Corvette Lovers Unite

Today is the beginning of the Bloomington Gold Corvette event. Thousands will be attending this event. I wasn't able to get in to take pictures (I guess I could have if I'd paid the $20. for a one day past. Some of my pictures were taken from the out side though a chain link fence. Actually my prize blips were taken when I pulled into a parking lot where a few Corvette owners were just getting ready to move their cars into the event area. The Corvette I am featuring in my Flickr blips is owned by Jim Anderson from California. He was very kind to allow me to take some pictures. His Corvette is a 1969 and he has won 4 Gold awards for this car. (Gold is the top award in this catagory).

The Bloomington Gold Corvette Show is being held on the grounds surrounding the University of Illinois Assembly Hall and in the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign. This 3 day event started yesterday June 27th. This event will be held here again every year through 2017.

As part of the 2013 event, organizers are taking a crack at breaking the Guinness world record for the most number of Corvettes in a single road tour. The tour, which would include over 2,000 Corvettes, is expected to weave through the country roads surrounding Champaign-Urbana and conclude in downtown Champaign, Illinois.

Highlights of the show include a Corvette auction by Mecum Auctions, a Bloomington Gold certification judging event, a hall of fame, swap meet and more.

The Bloomington Gold Corvette Show began in the 1970s in Bloomington and eventually moved on to other cities, including Springfield. Since 2002 the show has been held at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, a far western suburb of Chicago. The 2013 show will be the first in Champaign County.

The new location in Champaign "is naturally attractive because it's the Midwest and accessible by lots of interstates," said David Burroughs, chief executive officer of Bloomington Gold. But also important is "the brand personality of the town," he said.

"We have to have a small-town atmosphere with big-town infrastructure," Burroughs said.

Among the many reasons they chose Champaign County was the potential for owners to drive country roads in the area and the ease with which Corvette owners can drive to the show.

"With Corvettes, it's a very unique type of event. This is a very different kind of car show. It's high-end and owners are traveling from all over to attend,"

About 60 percent of the event's attendees come from the Midwest, according to Ed Saari, chief financial officer with Bloomington Gold. In previous years some showgoers have come from abroad to buy Corvettes at auction or shipped their Corvettes to the U.S. to have them certified by Bloomington Gold.

Bloomington Gold is said to draw about 40,000 people over its three days. On each day, 2,000 to 3,000 Corvettes can be found in town, according to Saari.

There are about 3,500 hotel rooms in the county and they are believed they will be sell out.
Additional info on the event.