detroit – about 1,200 running around – because they had a Saturday TV show with Milky the Clown that made them super popular,” said Kerby. “I’ve been cruising Woodward this week and people come up and tell their milk man stories.”

The advent of the supermarket put an end to milk deliveries beginning in the 1970s. “ Kroger and WalMart came along and it was cheaper to pick it up at the grocery. But people still loved the milk man because milk tastes better in a bottle,” laughed Kerby.

Kerby is wring a book titled “Son of a Milkman.” He plans to donate his truck to the Henry Ford Museum when he joins his father in the great dairy in the sky.

Queen of the Lowriders

Pontiac – All hail the Queen.

Debbie Sanchez, the subject of a coming film, “Queen of the Lowriders,” led an army of modified vehicles to the Dream Cruise this year. The hydraulically-operated cars are non-stop entertainment with the ability to move side-to-side, three-wheel, and hop – sometimes over six feet into the air.

“We have between 16 and 18 cars this year,” said Sanchez, sporting a colorful purple mane at M1 Concourse. “They get out there and hitting switches and moving around. It’s very complicated. The heart of the lowrider is in the trunk where the pumps and the batteries are that power the hydraulic systems.”

Olivia Cancel and her 1955 Chevy Bel Air lowrider.

Olivia Cancel and her 1955 Chevy Bel Air lowrider. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

To withstand the vehicles’ dance moves and added hardware, lowriders frames are reinforced, increasing a sedan’s weight by as much as 40%. Among this year’s attendees are a pair of classic Chevrolet Monte Carlos, a Cadillac, and a 1955 Chevy Bel Air piloted by Sanchez’s daughter, Olivia Cancel.

Lowriders have their roots in Mexican car culture.

“They originated in California,” said Sanchez who started building cars in 1995. “The story goes that a guy was working at the airport and stole some hydraulics – then he put them in his car.” Crowds gathered at M1 to watch the vehicles perform, and some lowriders took the show to Woodward.

A Chevy Monta Carlo lowrider goes three-wheelin'.

A Chevy Monta Carlo lowrider goes three-wheelin’. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

First Cruise

First-timers James and Kim Graf, both 43, of Baltimore, Ohio, found out about Detroit’s Dream Cruise last year before making the roughly four-hour trek north this year to show off their blue 1923 T-Bucket hot rod, a modified version of a Ford Model T. The Grafs have other vehicles, including a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro and a 1978 Malibu, but wanted to bring the show-stopping hot rod with a gleaming, can’t-miss-it blower that connects to the engine to give it more power.

Dream Cruise traffic crawls along Woodward in Royal Oak during an overcast afternoon Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024.Dream Cruise traffic crawls along Woodward in Royal Oak during an overcast afternoon Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. Kalea Hall, The Detroit News

“We stand out a little more with this,” James Graf said. “Everybody loves the Camaros and the Malibus and the Mustangs, but when you have this, it just hits different.”

Veteran Cruisers Shelby Westergaard, 30, and Chris Palmer, 44, of Algonac, also enjoyed standing out in the crowd with their boat-sized, pale yellow 1965 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser filling a large piece of parking lot at the corner of Catalpa Drive and Woodward.

First-time Cruisers James and Kim Graf, both 43, of Baltimore, Ohio, show off their blue 1923 T-Bucket hot rod, a modified version of a Ford Model T.

First-time Cruisers James and Kim Graf, both 43, of Baltimore, Ohio, show off their blue 1923 T-Bucket hot rod, a modified version of a Ford Model T. Kalea Hall, The Detroit News

“I love having all of the looks,” Westergaard said. “Everyone has a memory associated with this car or something similar.”

This was the first time the recently engaged couple brought the classic station wagon out to cruise after buying it three weeks ago. They like showing off the Vista’s curved skylight windows, which are unique to the car.

A camouflaged Hummer turned heads on Woodward Avenue on Saturday during the Dream Cruise.

“She said she wanted an old wagon, and her favorite color is yellow,” said Palmer, who hasn’t missed a Dream Cruise since 1996.

khall@detroitnews.com

hpayne@detroitnews.com

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