c51stvette

June 11 is the last day to get discounted tickets. I have been trolling the Great Lakes Events forum and quite a few of the posters have tended to trash the last few events.

I guess management of the event has changed hands and this will be last time it will be held in the Chicago area. It is about a 600-mile round trip for me.

Any C5 general guys want to put their 2 cents in?

I see they have a 2 hour semiar ($100) for c4,c5,c6 maintenance. Over priced? Bill Curlee is not listed. I would pay if he was there. Do they demostrate with real parts? Or do they just sit and talk?

Thought about going to Carlisle last year as a short vacation but the hurricane stopped that.

yyukon

I went a couple off years ago. Pheasant Run is a nice facility.

I was looking for modified Corvettes. There where some there. But this show is primarily about original cars.

They had some venders in attendance. But as one gentleman said "Lots of T-shirts and jewelry, but where are the car parts?".

Mid America Funfest in Effingham, Illinois has more venders, free seminars, celebrities, and a free vintage rock concert on saturday night. Look it up on Mid Americas web site.

If you like cars in general. You might try going to a Goodguys Rod and Custom show. Most shows are for 1972 and older cars. Some of the shows draw 5000+ entries. Large vender area, arts & crafts, swap meet, autocross, etc.

There is one at Indianapolis this fall. There shows are all over the country. Should be one near you. I have been to 5 events & they set the standard for all other shows.

c51stvette

yyukon

Thanks for your reply. I have a friend with an old '62 Convertible. He was interested in going but if the swap meet is sparse we may skip the whole deal.

I don't have any real goal in going. But if the seminars were cheaper and they had one just for C5's, I might reconsider.

killain

Huh, this a lot like being a NCRS member. I am, but if you don't enjoy the history and pedigree of a Corvette or some Corvettes, then your going to be disappointed. The attraction for the young men and women to either organizations is only in the history of the Corvette. Many people LOVE a Ford Mustang. They can tell you the color by year and what was the real options for this year and that year and of course you Have the late Carrol Shelby, the father of the Mustang.

We don't have that connection, but it's quite a bit distance since Zora died in 1975 ( I might be wrong) and that is the disconnect in the Corvette crowd. and I have to admit that we as collectors and Corvette enthusiasts who have a desire to find out about the Corvette, but beyond that, there isn't any attraction for someone to own a collectable Corvette, and of course, a collectable Corvette or even one that might be collectable car is so distant as the price of a collectable Corvette is obscene.

I am a member for the only reason as I once restored a 79 L48 and it was great to spent fifteen years on a project and finally win a Second flight Award. But beyond that there's no attraction and today most C4 & C5/6 owners are more interested in modding their car in a sound and appearance only. Bloomington, Il holds no attraction for me. And for the most part NCRS is an elitist group. Just my $0.02

leebay

Pheasant run is a nice facility, I was there four years ago and it was a ten hour drive one way. Would I go again? NO If your looking for a restored or original C1, C2, C3 then you might find your dream car.

Virtual Geezer

The Corvette is a Boomermobile. Go to any Vette show, and you'll see a confab of overweight old guys (like me) and very few young people. I've owned Vettes for 20 years and the geezer-to-youngster ratio is getting worse every year. And the car is getting too expensive. Recently saw a new C6 Grand Sport (not even a Z06!) with a $75,000+ sticker. That leaves most people out of the equation (especially me).

Like others have said here, if you want to see lots of very well preserved and restored Corvettes, you'll like Bloomington Gold. If you're a Mod Monster, you'll be disappointed.

Vetteman Jack

I've gone to Bloomington Gold probably 18 times over the years, but the last time was 2-3 years ago. Back then I found it was a real bust as there were hardly any quality used parts vendors but tons of Corvette apparel vendors. Hopefully things have changed a bit since then as I would like to go again this year. If I do go and things haven't changed, then this most likely will be my last one even with the planned move.

QCVette

I used to like the shows in Bloomington about 20 years ago. They had a big swap meet area with a lot of used vendors, They also had a lot of cars in the for sale lots.

The last time I went was 2 years ago. I was pretty disappointed with the small amount of used parts, and there weren't very many for sale cars but most of them were either restored and pricey or junk (and still pricey).

I will probably go this year and check it out again.

I am looking forward to next year and Champaign. They may be making some changes and I hope they can bring it back better.

99 VET

Agree w/Vetteman Jack's post. I may go this yr since it's close & the last one here. I'm not planning on making the trip down state in the future, IMO it's not worth it...

CHJ In Virginia

Bloomington is almost all NCRS as stated above. If you want to find parts vendors new and old, go to Corvettes at Carslyle in PA. A huge show, lots of seminars, MANY parts vendors, huge cars for sale area. Well worth the trip. Plan on spending at least 2 full days to begin seeing it all.

QCVette

Corvettes at Carslyle sounds like an event that I would like. It is quite a drive from here though.

I think I will give Bloomington Gold another try this year and see how it is next year in Champaign. They are both pretty short drives from here.

c51stvette

I think you guys have convinced me that the PA event would be more interesting. I might try the Gold show if my friend with '62 would like to check out what is available.