vettemike66

I understand what you're saying. I don't want to see the show end either. But to get me to drive two hours each way, it has to offer more than a local car show. No, I was not a bidder at the auctions, because I couldn't afford the mid year I wanted. But at least you could see all kinds of cars, hear them run, and even speak to some of the owners and sit in the cars. I felt it was more interactive, and it attracted more Corvette owners to the Gold Mine sellers lot as well. Now without the auction fewer people are going to come to buy/sell, and fewer people without Corvettes are going to come, because it doesn't offer much unless you have a car and are in a club, want to have your car judged, or are looking for parts. The auction is not coming back, so long as Corvette owners/buyers can visit auctions in their home regions. So the BG organizers need to think of a new venue closer to a major city, and of new ways to attract younger Corvette fans to actually participate in the show, rather than just be spectators.

Let's be frank here. The Corvette hobby is aging fast, and regardless of venue or auctions, the hobby needs to change if it is going to be passed on to the next generations. The average new Corvette buyer is over 70 years old, while more than 75% of classic Corvette owners are over 55 years old. Part of the problem is that younger drivers just cannot afford classic cars of any kind, yet. Some day they will, but to keep the interest in these cars high, they need more exposure. My biggest advice to the older crowd if Corvette owners? Drive your cars! We didn't grow up with the older cars, and most of us have never driven one or even had a ride in one. Most younger drivers don't have access to the older vettes other than local car shows, where old men put up signs that say "Don't touch." These younger drivers need to actually experience these cars if they are ever going to want to buy them.

The best Corvette experience I've ever had was sponsored by Hagerty Classic Car insurance. They let younger drivers actually drive them! I drove a '63 split window for the first time! That's the kind of experience we need to keep the hobby going.

GRipp 73

I am with VetteMike. I consider myself one of the still younger guys that drive a classic Corvette. I am 31, driving a 41 year old beauty! I was bit by the Corvette / Classic car bug while I was young, but I did not grow up in a family that was into cars. In fact, my parents never worked on their cars, and always had the maintenance done by someone else.

What did it for me? Getting to ride and drive a friends parents '69 El Camino with the two speed powerglide! That was fun!

As for affording the classic cars, there are some of us, but not many, and we are also the generation that learned that everything is disposable and if it breaks, just go buy a new one. But between student loans, mortgage, kids, and of course taxes, the disposable income isn't what it used to be. I hear stories from my parents generation that they would work an extra job in the summer or work a few overtime hours in a factory to get some extra coin to buy that muscle car back in the day. I don't know of many jobs anymore where you can earn $30k+ in a summer to buy a Camaro SS, Mustang Cobra, or SRT-8 Mopar.

Then there is the part that very few of us know how to work on these beasts. Dwell? Points? Vacuum? You mean I don't just turn the key, wait a few seconds for all the gizmos to adjust, fire the car up and put it in gear?

Not to sound mean / inconsiderate, but at the last "car get together" I believe I was the only Corvette guy there that didn't have grey hair.

For me, I wish I had a bigger garage to grab up a couple more classics. But for now, I will settle for what I have and be content to keep her running the best I can.

I never considered going to BG, but I really want to make it out to Carlisle!

vettemike66

I have a few ideas of how to make Bloomington Gold, and the Corvette hobby in general, more accessible and interactive for the younger generation of Corvette fans. Please feel free to share your thoughts or contribute ideas of your own.

1) Invite Corvette owners to sponsor a young fan for the show. Whether it is a neighbor, family friend, or local kid from school, bring a kid to the show.

2) Let a young fan be a junior BG judge for the day. He/she can shadow a BG judge and learn all about the cars and what to look for, and what makes them special.

3) Invite Corvette owners to take a kid on a ride-along during the Gold Tour. Many young Corvette fans rarely get to ride in these cars. Their first ride in one can plant the seed for future interest in the hobby. My first ride in a '62 and a '65 got me hooked!

4) Let some of these young fans with a drivers license take them for a spin! Hagerty asks owners of their insured cars to show young drivers how to drive a manual, and share what makes the cars so special. Or maybe Chevrolet can provide some of their cars expressly for young fans to drive.

