Corvettes
at Carlisle
has always been one of our favorite events of the year.
Our 9th consecutive year
was just as memorable as each of the previous events.
In addition to the fun, we were also able to send
$795.00
to the American
Cancer Society's Harrisburg office as the proceeds
from the 50/50 raffle
we did at the C5/C6 Registry dinner!
Thursday, August 24
Heading out for Carlisle.
In CT I connected with frequent
co-pilot (& bodyguard) Gary Readio.
Arrival stats: 29.7 mpg average for 581 miles
at an average 70 mph ain't hard to take!
Friday, August 25
As we prepared to set up our display, Corvettes
@ Carlisle Head Honcho and all-around nice guy Lance Miller
dropped by to
welcome us and to check out their sponsorship graphics on the hood of the new
Vette.
Setup complete.
A goose-bump inducing rumble right across from
us announced
Lance's arrival in one of the 5 original Grand Sport Corvettes!
Long-time sponsor Marsh Fancher points to his Corvette
Dreams logo.
A new feature this year was the Burnout
Contest, staged right in front of the grandstand.
Whoever created this red smoke
cloud made a big hit hit with an appreciative crowd!
Friday evening
The C5/C6 Registry dinner featured guest
speaker Wil Cooksey (Corvette Plant Manager),
hysterical storytelling by Jake
Drennon and an update by Reeves Callaway on their activities in Europe.
We also did our usual 50/50 Raffle. The
pot had grown to $795.00 when the winning ticket was pulled,
and the generous
winner (whose name unfortunately I didn't get) donated their half back so that the entire
$795.00
went to the American Cancer Society!
After dinner, some of us went upstairs for some
additional socializing.
Saturday, August 26
Sponsor "Yogi" Bair points out his Bair's
Corvettes logo.
Steve Pasteiner of Advanced
Automotive Technologies arrived after an overnight drive from Michigan
in
their brand new C5 based Commemorative Wagon, completed the day before!
Self explanatory...
My Celebrity
Pick: Craig Hester's '62. This is without a doubt the one Corvette
(of the 3600+ I had to pick from)
that Sandy would have chosen. What really made
it was the Torque Thrust wheels! Craig's late father bought it new.
Former Corvette Chief Engineer, Dave McLellan,
spent some time visiting.
Here he autographs the fuel rail cover on my engine.
Above left he is talking to Gary.
"Corvette
Mike" Vietro stopped by to check his sponsor logo on the new car.
Mike
was our very first sponsor when Sandy started Corvettes Conquer Cancer back in
1998.
Thanks Mike!
Saturday evening
Dinner at Sunnyside with the National Corvette
Museum crowd.
Sunday, August 27
3 variations on a theme...
My Celebrity Pick from 3 years ago purred
past...
Judy Miller checked out the Chip
Miller Charitable Foundation graphics on the hood.
Judy is Chip's
widow and Lance's Mom.
"Scale
Visions" Don Theune stopped by while I was approaching the stage for the
closing ceremonies. He creates
a highly detailed model
of a well known Corvette for the Charity Auction at every Corvettes @
Carlisle. He met Sandy
when she was in the
"Chip's Choice" collection in 1999. Sandy's C5 was his subject for
2000.
His Charity auction models are normally one of a kind. His intention for
2000 was to make 2:
One for the Auction, one for the National Corvette Museum.
When I met him at the 2000 Carlisle, he brought 3: One for the Auction, one for
the NCM... and one for ME!!
As I was waiting to approach the stage this year he told me he was thinking of
doing our new C6 for a future Carlisle auction!
For the second year in a row, Carlisle
ended on a very special note for us.
After all the awards and right before the Corvette
Giveaway that concludes the event, we pulled our C6 up in front of the stage.
Dan Feidler gave an emotional recounting of the Gate City Corvette Club
Fundraiser that he chaired which took place in Nashua, NH
on August 12. He and
Gate City President Lynn Nault presented me with the "Big Check" for
the proceeds from the event:
$10,000!
(Thanks to Lance Miller for taking the shot of me,
Dan, Miss Corvettes @ Carlisle, Lynn and Bill Miller. That's Lance himself in
the 2nd photo, with Miss C@C.)
Thank you Lance & Bill, Carlisle Events, Dan and Gate City Corvette Club!
This is how Corvettes @ Carlisle 2006 closed,
with our car in front of the stage in the light rain as the crowd files out.
Gate City folks: if you look closely, some of you can be seen in the first row;
Norm Wood in the white hat with his back to us is right above the Targa bar.
Later that evening the Gate City crowd took me
to dinner at the Olive Garden.
Monday, August 28
On the way out of town I stopped by the
Fairgrounds to say thanks again. I found Lance with photographer
Jerry Heasley, who was shooting the famed "Purple People Eater" from the Miller
collection.
Leaving the Fairgrounds for an overnight with
my parents in Philadelphia before the next phase...
to Bowling Green KY and the
National Corvette Museum.
Click to go
directly to next event!
