Kiwanis Harper Charity Cruise 2011, videos to remember

As much as auto enthusiasts like the Gratiot Cruise and the Woodward Dream Cruise, it is the personalization of the Kiwanis Harper Charity Cruise in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan that keeps them coming back.

While the other cruises have many cars in the left lane separated by at least three lanes where people are watching near the right lane, Harper is right there with only four lanes of traffic with a center turn lane. Plus, on Harper there is no boulevard separating east and west side; so you both side clearly. That makes for a more personalized experience for both car owners and fans.

And since traffic gets clogged up quite often, the cars are going pretty slow, except for the occasional runaway; again allowing the crowd to get closer to the cars.

What’s best, though, is that people on the sidewalks can walk right up and look inside the cars, they can even talk to the owners. And that is exactly what I did at the K-Mart lot on the southwest corner of Harper and 9 Mile Road in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan.

Thanks again to the Kiwanis of Saint Clair Shores on the east side of Macomb County, Michigan for putting on another successful Harper Charity Cruise for 2011, complete with hot rods, restored cars and a friendly crowd of auto enthusiasts.

People like my buddy, Ray, started gathering by 8 a.m., while official cruising hours weren’t until 4 - 9 pm. But drivers came and rolled as they do every year down Harper Avenue from Old Eight Mile to Martin Road.

More about the cars in video

Again, special thanks to my friends, Jackie and Ray Talley for sharing their motor home location, a place to sit down, grab a bite to eat and act as ground zero for all my photos and videos. Ray even allowed me to go on top of the motor home for some cool photo and video shots.

For the record, I am taking far more video this year than ever, and with good reason. You get the sights and the sounds of what I actually see and hear. Hope you like it. Let me know how you feel on the comment area below the article.

As I wrote in Part-1, I think it’s time the rest of America realized just how great this cruise scene on Harper Avenue is, and a national revelation by Torque News is indeed fitting. That is why I opted to include one article with a slideshow of still photos, a second and possibly a third article covering the videos; and a special article or two for a few notable vehicles and owners.

So, here is the first set of videos:

So, here is the second set of videos:

And here’s the third set of videos:

What’s next? How about some special reports on two outstanding vehicles at the Kiwanis Harper Charity Cruise. One is a ‘37 Ford; the other is a C5 Corvette with ‘53 Vette body panels. So, stay tuned to Torque News.

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About the Reporter: After 39 years in the auto industry as a design engineer, Frank Sherosky now trades stocks, futures and writes articles, books and ebooks like, "Perfecting Corporate Character," "Awaken Your Speculator Mind", and "Millennial World Order" via authorfrank.com. He may be contacted here by email: [email protected] and followed via Twitter@Authorfranks

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Additional Reading:
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