Berkley City Council OKs Purchase of Woodward Dream Cruise Merchandise

Preparations for the 17th annual Woodward Dream Cruise are getting into full swing and, with only a couple months before the big event Aug. 20, the Berkley City Council approved the purchase of official merchandise during its meeting Monday at .

The cost of the merchandise is to be no more than $32,000 wholesale and will be sold at full retail price. Marc Coon, chairman of the ad hoc Berkley CruiseFest Committee, told the council that approximately 40 percent of the merchandise will need to be sold for the city to break even.

But, Coon wasn't worried about whether the goods will sell, saying he'd just had a chance to view some of the merchandise, which he enthusiastically dubbed "a winner."

This year's gear features a Camaro and uses collegiate-style lettering, so Coon said some pieces may be ordered in green and white and some in maize and blue.

"I'm very excited about the merchandise," he said, adding that there will be extended selling hours this year.

CruiseFest – Berkley's own classic car parade and party – will be held Aug. 19. So, merchandise sales will begin at 2 p.m., several hours earlier than usual, on Aug. 12 at the corner of 12 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue at  to give people plenty of time to pick up their gear.

On the off chance that all of the goods aren't sold, Coon said there are several options:

• People can buy the remainder in bulk.
• A fire sale can be held Sunday after the Dream Cruise.
• It can be sold during next year's event at a discount.
• It can be sold online.

Councilman Daniel Benton thanked the volunteer group for its efforts to be fiscally responsible.

" and $32,000 is a lot of money," he said. "We all really appreciate how much work you do to protect the city's investment."

"We're always cognizant of that," Coon replied. "If I thought we couldn't move this, I wouldn't have asked for it."

Benton also noted that the merchandise sales are a big income generator for several community groups, which Coon said include the Tri-Community Coalition, Berkley Junior Women's Club, Moms' Club, Berkley Bear Athletic Boosters, Berkley-Huntington Woods Youth Assistance and either youth hockey or ice skating.

"It's a big fundraiser for them," Coon said. "For many of them, it's their biggest fundraiser."