Raising Of The Chevys: A Comerica Park Tradition

DETROIT (WWJ) - Ever wonder how on earth they get those cars up there?

A familiar fixture at Comerica Park is now in place for Detroit Tigers Opening Day -- a pair of Chevys above the General Motors Fountain in the outfield, next to the giant new scoreboard.

Nancy Stec of Elite Showtime Services oversees the operation where the cars are strapped to stationary platforms before being put in place with a large crane.

"It takes real skill on the part of all the players to make sure that everything's going well,"  Stec told WWJ Newsradio 950's Ron Dewey. "And the wind makes it worse, you know, the weather makes a big factor. We always have a rain-out day or a bad weather day in case the winds are too bad to get everything happening."

Stec said the annual "Raising of the Chevys" has become somewhat of a tradition, and is really a sight to see.

"In fact, my nephew came in from Petoskey to watch. I invite everybody to come see ... and everybody's got their cameras going," she said.

The operation takes about three hours: Fountain platforms are taken to street level and the cars are rolled into place before the crane lifts them into place.

GM has sponsored the fountain since the opening of Comerica, except in 2009  during the automaker's bankruptcy. GM renewed their sponsorship the following year.

This year, a 2013 Chevy Malibu will be on display along with a Camaro.