Destinations: 'Vette Champêtre

Paul Meyers

02/01/2008

At the end of September for the last 14 years, booking a lodging site or hotel room within a 50-mile radius of Effingham, Ill., has become increasingly difficult. Unusual for a small town in the pastoral heartland of the Prairie State, but each year, more Corvette owners tune up their cars—old and new—to drive out to Corvette Funfest. Hosted by Mike Yager, founder of Mid America Motorworks, the three-day event caters to Corvette enthusiasts, providing a venue for owners to parade their cars and participate in a number of automotive-related festivities. "Our goal is to make Corvette Funfest a place where like-minded people can enjoy every aspect of the cars they love," says Yager.

Many attendees schedule their vacation time around the festival, some driving much farther than the 200 miles that I journeyed from Chicago. While the thrills came naturally at the helm of a 2008 Chevrolet Corvette coupe, replete with 436 hp, it was the constant smile and wave from Corvette owners along the way that made miles of flat landscape an enjoyable driving experience.

"We missed the first year," says Fred Whicker, owner of a yellow 1966 Stingray convertible from Indiana, "but we haven’t missed a year since. It keeps getting bigger and better every year."

Three Dog Night provided the entertainment with a special performance on Saturday evening and George Barris—the man behind cult classic designs like the original Batmobile, General Lee, and KITT—was in attendance to spotlight the Custom Corvette display.

Barris has already agreed to return for Funfest 2008, which is scheduled to take place from September 19 to 21, and will highlight the 20th anniversary of the Corvette Challenge Series. "It was amazing to have such a great car show in between cornfields and cow pastures," Barris says. "Corvette owners are simply a different breed of cat."

Corvette Funfest, www.corvettefunfest.com
Mid America Motorworks, www.mamotorworks.com