MotorCity Casino Pulls Sponsorship for Woodward Dream Cruise

The Woodward Dream Cruise was dealt a blow recently as the MotorCity Casino opted to pull its $75,000 sponsorship out of the yearly event, leaving a gaping hole in the entertainment budget.

"That's the entire entertainment budget," said Ferndale's Woodward Dream Cruise event coordinator Michael Lary. The sponsorship dollars were divided among the communities participating in the Dream Cruise. Ferndale was set to receive $18,000. "There's a hole now for that line item. It's a shame."

However, the money isn't being diverted away from Woodward Avenue, just refocused, said Jacci Woods, MotorCity Casino vice president of public relations and community affairs. "We're refocusing our sponsorship dollars on the city level," she said.

Woods said MotorCity Casino is working with the Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3) on projects that are still being development, but added: "We are still really committed to Woodward."

Information from on the WA3 projects was unavailable, Woods said.

The sponsorship dollars from MotorCity Casino paid for musical acts, staging and lighting, promotion, sounds technicians and other things associated with putting on a concert.

"The Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise is not just about classic cars anymore. It's about classic rock 'n' roll," Lary said. "Without that, it's a different event."

Ferndale is expected to provide three days of entertainment, Aug. 18-20.

Ferndale's largest sponsor is Ford Motor Co., giving $50,000. For the Dream Cruise, its revenues ($105,000), mostly sponsorship dollars, exceed its expenditures (about $103,000).

Last year, Ferndale had two stages and 12 acts booked over three days, Lary said. He said he had already started booking acts for this year's event, but the contract gives him some flexibility to nullify up to 30 days before the August event.

Despite the challenges that the loss of the MotorCity Casino sponsor creates for Ferndale and entertainment for the Woodward Dream Cruise, Lary said he isn't going to give up.

"I don't want to disappoint the audience (in Ferndale). For all these years we've shined. I don't want to disappoint," he said.

Lary said he would start contacting companies and organizations looking to fill the sponsorship hole. "It might have to be a couple thousand here and a few thousand there," he said. "You never know who might step up to the plate."