Bloomington Corvette Show - Digging For Gold

We examine the past, present, and future of a premier Corvette event

From the December, 2012 issue of Vette

By Walt Thurn

The first Bloomington Gold Corvette show was held in 1973 in Bloomington, Illinois, and the event enjoyed impressive growth in subsequent years. In 1978, David Burroughs, an active member of the Bloomington organization, unveiled the Gold Certification award. In order to capture this distinction, a car must receive a minimum of 95 points (out of 100) based on its authenticity. Each car is judged as to its accuracy compared with the condition it was in the day it left the factory.

In 1984 the show became known as Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA. Six years later it introduced the Survivor category, which recognizes Corvettes that are "worn in, but not worn out." These cars must remain at least 50 percent unrestored, unfinished, or unaltered. A year later, in 1991, the Benchmark award was unveiled. To qualify for Benchmark status, a Corvette must be unrestored, attain Gold Certification, and meet all of the Survivor criteria.

By 1993 Bloomington Gold had outgrown its old county-fairground location, so it moved to a new site in Springfield, Illinois. Also that year Burroughs retired from the event staff to pursue other activities. In late 1997 Dana Mecum (of Mecum Auctions) and his family became the show's new owners. Mecum returned the show to Bloomington in 1998, and it remained there until 2001.

In 2002 the show moved once again, this time to the Pheasant Run Golf Resort in St. Charles, Illinois. This 18-hole golf course proved the perfect venue for hosting the hundreds of Corvettes that swarmed the show each year.

Thanks to the involvement of the Mecum family, the Mecum Corvette Auction became a major part of the event, attracting some of the country's most significant collector Corvettes. David Burroughs returned as the event's CEO in 2003, and oversaw continued growth in the years that followed.

More change came to Bloomington Gold late last year, when the Mecums sold the show to Guy Larsen. Larsen subsequently announced that 2012 would be the event's final year at Pheasant Run, and that it would relocate to the grounds of the University of Illinois in Champaign for 2013. Larsen believes the openness of the new site will enable the organizers to schedule more driving-based events. Sounds like a good idea to us.

The valedictory nature of this year's show did nothing to dampen enthusiasm, as attendees filled the golf course with Corvettes and packed the vendor display areas. While the Mecum Auction was reduced from its traditional two days to one, 143 Corvettes still crossed the block. The Great Hall (see sidebar) and all of the Gold Certifications were in full swing throughout the weekend. These events drew large crowds, chiefly because they offered an unparalleled opportunity to get an up-close look at some of the country's highest-quality Corvettes. When the judging was completed, 85 cars received Gold Certification, 42 were awarded Survivor status, and 18 were granted the more difficult Benchmark Certification.

Bloomington Gold vendors filled a large building and the adjoining parking lot, displaying their diverse wares for shoppers. It was a great place to locate that hard-to-find part for your Corvette. Next to the vendor area was the Gold Mine, dedicated to for-sale Corvettes.

Chevrolet brought a nice selection of '13 Corvettes for people to inspect, and Corvette Plant Engineer Tom Hill held several seminars during the weekend to explain the changes to the latest edition.

We're looking forward to visiting this classic Corvette show at its new location next year. It is scheduled to run June 27-30, and, as in years past, it promises to be a golden opportunity for Corvette aficionados of all stripes.

The 2012 Great Hall Inductees

The Great Hall program was developed by Bloomington Gold CEO David Burroughs in 2010, as a way of recognizing the people and Corvettes that have had a positive impact on the hobby. The program will end in 2015, at which point 50 people and 50 cars will have been honored.