I know finding Corvette owners willing to let a 16 year old drive their cars is rare, much less sit in them. But if you want younger Corvette fans to become hooked on these cars like you did, and want to buy these cars like you did, then you have to give them experiences with them like you had. If younger drivers can't experience these cars in action, and learn what makes them so special, I don't see how the hobby can survive.

logansrun73

Both Wendy and I are glad to have met you and your daughter. It was a great time. It was are first time there and we would do it again. It is fun getting a little something for the car. I couldn't find the right shirt and hat I wanted but I will eventually find it. Also the road tour was a blast... It made me feel good to see all the people watching along the way and the smile on all the little kids when I would rev up the engine for them.. Even a simple honking of the horn would really get them going. Going back to Champaign was just as fun got to open it up a little with the group of cars we were with. It felt like I had a free pass for the couple of hours.:rofl We both look forward to hooking up again with you and meeting your wife.

histoy

We took a 2 lane road through some small towns and had a great time driving our '64 to BG. I lost count of the number of people taking pictures of our car, and the smiles and waves are priceless! We enjoyed the weekend with our friends from Kentucky, and we had a great time visiting with people on the grounds and at the motel. The ride home this morning on the interstate was fun, because we got to see a lot of C5 & C6 cars passing us on their way home. For some reason our '64 wanted to run a little hotter than usual, so I kept it around 65mph.

We didn't go to BG last year, and we were disappointed with this year's show for all the reasons already mentioned by others. One thing not mentioned yet was the road tour. We hiked over a mile from our motel with our chairs so that we could sit on University Avenue and watch the Vettes drive by. We were disappointed because they were so spread out, rather than arriving in a caravan like we've seen in other years.

We were impressed by the number of cars that were judged on Saturday, and with the large number of judging teams. We couldn't remember that many judging teams in previous years, and certainly not in the year when we had our '82 Collector Edition judged. Only 1 team did all the C3s that year.

We had to drive only 3 1/2 hours to get to BG, but I doubt that we'll attend again in the future. It's just not that big of an attraction for us in its present form.

tommyn

The thing I just don't get is so many saying its just your average cruise night car show. Yes that is true in the daily parking lot.
The cars on the judging field were simply incredible. Have you guys ever take the time to speak to some of those on the judging field? Some of the stories on these cars is incredible. Some of these cars are in private collections and this is one of the only times you may ever be able to see such a car.
I have been lucky to have been around for some of the greatest events live. Back is St Charles a few years back when all the L88's fired up and drove on to the judging field was incredible. As great are the high HP corvettes of today are the sound and smell of those animals is great.
With the power of the LS engine you would be surprised on how many guys 20-30 have C5's and C-6's in the Chicagoland area.

TraceZ

I'm back home after the show (4.5 hour drive) with time to reflect on what went right, and what I suggest for next year to improve it. This was my 8th Bloomington Gold.

We counted 518 cars on the cruise. The same number as last year, so there was no dip in attendance there, but I do recall the cruise including many more cars in St. Charles.
The cruise took twice as long to drive as it did last year with much of the trip 10mph stop and go. It was difficult for us in our manual transmission cars. Last year there was not such an issue. I recommend spacing the cars out better so we are not as bunched up. Maybe stop everyone for 10 seconds at an intersection before letting the next car go?

A lot of people were hanging out in the parking lot by there cars. It was fun to meet them and spend time talking cars. It was also hot and sunny. It would of been great if there was a cart going around selling beverages.

We really missed the auction. The auction was exciting to watch and the field of cars was great fun to walk around and look at. You could hear them run, see the doors and hoods get opened, etc. The auction also gave buyers reason to shop the vendor areas for items for their newly purchased cars. Those buyers brought money with them, and that is gone.

The Great Hall was excellent as always. Enjoyed viewing the cars and reading their stories very much.

I loved the food. It's not very often I get carnie food and it's always a treat.

It would of been cool if the NCM had the sink hole Corvettes on display.

We were REALLY happy we got to test drive a couple C7 Corvettes. Driving them got us excited about the new generation and I'm optimistic that once folks see and drive this car in person it will catch on quickly. We even got the chance to do a couple 0-60 blasts and let me tell you, the C7 is quick!

GM had the C7 Z06 on display in both coupe and convertible Z07 trim. VERY impressive car. Their product engineer that was on site Saturday was extremely knowledgeable and we had a great conversation. I learned that in 2015 it will be available in "Sunrise Orange Metallic" which will be very close to Atomic Orange. Did you know it only takes 12HP to push a C7 coupe down the road at 60mph? VERY cool!!

I would of liked to have been able to sit in the C7 Z06 and maybe hear the engine run.. but I'm not going to complain because the display was excellent. There was even a cutaway Z06 that showed off the models technical advancements well.

