(Eureka ) Springs Time in October

Head to the Ozarks in the early autumn, and you get the best of both worlds. By the time October rolls around, it's gotten cold enough for the leaves to start changing color, but is still warm enough during the day to get out and enjoy some incredible driving roads and often spectacular views. And that's one of the reasons why, for the past 11 years, the Corvette faithful have made the pilgrimage to northwest Arkansas for the Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend.

Although the events of September 11th were undoubtedly weighing heavily in the hearts and minds of many, the turnout for this year's event (held October 4-7) was still good. The ball got rolling on Thursday, when 75 drivers showed up for a bit of autocrossing at Davis-Barr Chevrolet in nearby Berryville. Mark Rountree was speed king of the day, setting fast time in a '79 Vette. Elizabeth Muller, driving a '91, was the fastest woman. The bulk of the showgoers got into Eureka Springs later that night, and many attended the night's seminars.

Included in the evening's program was C4 expert Gordon Killebrew, autocross winner (and veteran SCCA autocross driver) Mark Rountree, and an information seminar on The National Corvette Museum.

Things didn't look promising for Friday morning's Fuel Economy Run, however, as the skies opened up and delivered a world-class drenching on the area. Even so, somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 hearty souls braved the downpour to take the mpg challenge, where Todd and Lori Crosby recorded an impressive 36.7 mpg in their '00 Vette. Things had cleared up considerably by Friday night, though, and approximately 500 Vettes came out for the Moonlight Cruise through Eureka Springs' historic, Victorian-era downtown. Despite the chill in the air, the locals were also out in force, and were treated to a double feature, as the new route created lines of Corvettes coming and going.

Saturday, the big show day, dawned sunny and clear, with hardly a cloud in the sky. Which made things close to perfect as the parking lot of The Great Passion Play filled up with Corvettes of all kinds. Along with the 764 cars on hand (down only 50 from last year) were 2,500 participants and almost 1,000 spectators. The day's festivities carried on right up to the midday picnic lunch and awards ceremony, like in years past, but there was one new twist.

As the show broke up in the early afternoon, about 500 Corvettes and their owners lined up for this year's new event, a poker run. The weather was perfect, the scenery spectacular, and spirits were high as the group spread out through the Ozarks on three different intersecting routes. Drivers and navigators had to be on their toes as well, as there was a challenging quiz to answer along the way (there were two cavemen in the lookout tower at Dinosaur World, by the way).

Although Saturday night's social activities ran late into the night, many were up and at it again Sunday morning, heading out on one of the two Road Tours. Between the two, 250 Vettes headed either north to Bass Pro in Springfield, Missouri, or south to the Ozark Center Point Factory Outlet Mall for a little shopping. And from there, most people headed home. And while parting does bring its dose of "sweet sorrow," in this case, we prefer to see it as one more chance to get behind the wheel and drive through some gorgeous scenery, all with the promise of doing it again next year.