“In 1968, I bought a new car and the payments – over $100 a month were killing me. So in 1969 I paid $1700 for a used GTO, and all my friends thought I was crazy – paid too much for it,” Haskell beamed.
The latest victim of the spreading Covid-19 plague in the US is the Woodward Dream Cruise, which was cancelled yesterday after a Zoom meeting of the town officials of the nine cities that are invaded each year along the Woodward Avenue route. Previously the organizers in April and May were in denial of the gravity of the Covid threat not unlike the hapless Trump Administration. (Dream Cruise Delights – Power to The People)
The real public health question remains what will the estimated crowd of 1-2 million enthusiasts of the car culture do during the week ending with the main event on August 15 this year? Woodward Avenue – a state highway – cannot be shut down, barring emergency action from Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whose office did not respond to AutoInformed.
During the past week, every region in Michigan has seen an uptick in new cases, and daily case counts now exceed 20 cases per million in the Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo regions. Nearly 25% of diagnoses in June were of people ages 20 to 29, up from roughly 16% in May. That shift aligns with national trends, and the evidence suggests that young people may be driving a new phase of the pandemic.
Southeastern Michigan is in Phase 4 of Whitmer’s Safe Start Plan. This means social gatherings are limited to small groups with social distancing, and outdoor crowds are limited to no more than 100 people. This the fifth step of the six-phase plan that permits all outdoor recreation. AutoInformed opines that this is unlikely anytime soon given Michigan’s growing number of cases and deaths.
(Michigan Update 6/29/20: The risk phase for Lansing has been increased to High Risk, due to the recent 1 week increase above 40 new daily cases per million. The risk phase for Grand Rapids has also increased to Medium-High risk, due to the recent 2-week increase rising above 20 new daily cases per million, as well as the increase in percent positivity during a time of increased testing. Due to recent increases in cases, all other regions are currently being closely monitored.)
“In April, the board already decided to cancel the community events – the car shows, the live entertainment, what I call the bells and whistles – to reduce the number of people who would come out,” said Michael Lary, the president of the Woodward Dream Cruise. “Ultimately, the decision was made today based on our respect for the political will of the communities.”
Ford Motor Company – One of the main sponsors of the Woodward Dream Cruise said: “We fully support Woodward Dream Cruise organizers in their cancellation of this year’s event. The health and safety of our workforce and community is our top priority. We look forward to seeing the Dream Cruise’s return in 2021.”
AutoInformed:
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
COVID Casualty – Woodward Dream Cruise
“In 1968, I bought a new car and the payments – over $100 a month were killing me. So in 1969 I paid $1700 for a used GTO, and all my friends thought I was crazy – paid too much for it,” Haskell beamed.
The latest victim of the spreading Covid-19 plague in the US is the Woodward Dream Cruise, which was cancelled yesterday after a Zoom meeting of the town officials of the nine cities that are invaded each year along the Woodward Avenue route. Previously the organizers in April and May were in denial of the gravity of the Covid threat not unlike the hapless Trump Administration. (Dream Cruise Delights – Power to The People)
The real public health question remains what will the estimated crowd of 1-2 million enthusiasts of the car culture do during the week ending with the main event on August 15 this year? Woodward Avenue – a state highway – cannot be shut down, barring emergency action from Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whose office did not respond to AutoInformed.
During the past week, every region in Michigan has seen an uptick in new cases, and daily case counts now exceed 20 cases per million in the Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo regions. Nearly 25% of diagnoses in June were of people ages 20 to 29, up from roughly 16% in May. That shift aligns with national trends, and the evidence suggests that young people may be driving a new phase of the pandemic.
(Michigan Update 6/29/20: The risk phase for Lansing has been increased to High Risk, due to the recent 1 week increase above 40 new daily cases per million. The risk phase for Grand Rapids has also increased to Medium-High risk, due to the recent 2-week increase rising above 20 new daily cases per million, as well as the increase in percent positivity during a time of increased testing. Due to recent increases in cases, all other regions are currently being closely monitored.)
“In April, the board already decided to cancel the community events – the car shows, the live entertainment, what I call the bells and whistles – to reduce the number of people who would come out,” said Michael Lary, the president of the Woodward Dream Cruise. “Ultimately, the decision was made today based on our respect for the political will of the communities.”
Ford Motor Company – One of the main sponsors of the Woodward Dream Cruise said: “We fully support Woodward Dream Cruise organizers in their cancellation of this year’s event. The health and safety of our workforce and community is our top priority. We look forward to seeing the Dream Cruise’s return in 2021.”
AutoInformed:
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.