It's always a treat to see a couple dozen Corvettes clustered together at a Super Chevy Show; to admire their sinuous forms and appreciate the workmanship that the owners have lavished upon them, whether they're carefully restored to better than new, or sporting custom paint, trick wheels and tires, and massive infusions of additional horsepower.
So imagine what it's like to go to a Corvettes-only show, an event that draws not several dozen but several thousand examples of the ultimate Super Chevy to one locale. This scenario actually happens three or four times a year: at Bloomington Gold (the self-proclaimed "Granddaddy of Corvette shows"), Corvettes at Carlisle, the National Corvette Museum's annual Labor Day bash, and Mid America Designs' Corvette Funfest.
Bloomington is for the purists (and three days of Corvettes being auctioned, usually at grossly inflated prices). Carlisle is a little of everything: an immense swap meet, Vettes for sale, a Corvette auction, National Corvette Restorers Society and National Council of Corvette Clubs-judged events, and a highly casual party atmosphere. The NCM's Labor Day event features car shows, road tours, Corvette celebrities, and driving events (drag racing and autocross) at nearby Beech Bend Raceway.
Bloomington and Carlisle are both for-profit events, put on by promoters. The Corvette Museum's show helps raise operating funds for the NCM. There are registration fees and some other charges, depending on what activities the participants want to be involved in, for all three events. Then there's Corvette Funfest, which is put on by Mid America Designs, one of the largest Corvette parts and accessories operations in the world. There are no registration fees or admission charges at Funfest, which began and still exists as a customer appreciation event. The expected goodie bags, with event shirts, dash plaques, pins and more, are handed out to everyone who attends with a Corvette.
Mid America's "My Garage" collection of more than 40 rare and one-off Corvettes (including CERV I, the Corvette Summer movie car, and close to a dozen historically significant race cars) is open to everybody-no charge. There are extensive displays and demonstrations of new products, and even a chassis dyno so those in attendance who sign up early enough can see what kind of power their Vettes are really putting down to the pavement-no charge. About the only things that involve an exchange of dollars are the products that MAD sells, and the prices are discounted for the Funfest weekend. Highly unorthodox!
Mid America Designs' founder, president, and (as his business cards read, "Chief Cheerleader") Mike Yager unveiled the firms Countdown To 50 program, leading up to the Corvette's 50th anniversary.