But this year, Metro Detroiters are gearing up well before then for the 14th annual octane-and-chrome wingding, with Cruisin' Motor Cities events kicking off this Friday and running through the Dream Cruise itself.

There are tons of new activities for the whole family along almost every inch of the 16 miles from downtown Detroit to Pontiac.

Starting Saturday, there's a week's worth of automotive fun at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, with an auto-parts market for do-it-yourselfers and an automotive art exhibit -- all on top of classic cars and rockin' entertainment.

You can do good while drooling over that 1959 T-Bird, by taking in the fundraiser to benefit the Walter P. Chrysler Museum at the Whitney Restaurant Garden Party and Car Show on Monday. Did we mention the restaurant's fabulous cocktails and signature hors d'oeuvres?

Even motorcyclists are finally getting their due, with a 'Rides and Rebels' exhibit at Flint's Alfred P. Sloan Museum on Saturday, followed Sunday by the first UAW Flint-to-the-Fairgrounds motorbike ride. And if the northern suburbs hog all the fun, this year, Grosse Pointers will enjoy a little hometown rumble of their own with a Cool Car Cruise down Jefferson Avenue this Saturday.

Tired of all that exhilarating exhaust? Make a date Wednesday evening with the Detroit River, and hop on the AFL-CIO's sunset riverboat cruise.

Naturally, there's a lot more in this metro-wide extravaganza.

Berkley's hosting a sidewalk-sales day and a Young Adult Street Dance on Aug. 15 -- the same day that Huntington Woods sponsors a Family Party.

And don't miss Ferndale's 10th annual Mustang Alley Show on Aug. 16.

It goes without saying that music will ring out all along our great, iconic avenue. Highlights include Shout! A Beatles Tribute Band on Aug. 15 in Ferndale, and the Miracles in Pontiac that very same evening.

And for the first time, when it all winds up on Aug. 16, there will be a juried show of the 50 hottest cars at the Northwood Shopping Center, at Woodward Avenue and 13 Mile.