Mid America Designs' seventh annual customer appreciation celebration turned out to be yet another record-breaking extravaganza. This year, 8,230 Corvettes and more than 35,000 Corvette lovers were in attendance. Company founder and "Chief Cheerleader" Mike Yager's enthusiastic and lavish way of saying thank you has enthusiasts speculating every year about how he'll wow us this time. And darned if he and his cracker-jack team didn't do it again.
This year, Mike took over the Effingham County fairgrounds Saturday evening and turned it into a private carnival for show registrants. There were rides and games and prizes, live music and a little bit of dancing, and lots of food and fun. A caravan of about 4,000 Corvettes traveled from the Mid America grounds via two different routes to the fairgrounds, making for a spectacular bit of local color along the way.
This year's event, dubbed The Millennium Yellow Celebration, featured an eye-popping, all-yellow Corvette display. The dazzling sunshine and glorious weather made them seem even brighter. And each year, word of the event seems to spread a little farther--40 states and a dozen foreign countries were represented at Funfest this year.
Fifty enthusiasts collected awards for their special Corvettes, chosen by a team of "celebrity" judges, comprised basically of other enthusiasts with more recognizable names. Corvette dignitaries and engineers were on hand to answer questions, sign autographs, and participate in the fun. Unfortunately, Elfi Duntov was not feeling up to attending this year. We all missed her and send good wishes. There were technical seminars for those who wanted to bone up on how their Corvettes work; the ladies packed the house for Funfest's first fashion show; and other folks toured the impressive Corvette collection in the company's on-site R&D center, MY Garage. Many queued up for special deals on Mid America merchandise, or looked on as a crew filmed for an upcoming broadcast of the TNN show, My Classic Car.
Mike announced plans to commemorate the Corvette's 50th anniversary June 30, 2003, and launched Mid America's "Countdown to 50" program with a special billboard showing the number of days left till that special day arrives. The billboard will be updated daily to reflect time remaining. Check out www.countdownto50.com for the running countdown. The site was established to link all of the anniversary celebrations being planned across the country. Funfest began in 1994 with 350 Corvettes and 2,500 people, and has been growing exponentially. Next year's event promises to surpass even this year's numbers, so mark the dates now: September 15-16, 2001, for Funfest 2001. It's a party you won't want to miss!