5th annual Jackson Road Cruise expecting 800 vehicles on widened route
Lola Zagata of Tecumseh wipes down her 1967 Barracuda in the parking lot at Varsity Ford on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor Saturday during the second annual Jackson Road Cruise in 2010.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
A "vehicle of interest" in the eyes of the public and other car enthusiasts is the only requirement to participate in the event.
Although the event moves a little bit every year, it will now encompass the area between Wagner and Parker roads to the west, about a 7-mile trip.
"We have this wonderful road without many stoplights, with wide-open spaces and easy turnarounds," said Todd Bailey, Jackson Road Cruise chairman. "It's a great place to relax and chill with your car with activities (available) up and down the boulevard.
This year attendees can participate in a prize drive beginning at Bel-Mark Lanes near the corner of Jackson and Wagner roads. Competitors will be required to check-in and get a card stamped at 13 checkpoints and a full card must be turned in to make participants eligible to compete for prizes.
Activities get started with a parade beginning at 10 a.m. at Bel-Mark Lanes and will feature Saline's Haley Williams, better known as Miss Michigan, and this year's Jackson Road Cruise grand marshal. The road cruise also will feature a variety of bands, food and other activities lasting until 6 p.m., up and down Jackson Road.
Bailey says for him, it's the history of Jackson Road that makes it distinct.
"It's the old trail from the wagon wheel days route from Detroit to Chicago," he said.
Within a 1-mile radius, there now are 20 new car franchises now located on the road, the largest concentration in Michigan within 1 mile according to Bailey.
"A lot of car dealerships used to be on Washtenaw, then Stadium was considered a good place to be," he said. "Then people expanded west to Jackson Road."
Bailey's family owns one of those dealerships, and he is the proud owner of a 1971 Pontiac GTO bright orange convertible.
"I have cruised many cruises and participated in many car shows," said Bailey. "What's great about the Jackson Road Cruise is that we combine both."
For more information on Saturday's Jackson Road Cruise, see their website.
Comments
nickcarraweigh
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 10:47 p.m.
Paint spray cans not welcome.
jns131
Sun, Jul 14, 2013 : 3:21 a.m.
Something happened that we are not aware of?
dexterreader
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 1:43 p.m.
Cory C .... my thoughts exactly. Traffic will be a mess with I-94 closed, at least the eastbound lanes. And no, Jackson Road is not the posted detour, but for us locals who need to get into Ann Arbor from the western suburbs, it would have been the most logical route.
Borbsi
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 5:52 a.m.
Is Jackson Road the posted detour? I can't see the conflict.
Ann English
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 10:02 p.m.
Borbsi, ThinkingOne has it right: the posted detour is eastbound M-14 and southbound US-23.
ThinkingOne
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 3:42 p.m.
People who routinely come to AA from the west and live in the area should be aware that there are alternatives (such as exiting at Zeeb, then going N to Dexter-AA or S to Liberty). As long as it is not the posted detour and the through traffic stays on M14/US23, then there should not be large numbers of people trying to use Jackson.
jcj
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 11:23 a.m.
You must not live around here.
Solitude
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 1:03 a.m.
If you like classic cars, you might like a blog I recently discovered, clunkernation.com, written by a guy who used to be the editor of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car magazine. It's funny and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's also full of great stuff.
Cory C
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 6:11 p.m.
Eastbound 94 is going to be closed all weekend. This should be interesting...
Ann English
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 9:55 p.m.
jcj, I just found out that Staebler ends at Park Road. Oh, well, Park Road can take people to Zeeb, which can take them to Liberty. I'm using dirt roads in order to get around the State-Ellsworth intersection.
Ann English
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 9:34 p.m.
jcj, I can see ordinary traffic getting off at Baker, if the Zeeb Road exit is closed, but probably few of those motorists will then take Staebler to reach Liberty. It would be a way out of bumper-to-bumper traffic, for those who don't mind using dirt roads.
jcj
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 6:36 p.m.
For those from the area it should not be a huge problem if they read this blog and do their homework. For those coming here from the west, I suspect Jackson rd east will have more than a bumper to bumper parade. I hope they enjoy the parade.They should close the exit from eastbound 94 to Zeeb rd. Seems they could have left 94 open to the Jackson rd exit with it being CLEARLY marked once they pass the split they must get off. Then finish that portion on a different weekend.
Jon Saalberg
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 5:47 p.m.
The website link to the cruise doesn't work.
jns131
Sun, Jul 14, 2013 : 3:20 a.m.
I am beginning to think the IT dept is having fun with all avenues of the internet. A lot of things are working lately.