Covering the costs of overtime for police, fire and trash collection, along with smaller expenses such as T-shirts for volunteers and signs for special events, requires brainstorming, hard work and luck.

Ferndale, which has a corporate sponsor, comes close to breaking even on its costs. Others, such as Berkley, rely heavily on the goodness of volunteers -- hundreds of them.

But most city leaders don't expect to recover expenses from the world's biggest one-day auto event.

Ferndale City Manager Robert Bruner Jr. said Ford Motor Co.'s sponsorship -- which gives about $30,000 to the city -- and fees collected from car show participants help defray the city's costs, but the event has rarely made money for them.

'It's a cost we don't expect to recover,' Bruner said. 'We can't count on it making money. It's the 14th year. We know what to expect at this point.'

In Royal Oak, cruisers started motoring up and down Woodward Avenue, daily, months ago.

Greg Rassel, director of public works, said the city has budgeted $120,000 to cover Cruise-related costs for the day before and the day of the event, but the city's expenses have grown higher every year because activity along the avenue increases every weekend throughout the entire summer.

'But this is where the costs of the Cruise isn't really fully captured. The event is designed for Friday and Saturday, but the weekend before it's just as busy in terms of enforcement calls and cleanup. It's a one-day event that starts Memorial Day weekend and ends the third Saturday of August,' Rassel said wryly.

Huntington Woods, which can boast only a half-mile of the famous boulevard, has cut back on its Dream Cruise expenses, spending around $30,000 -- which is thousands less than years past.

'At this point, we are taking a lower-key approach. It's economics. It's expensive to do this. Most cities are struggling with their own budget. We will still need public safety support and DPW but we don't do much with events,' said city Finance Director Richard Lehmann.

Berkley City Manager Jane Bais-DiSessa said her city does recoup all of its expenses -- about $100,000 -- but only through the tireless effort of hundreds of local volunteers who do everything from staffing refreshment stands to setting up children's activities.

Berkley also attracts hundreds of volunteer police officers who come from across Michigan to help police the city's big Friday Dream Cruise parade down 12 Mile. They do the work for free because they love the event, she said.

'We work very hard and my staff and I work so hard to come up with sponsors and volunteers,' Bais-DiSessa said.'There is just no way we can afford this without the help. It's a year-round endeavor to get ready for this.'