CASCADE, Mich. — It'll be a busy weekend for Rog Brands. He works security at Rogers Plaza in Wyoming during the 28th Street Metro Cruise. But he loves the event so much that he brought his hot rod out a little early for the "Metro Cruise Warm Up."
"I have a '71 Cuda convertible down the way. It's black. It's got a 6.1 Hemi in it. It's a retro ride, so it's a really great driver. Runs all nice," he said.
The Warm Up serves as the unofficial kickoff to the 28th Street Metro Cruise, an annual event that brings hundreds of thousands of people to the 28th Street corridor every August. The cruise was designed to help drive business to the area after M-6 opened. But for Brands and many other regulars, the camaraderie of car lovers is what keeps them coming back to the Metro Cruise year after year.
"Looking at cars, meeting people. I'm kind of an outgoing guy, so it's fun to talk to people and see what they've done and see what other ideas people have for cars," he said.
"I was never interested in sports. I've always been interested in the cars and mechanical things. And yeah, so I've been playing with cars my whole life."
The Metro Cruise Main Event runs from 2 to 9 p.m. on Friday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday at Rogers Plaza. There will be several pit stops in Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Grandville and Cascade throughout the weekend. You can find a complete schedule on the event's website.