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http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2011/05/29/news/doc4de1b163e1fc9224836765.txt
By Mitch Hotts
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
This year, the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour will make the final stop of its seven-city tour at Metro Beach. The community that hosts the finale rakes in even more money, as guests like to stay awhile.
Classic car drivers, fans expected to spend $1 million while in town
Metro Beach will again play host to the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour, this time landing the coveted final date of the tour as well as being the starting point for the 2012 event.
The 1,600-mile, seven-city, seven-day tour of America’s car crazy towns includes millions of dollars’ worth of chrome and automotive eye candy, but also represents big bucks to the finale host community, according to organizers.
In fact, promoters say the tour stop represents about $1.2 million to the area in terms of money spent by drivers and car buffs on hotel rooms, restaurant visits, gas fill-ups and other expenses.
“It’s good to be the end city because that means the whole group will stay here at least overnight and hopefully the entire weekend and spend money in the local communities,” said Chris Baum, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Full details of the June 10 tour stop will be spelled out Wednesday in Warren at a news conference to be attended by Warren Mayor James Fouts and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.
It’s the first time the Hot Rod Tour has been in Michigan since 2009, when more than 4,000 participants roared into Metro Beach for a day of car culture activities and displays of custom vehicles. In past years the tour had also stopped in downtown Mount Clemens.
The 2009 stop was notable because the tour that initially was supposed to hit the GM Tech Center in Warren was moved at the last minute due to the uncertainty over General Motors’ financial future.
Out-of-town hot rodders who were at Metro Beach on the last visit marveled at the park’s 25 acres of flat parking lot for displays and the picturesque ambience of Lake St. Clair as a backdrop.
“It turns out we had the largest attendance of any of the cities on their trip,” Baum said of the previous tour stop. “That’s why we’re glad they’re coming back and they won’t just be passing through. We want everyone to stick around and see what the Motor City has to offer.”
Organizers are making arrangements to have shuttle service available for participants who may want to visit area museums and attractions.
Attractions at the beach event will include some never-before-seen concept cars designed by the GM Performance Division, the 2011 Indy Pace Car Camaro, the Corvette StingRay concept car from the movie “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and more.
Also on June 10, the city of Warren will host a free afterglow party at the Civic Center in front of City Hall on Van Dyke north of 12 Mile Road. It will feature music from Detroit classic rock cover band Fifty Amp Fuse along with a collection of Watson/Hurst vehicles and an appearance from car designer Jack “Doc” Watson.
The Power Tour will be tied in to Autopalooza, a summer-long celebration of southeast Michigan’s automotive heritage through a series of car cruises, races and shows.
The Clinton Township Gratiot Cruise is also affiliated with Autopalooza, so cruise representatives will be involved in a cross-promotion at the Power Tour stop.
“We are honored to be the only Macomb County event that is part of Autopalooza and we’re very excited about the tour stop,” said Gratiot Cruise spokeswoman Tracey Moro.
By Mitch Hotts
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
This year, the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour will make the final stop of its seven-city tour at Metro Beach. The community that hosts the finale rakes in even more money, as guests like to stay awhile.
Classic car drivers, fans expected to spend $1 million while in town
Metro Beach will again play host to the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour, this time landing the coveted final date of the tour as well as being the starting point for the 2012 event.
The 1,600-mile, seven-city, seven-day tour of America’s car crazy towns includes millions of dollars’ worth of chrome and automotive eye candy, but also represents big bucks to the finale host community, according to organizers.
In fact, promoters say the tour stop represents about $1.2 million to the area in terms of money spent by drivers and car buffs on hotel rooms, restaurant visits, gas fill-ups and other expenses.
“It’s good to be the end city because that means the whole group will stay here at least overnight and hopefully the entire weekend and spend money in the local communities,” said Chris Baum, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Full details of the June 10 tour stop will be spelled out Wednesday in Warren at a news conference to be attended by Warren Mayor James Fouts and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.
It’s the first time the Hot Rod Tour has been in Michigan since 2009, when more than 4,000 participants roared into Metro Beach for a day of car culture activities and displays of custom vehicles. In past years the tour had also stopped in downtown Mount Clemens.
The 2009 stop was notable because the tour that initially was supposed to hit the GM Tech Center in Warren was moved at the last minute due to the uncertainty over General Motors’ financial future.
Out-of-town hot rodders who were at Metro Beach on the last visit marveled at the park’s 25 acres of flat parking lot for displays and the picturesque ambience of Lake St. Clair as a backdrop.
“It turns out we had the largest attendance of any of the cities on their trip,” Baum said of the previous tour stop. “That’s why we’re glad they’re coming back and they won’t just be passing through. We want everyone to stick around and see what the Motor City has to offer.”
Organizers are making arrangements to have shuttle service available for participants who may want to visit area museums and attractions.
Attractions at the beach event will include some never-before-seen concept cars designed by the GM Performance Division, the 2011 Indy Pace Car Camaro, the Corvette StingRay concept car from the movie “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and more.
Also on June 10, the city of Warren will host a free afterglow party at the Civic Center in front of City Hall on Van Dyke north of 12 Mile Road. It will feature music from Detroit classic rock cover band Fifty Amp Fuse along with a collection of Watson/Hurst vehicles and an appearance from car designer Jack “Doc” Watson.
The Power Tour will be tied in to Autopalooza, a summer-long celebration of southeast Michigan’s automotive heritage through a series of car cruises, races and shows.
The Clinton Township Gratiot Cruise is also affiliated with Autopalooza, so cruise representatives will be involved in a cross-promotion at the Power Tour stop.
“We are honored to be the only Macomb County event that is part of Autopalooza and we’re very excited about the tour stop,” said Gratiot Cruise spokeswoman Tracey Moro.
