Birmingham has become a rogue ex-member of the Woodward Dream Cruise with plans to host its own, separate car cruise on Aug. 15, the same day as the big event.

Members of the nonprofit Woodward Dream Cruise Inc., the fund-raising arm of the world's largest one-day classic-car extravaganza, are upset that Birmingham is riding the coattails of the official cruise and that radio station WCSX has used the licensed Woodward Dream Cruise name to promote the city's event.

The city's plan, discussed at a Dream Cruise board meeting Monday, comes just months after it opted out of Dream Cruise board membership. Most cruisers will likely not notice that Birmingham is holding a separate event, because city organizers are setting up automotive exhibits, sponsor displays and vendors in the same spot downtown near Lincoln as in past years.

Officials in Birmingham, which spent $60,000 on the cruise last year and said it plans to slash that amount to $20,000 this year, say their decision to back out of the board due to staffing and economic demands did not mean they would back out of the nostalgia-filled event itself, which draws 1.5 million car enthusiasts. "The cruise is the cruise and we all know it's going to continue on Woodward with or without Birmingham. We looked at our resources and we can still do a scaled down car show," said John Heiney, executive director of Birmingham's Principal Shopping District.

Still, the decision by Birmingham to hold its own cruise on the same day as the official one did not sit well with delegates from the eight remaining cruise communities in Oakland County.

Dream Cruise board President Greg Rassel sent a letter to Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus last month informing him that Birmingham is not authorized or licensed to use Woodward Dream Cruise logos or names.

Rassel also wrote that WDC Inc. officials expect that Birmingham wouldn't "take any action or produce any cruise events that may cause confusion with the relevant public as to its relationship" with the official cruise.

Yet one participating cruise city defended Birmingham's decision to hold its own car event, saying the city's departure from the board signals a return of the Dream Cruise to a local event, just as it started nearly two decades ago.

"The thing has a life of its own. It doesn't belong to any one community or the WDC Inc.," Ferndale City Manager Bob Bruner said. "People are going to show up with their cars on Woodward Avenue."

The Dream Cruise board raises money through merchandise sales, media sponsorships and other promotions. Most of its money goes toward paying an executive director. The remainder is supposed to reimburse participating communities along Woodward Avenue for police and fire overtime, yet the organization has not made enough money in the past two years to do that.

Most communities break even on the cruise or simply do not recoup costs, which run into the tens of thousands for overtime for emergency services and cleanup.

Despite the board's financial issues, the official 15th annual Woodward Dream Cruise will go on as usual on Woodward Avenue from Ferndale to Pontiac this year, and is expected to draw more than 40,000 classic cars from sunup to sundown. The Birmingham Cruise Event will take place along Old Woodward Avenue inside the downtown business district and just west of the main drag of Woodward Avenue.

Meanwhile, Dream Cruise board members say they will continue to protect the event's brand. For years, Dream Cruise lawyers have sent warnings to merchandise vendors, radio and TV stations and anyone else who used the event's trademarked name, logo or other protected brands without permission.

"I view it as more of a distraction than a threat," Rassel said of Birmingham's separate cruise event. "Birmingham had a fear they would have to ante up money this year. We would love to have Birmingham back. If we (WDC Inc. board) were more financially sound, Birmingham would come back."

Rassel said WCSX was using licensed WDC materials to promote Birmingham's event. Radio station WOMC is the official Dream Cruise station and one of its business sponsors.

Calls to WCSX were not returned Monday.

In the past three years, Birmingham has lost all of its major corporate sponsors, including Ford Motor Co. and General Motors. Many car companies have bowed out of events due to the economy. Heiney said the city is in negotiations with WCSX to promote its event but no contract has been signed yet.

"The event will still happened whether Birmingham is on the board or not. The cruisers will come down Woodward Avenue. We want to give cruisers something to do," he said.