There needs to be a cone-course setup in one of the big parking lots for autocross fun.

There needs to be a chassis dyno competition.

The ZENTH SURVIVOR CARSHOW needs to be brought back for Sunday morning! We used to really love that show and truly miss it. It was the reason we came back to the grounds Sunday. This time we left much earlier.

It was a lot a driving for us, but it was still an enjoyable time. We're going to be there again next year.

Here is to next year, and my hopes that someone is listening and can look at some of these comments and suggestions to help maybe make next years show a step in the right direction.

Midnight 85

Two of my friends and I went out Saturday and while one friend was a seasoned veteran of past BG shows the other guy was looking for a Corvette. We had a golf cart and we wandered in to the area where they were allowing test drives. Some guy came up to us and basically told us to get the hell off their driving area. There was not a car moving anywhere. I asked him if they had a Corvette for my friend to try, he told me he would answer me when I got off his damn lot. Nice representative there. I have to defend BG's swap layout, there was a lot of construction going on so the full area was not available. The swap area was way down but what bothered me the most is that the spectators were down even more. We got there around noon and was leaving at 3:30 and we had seen everything we wanted to see. Normally it took us 5-6 hours to do the same thing.
I can't believe the northern Illinois people bitching because it is not in their back yard any more, what about people from out of state? I think we are fortunate the show is even in our state.
I agree that it does look as if the event is dying but I sincerely hope not, I am unsure right now if I will go again next year.

egon

We planned on going Fri and Sat (been hearing for years that it's a big show) and after flying 3 hours, drove 2 hours from Chicago so after all the waiting and shuttles it was close to a full day getting there.

We went through the gate around 10:00 and the show was my first time so I didn't really have too much for expectations other than what I've read about it. Well that's not entirely true... even though I wasn't planning on buying anything, the auction would have been nice to see just to see what certain cars are bringing. Where I really was disappointed was in the swap meet and vendor area. It took about 45 minutes to go through it all. I was looking for a nice 68-69 front bumper and saw a 70-72 style so stopped to have a look. It looked straight but needed chrome so it was a good core. The guy REALLY tried to convince me that 68-72 were all the same and that $200 was a great price for it...

So then we wandered over to The Great Hall. That was small but the cars were impressive. I really liked the story about the silver and the black mid-years that inspired the way cars are judged now!

Then it was off to check out the judging field. Well it was Fri and I realized that judging was on Saturday but I still figured all the cars would be on the field. There weren't many and those that were there were parked as randomly as the sellers in the vendor lot so I was quite disappointed in the whole event in general. We left thinking "oh well, at least we saw it...."

Just before we left home my girlfriend saw that there was an NHRA event at the Route 66 Speedway with night drags on Saturday. We figured that would be pretty cool to see so the plan was to head there if we saw everything on Friday so that's what we did. We planned on being there around 4pm so we still had time to kill so because we were close, we went back to the show Saturday morning.

I hear that the vendor area was even worse but the Judging Field was AMAZING and everything that a corvette guy should expect! I was totally impressed with the 68-69 turnout from the ZL1 to the 10k mile Cortez Silver coupe which I took tons of pics for my reference. The quality and caliber of the cars was second to none save for an NCRS national event. I'm really glad we went back!

Would we go back? Probably but only if we planned on taking in some other event the same weekend. Going for just the cars is a stretch for me. I like swap meets and judging events, I've been to several NCRS winter regional meets and the swap meet is great and even though there aren't as many, the quality and variety of the cars can be as good as Bloomington.

RyanR0101

I liked the ride and drive. It would have been nice to have an autocross course or something, but I suppose if I owned those cars, I wouldn’t want someone doing that to my cars either.

I also enjoyed the judging field, as I always do. It would have been nice to have some activity on Friday rather than on Sunday when nobody was around.

I thought the swap meet layout made more sense this way, all in one big block rather than spread out in a couple quadrants with funny shaped rows. A lot of vendor spaces were empty, though, and the vendors were scattered about. Why can’t they sell spaces, and then fill the vendors in as they come so everything is together and nobody’s out in la la land by themselves? Maybe even ask them when they plan on leaving, so the people packing up later are closer to the gate.

Same comment on the cars for sale. A couple were really out in the back forty. This isn’t good for buyers or sellers. Just fill them in as they come.

Good thought on the “party in the park” thing, but $20/head for a dinner is ridiculous. We went to a restaurant and got a real meal for that.

