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By Mike Schaffer

The sixth annual Cruisin’ Downriver will officially rumble to a start at 10 a.m. Saturday with a mayor’s and sponsors parade starting at Fort and Sibley in Riverview.

The mayors of the four host cities — Lincoln Park, Riverview, Southgate and Wyandotte — are expected to participate in the parade.

The rolling parade will continue down Fort Street through the cities of Wyandotte, Southgate and Lincoln Park before returning to Riverview.

New this year to the parade lineup will be over 500 motorcycles from the local Harley Davidson club, the Motown Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) Chapter, leading the way.

The cruise route will encompass the entire distance of Fort Street from Outer Drive in Lincoln Park to Sibley Road in Riverview. There is no registration fee for vehicles that wish to participate in the cruise. The cruise will officially conclude at 9 p.m.

Oldies 104.3 WOMC is the official voice of the sixth annual Cruisin’ Downriver. It will be conducting live broadcasts at different locations in each of the four participating cities and will feature contests and giveaways, while highlighting the event’s sponsors.

A detailed schedule of their locations and times is available on the center map page of this section and on the station’s Website at www.womc.com.

For more information on the cruise or to watch the countdown by days, hours, minutes and seconds, visit www.cruisindownriver.com.

Here is a city-by-city summary of some of the key Cruisin’ Downriver-related events:

LINCOLN PARK

Cruisin’ 4 A Cause

Lincoln Park will host its black tie affair fund-raiser, Cruisin’ 4 A Cause, at Robert H. Jones Knights of Columbus located at 25160 W. Outer Drive in Lincoln Park.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and features a taste fest from 7 to 9 p.m. with several local restaurants, entertainment by Streetheart — an acapella doo wap group — and a DJ, an auction, raffle and prizes.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to The Guidance Center in Southgate and the Lincoln Park Economic Development.  For ticket information call 1-734-341-1078.

Concert in the Park

On Friday at Memorial Park on Fort Street between Merrill and London, the city will host numerous events, beginning at 6 p.m. with a free concert in the park with Lemon James (known as the female Jimi Hendrix).

In addition, Al Petri’s Lowrider custom bike show will be taking place Friday evening at Memorial Park, followed by a free family movie at dusk.

Memorial Park is the place to be on Saturday

On the day of the cruise, Lincoln Park will provide entertainment throughout their city with more than a dozen bands for family entertainment.

For more information on all Lincoln Park cruise activities, call 1-313-382-1743.

Cruise Royalty

The city will once again be hosting a “Miss Lincoln Park Cruise” beauty pageant the morning of the cruise.

Entrants must be between 5 and 10 years of age, but Lincoln Park residency is not required to enter the pageant. Constestants will be judged on appearance, personality and essay presentation. The winner will be treated to a victory ride, prizes and a trophy.

For more information, call 1-313-928-3273.

Free food!

Beginning at noon, the city will again provide free refreshments on the hour, such as ice cream, pop, pizza and a number of other food items. Various businesses along the Lincoln Park cruise route will be participating. Stop by the city’s booth at Memorial Park for more information.

Battle of the Bands

A “Battle of the Bands” will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at Kennedy Memorial Band Shell located at 3240 Ferris St.

More Lemon!

Lemon James will perform 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Street Brewery. James is recognized for her riginal songs and her vibrant recreation of Jimi Hendrix cover tunes.

RIVERVIEW

Familyfest and Fireworks

The city will host its 2005 Familyfest and Fireworks Celebration at Young Patriots Park on Sibley Road Friday evening.

Paddleboat rides will be available. A free concert in the park will start at 6:30 p.m. with The Fantastics, followed by the Hits.

There will be a children’s carnival, food, craft and civic vendors at 4 p.m. The fireworks show will begin at 10 p.m.

There will also be several classic cars on display as car clubs get ready for Saturday’s big event.

Fire Department Open House

The Riverview Fire Department will host an open house from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday.

The event will feature fire safety and prevention, demonstrations and tours of equipment and station equipment on display.

For more information on Riverview cruise activities, call 1-734-281-4219.

SOUTHGATE

Car Show

The Downriver Kruzers Car Club will have their vintage and custom cars on display from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Kmart parking lot on Fort Street and Pennsylvania Roads.

The event will feature amusements, specialty items, cruising information and the official cruise T-shirts will be on sale.

Meijer Family Cruising Party

The Meijer’s Family Cruising Party will take place in the parking lot at 16300 Fort St. on Saturday during the cruise.

On the program will be family entertainment, amusements and games. The Roam'n Chariots car club will display classic cars from their membership.

For more information on Southgate cruise activities, call 1-734-258-3035.

WYANDOTTE

Classic car show

The Wyandotte Business Association once again will be partnering with title sponsor AutoAlliance International Inc. for a Classic Car Show at the Sav-A-Lot store parking lot at Grove and Fort Street the day of the cruise.

Several vehicles will be on display, including the Mazda 6 and Ford ESP, in addition to the 2005 Ford Mustang and Mustang convertible.

WBA members will have a tent at the location and will sell pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, soft drinks and the official cruise T-shirts for $15 each. Live entertainment will be provided.

AutoAlliance will be giving away key chains and dash plaques.

For more information on Wyandotte cruise activities, call 1-734-282-6233.

The SWCRC would like to thank the following sponsors of this year’s cruise for their commitments and support. Title sponsor: AutoAlliance International, Inc.; Silver sponsors: Meijer, Rodgers Chevrolet; Bronze sponsors: Capers Tavern and Eatery, Crystal Gardens Banquet Center, DreamCruiseCars.com, Fritz Enterprises Inc., General RV Center, Heartland Healthcare Center of Allen Park, HOBNOBS Casual Dining and Banquet Facilities, Oakwood Café, Painter’s Supply & Equipment, SBC, Winners Dodge and Wy-South Federal Credit Union.