Update: Next year's tour will be August 18-23, 2009!

Club 27 Bar Sign by Alan C of Marion,IN

In Old U.S. 27 classic car cruise to traverse mid-Michigan, The Saginaw News reports that the second annual Old U.S. 27 Auto Tour begins today in Coldwater and includes four stops in mid-Michigan en-route to a finish Saturday in Cheboygan. This year they are expecting about 300 cars. Cruise organizer Craig Parrish of Lansing says that:

He began the tour as a way to draw attention to his effort of getting Old U.S. 27 designated as a "Heritage Route," which would get it on the National Scenic Byways list with other famous stretches such as Route 66, which begins and Chicago and ends in Santa Monica, Calif.

"There are only a few roads in the United States with that designation," Parrish said. "Nostalgia is a big thing right now. Old U.S. 27 is the way you went up north or to Florida."

...This will be the new Route 66," Parrish said. "We want the same designation, marketing, grant and funding opportunities as it has.

According to the Old US 27 Motor Tour web site - which features a sweet photo of 27 near Claire from the 1950s - there are stops planned for Wednesday in Marshall & Lansing, Thursday in St. Johns, Ithica, St. Louis & Claire, Friday in Harrison & Grayling and Saturday in Gaylord & Cheboygan.

You can get some great photos from all along US 27 in the US Highway 27 pool on Flickr and learn more about 27 through the US Route 27 entry on Wikipedia and also the excellent US 27 article on MichiganHighways.org.