I was sad there was no auction. If Mecum doesn’t want to do the auction, get someone else. Extra bonus if they don’t charge exorbitant buyer and seller premiums like Mecum does. The auction was always a fun part of the show for me, even though I wasn’t buying or selling. It’s also a nice place to rest after walking around a few hours.

There should have been an entrance or two adjacent to the Corvette parking. Making us walk all the way up to the front just to get in was silly. Or, make the Vette parking inside the fence and take tickets at the entrance like they did at Pheasant Run.

Speaking of parking, the handicapped Corvette parking was all the way across the grounds from the scooter rentals, with no provisions for transporting those who might need it. Who thought that one up?

The Goldschool seminars…these should have been put on in tents set up in all the vacant vendor or car corral space, and they should have been free. This would have been a really nice addition to the show, and something interesting to see. Instead, they charge $100 to see them. Stop being so cheap and put this type of thing on for free like Carlisle does.

The road tour…or should I say 25 mile parade. Good grief, it was slow. Way slower than last year. And I was close to the front of the pack. The later cars are probably still out there. We peeled off onto the interstate after the switchback. What the heck happened here? This is really the pits in a stick shift. And nobody had any info on staging, times, etc. I was told, “They’ll start directing you.” Okay, so just sit in the parking lot and hope someone comes???

They had an MC on that Bloomington Gold radio or whatever. Announce what frequency it is, and give us some show updates every couple songs. I was sitting across from him listening, wondering when the tour was going to start, and not a word.

I too want this show to survive, but it just seems like they put it on the last couple years without much thought or organization.

ZR Guy

From Bloomington Gold
As in past years, I will try to not argue or disagree with any of the comments and statements made. Everyone is entitled to their comments and opinions; that is the purpose of this forum.
I'm sorry for those who did not have a good time or found the event not satisfactory. We will continue to work hard to improve and continue to grow the show (yes grow).
With that said, I will post some facts about this year's show. Real facts, not exaggerated material to just make things sound good.

* Chevrolet display was down a bit due to the Heritage Race trailer going to a Vintage race on the same weekend. But they brought plenty, including ZO6 coupe, convert, & rolling chassis (more than shown anywhere), plus the 2015 Pacific and Atlantic model. Plus new trucks and Camaro.
* There were more dealers than previous year. Unfortunately, they have very few new C7s available, as they are selling all they get.
* Vendor space was UP from previous year, which was up from the year before that. Maybe because it was in such a big lot, people did not think it was more.... but it was.
* Autocross was cancelled. We tried to have it or fast laps adjacent to the vendor lot, but U of I could not accept the liability and would not allow us to hold it. It was too late to put it together at another location.
* Gold Tour - In 2013 we had 854 cars. This year we had 1086 Vettes on the Tour. This is not our number - it is counted by a third party in Monticello. It did go much slower this year and we are looking into what slowed the drive so much so we can fix for next year.
* Party after the Tour - this was not very successful, mostly because tour got cars back after 8:30. Food was cold and some was gone. We apologize up and down on this one and we messed up. Didn't expect the late late return of Tour.
* Cars being judges was up 20% in number of cars. Most Vettes judged in a many years. Had to add judging teams to many divisions. And more significant cars included; L88s, LS6, ZL1, LT1s, and more.
* NEW Survivor Corvette judging - We think a great success and will revolutionize that part of the judging world. Much more robust program with higher criteria to earn highest awards. Judging ran smooth and efficient.
* Attendance - Don't have final counts yet, but here's what we know:
Sunday was very low. Always fight issues on Sunday (church, family time, etc). We will discuss and see what we can do.
Saturday was very strong. (Not sure why some posts say otherwise.) Vettes attending that were parked in Goldfield was huge sea of fiberglass. Varied through afternoon but was in 1,200 - 1,400 cars through afternoon. Plus Vettes on judging, Gold Member, 64s, special displays , etc. Some vendors said they were "bombed" and couldn't do any more.
* Seminars. Some had small attendance but most had 20s in them. Cost was $100 for whole day (to go to all ) and 1/2 the money goes to charity. We would welcome input from those who attended so we can build / improve.
* Someone circulated a flyer saying B G was returning to Pheasant Run. That is not true and certainly misleading. Attendees from Chgo suburbs would favor that but it is not our plan to do so.

All for now.
For those who attended and support the event, we hope you enjoyed the event and thank you very much. Please send any comments to us at info@bloomingtongold.com.

