Bloomington Gold is Moving to Champaign, IL in 2013!

[-=Jeff=-]

2012 will be the LAST year in St. Charles.. 2013 it moves to Champaign

I am bummed since I will miss this next year (2012)

maybe I can work it out for Carlisle in 2013.. Ah well, it was fun while it was close, not sure how often I would go while in Champaign

[XfireZ51]

=Jeff=,

I enjoyed BG more when it was in Springfield. The ride was a decent distance, not too long but long enough, and the town pretty much was dominated by BG so it was fun that way. With it at Pheasant Run, it was too easy to just go for a couple of hours and then head home.
I am certain economics were involved but was the Pheasant Run thing worn out?

[LGAFF]

I liked it when there were vendors everywhere, and less of a concours show....

[-=Jeff=-]

Yeah I have to wonder if this will bring more vendors back..

here is a cut and paste of the Press release from Ed Saari

BLOOMINGTON GOLD TO RELOCATE IN 2013
America’s Premiere Corvette Show will move from Pheasant Run
in St. Charles, IL to Champaign, IL.

Champaign, IL, December 20, 2011—Event officials announced today that they will hold their last event at Pheasant Run in 2012 and introduce an updated event in Champaign County in 2013—Bloomington Gold’s 40th Anniversary.

“Although it will be hard to beat the beautiful fairways of Pheasant Run, input from Corvette owning customers wanted more opportunity for socializing and driving events as part of the entire Corvette show experience. It needed to become more dynamic”, said Bloomington Gold CEO, David Burroughs.

He continued, “Our customers own Corvettes because they are fun to drive. So, we needed a venue that not only served our exhibitors and customers who buy/sell and certify Corvettes, but also a venue that makes it easy and fun to navigate to/from and around the community before, during, and after the show. Therefore, we needed a small town atmosphere with big town hotels, great facilities, and quick escape routes to miles of country roads. Champaign, IL has the smaller town atmosphere and the University of Illinois Assembly Hall grounds have everything else.”

“This multi-day event creates millions in economic impact and showcases Champaign County on a national and international level,” said Jayne DeLuce President & CEO of the Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We are excited to bring an event of this magnitude here.”

Begun in 1973, in Bloomington (50 miles northwest of Champaign), Bloomington Gold is not only the longest running national Corvette event but also is noted for innovations that have been commonly copied by many other automotive events. Corvette auctions, swap meets, Certification, SURVIVOR®, educational seminars, and special museum-type displays all began at Bloomington Gold. But what “lit the tires” for most Corvette enthusiasts were the awesome road tours when Bloomington Gold was located in Central Illinois. One of those tours is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest continual road tour of 2,223 Corvettes. That record still stands. A feat simply not practical in the Chicagoland area.

“Even Corvette owners know we don't always do things by the books in Champaign, but for Guinness we'll make an exception," noted Champaign Mayor Don Gerard in regard to an impending World Record. “Downtown Champaign will be the final destination for the Bloomington Gold Road Tour and we'll have food, entertainment and a whole lot of fun waiting for the Cavalcade of Corvettes."

The event will begin with educational seminars on Thursday, June 27 and the Corvette show will run Friday and Saturday. The SURVIVOR® Collector Car event will follow on Sunday, June 30. It is America’s only car event devoted exclusively to un-restored original collector cars of all makes and models. 2013 will mark the sixth year for the SURVIVOR Collector Car event.

[-=Jeff=-]

[LGAFF]

Too bad they can't do Road America or Autoboahn CC

[-=Jeff=-]

Originally Posted by LGAFF

Too bad they can't do Road America or Autoboahn CC

They had an event at Autobahn the last 2 years.. not enough people.. I think a road tour from Champaign would be a blast

[LGAFF]

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

They had an event at Autobahn the last 2 years.. not enough people.. I think a road tour from Champaign would be a blast

I mean host it on the grounds.....years ago in Bloomington and Springfield they has a dyno, lots of salvage parts, new parts, it was great...bought my first corvette there a 73 for $6500(of course I passed on the 68 BB vert....it was a whopping 12K)dumb. The corral used to be huge, not anymore.....

[-=Jeff=-]

Originally Posted by LGAFF

The corral used to be huge, not anymore.....

I think eBay killed that and many of the forums too

[XfireZ51]

Originally Posted by LGAFF

I mean host it on the grounds.....years ago in Bloomington and Springfield they has a dyno, lots of salvage parts, new parts, it was great...bought my first corvette there a 73 for $6500(of course I passed on the 68 BB vert....it was a whopping 12K)dumb. The corral used to be huge, not anymore.....

What was real fun in Springfield was the Renaissance and Marriot Hotels getting together and having a car show and street concert/festival. he parking decks were Corvette only with guards and hoses for washing cars down when you arrived. We basically had the run of the town for the time we were there. 3 hrs from home. Just long enough for a fun ride and a stop for breakfast in Bloomington on the way down. Lots of used parts on the grounds.