The 15th Annual Cruisin’ Gratiot was held June 15. There were car shows and activities all week prior, with the official cruise taking place on Saturday. Classic car showings were seen up and down Gratiot between 10 and 8 Mile Roads in Eastpointe. There was a car show, with judging, in the East Detroit High School parking lot, along with music, food, t-shirts and other booths set up at several locations along the route. There was also a lot of music to enjoy. The special lane tickets for cruisers cost $20 the day of the cruise and $15 pre-cruise day, so if you plan to drive your cruiser next year you can save five bucks by planning ahead.

Unlike other cruises, Cruisin’ Gratiot allows pedestrians to sit in the median, which made it nice for people who wanted to get a close-up look at the cars as they passed. The event was carefully controlled and if you were not a cruiser in the cruise lane, you were politely told to move out. This also helped with people getting a more "concentrated" view of the cruisers rather than a mix with 70% modern SUVs.

There were at least 150,000 people in attendance, even the threat of wet weather did not stop these car buffs, nor did the excruciatingly high price of gas at the pump. It’s always fun to watch the cruisers and hear the stories of those who have put so much time and money into restoring them. Cruisin’ Gratiot continues the great car tradition of the Motor City.