B Gold Guy

Quick Silver Z

Class act Guy, thank you!

TraceZ

We were the 8th to the last car in the tour. We could see the tow trucks behind us with their flashing light bars the entire way.

We used a cell phone "tally" app and counted every single car that passed us on the way back.

We counted 518 cars.

Did we somehow miss half the cars? We didn't know about any post-party. Did half the cars divert to the party?

ZR Guy

Trace Z,
We've seen several different car counts. 518 would be the lowest. Obviously that is a long way from the 1086 that the Monticello count reported to us.
Even if many Vettes split off (went to dinner, went home,.... which does happen) the difference is great.
Whatever the number, I hope you had fun and the slowness wasn't too big a problem. We will want to correct that aspect next year for sure !

Thanks for participating .
B G Guy

tommyn

ZR Guy, It was a great show! As usual I have seen sand spoke with owners of some of the most significant corvettes in history. This is always a great time for me. I will say, I had good results from the swap meet but did speak with some of the smaller vendors who were not doing as well as the large t-shirt / late model accessories guys. Also a few of the vendors in the single tent across the road said they felt like they were on a island. Hope you can get the bumps ironed out and continue to grow. Can you give an idea as to what will be replacing the great hall?

ZR Guy

TommyN
Thanks for feedback. The vendors across road did have a tough time. We began making announcements about them every 20 mins and tried to build up traffic.
Regarding the post Grt Hall - stay tuned ... we have a couple concepts to narrow down. What would you suggest?
B G Guy

Jeff T.

Being only my second time the layout seemed quite fragmented from the year before. As I stated in an earlier post, the university construction was the cause and something you, BG, had to work around.

Great Hall, OK, what is it, where was it, I missed it completely.

Gold Tour - We had one officer direct us the wrong way at the Shady Point left turn. Oops... Maybe a little signage along the way or temporary arrows on the pavement like marathons and such?

I know I'm probably in the minority, but the burnouts in the square scare the bejesus out of me. One car have something break or lose control and someone could be severely injured or worse. I would think many of us would rather have a chance to "open" them up a little along the long straight towards the square.

What slowed the Tour? Did you see all the folks with signs "Burnouts Here" and then the corresponding tire marks? That might have had something to do with it.

Like I said previously, I still had a great time and will be back.

As I've learned in life, look for the positives!

Good Luck!

tommyn

I like the idea of a dyno, the autocross sounds interesting.
Maybe a organized road trip to the show similar to the NCRS / NCM events. From Chicagoland this may be a great way to get more of the guys down for the day.
I enjoyed how the indoor hall has changed up. The L88's were amazing.
I like the race cars myself. Maybe a challenge car display, tuner display including past (yenko) and more current (callaway, mallet). C5-C6 race car gathering as many of those cars are now in private hands.
As much as I enjoy the burn outs, on the road tour, I have taken my 60 and 66 both of which are not going to be abused on the street. I also dropped out of the tour with the survivor 66 as the guy ahead of me wanted to do the whole turn spinning the tires and throwing road debris. I grew up watching the burn out contest late into the night at the holiday inn. I also have seen un controlled burnouts go terribly wrong. Maybe a controlled burn out box similar to Carlisle for those who care to.

DRM87

Voice of a young guy here (27) and long time attendee. I've been to Bloomington, Springfield, St. Charles, and Champaign.

Honestly, last year at Champaign was to date my favorite year. What happened this year? No auction, vendors were too spread out (not by assembly hall), displays were not organized very well.

I hope next years layout goes back to around assembly hall. I think I would be great as well if the non vette items, and tshirt, memorabilia items could be moved into assembly hall (compare to indoor vendors at st. Charles), that or move the great hall into assembly hall.

Really, I think autocross would have been a nice touch. I hope hey get that going next year. Also a Dyno setup and burnout competition would draw crowds.

I go to see things, and I know the swap meet is a big part of it, but I like to see unique exhibits. Bring me more than 10 cars in the great hall, bring me competitions (Dyno, burnout, autocross), bring me auctions, bring me special display years ( all grand sports, zr1s, z06s, zl1s, l88s). I want the best part of every show in one. I will continue to go every year, but I hope to see thins to draw younger crowds in the future.

RyanR0101

Looking at the photo website, there are 1172 pictures of Corvettes. He appears to have taken 2 shots of every car, so that puts it at about 586 cars that made it to Monticello.