Corvette Funfest to Feature Special ‘Vette Trio, Sept. 19-22

Corvette celebration’s 26th edition in Effingham, Illinois, will showcase alpha and beta C5 builds, plus the CERV-IVb.

The waning days of summer and waxing days of fall have plenty to offer for Corvette fans of all ages, including Corvettes at Carlisle in Pennsylvania, and the Corvette Caravan at the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky. Of course, those events are also a signal that cooler days and longer nights are soon to follow, and ‘Vettes far and wide will either hibernate for the winter, or head off to warmer climes.

Before the streets see fewer Corvettes on the road, though, there’s another ‘Vette extravaganza to check out: the 26th annual Corvette Funfest in Effingham, Illinois, September 19-22.

“We started this event 26 years ago in 1994 as Mid America Motorworks‘ 20th anniversary celebration,” Corvette Funfest organizer and Mid America Motorworks founder Mike Yager tells Corvette Forum. “We had 1,200 people show up, and about 300 Corvettes. After the event was over, we got a lot of thank-you notes. Everyone said, ‘Oh, that was fun! We oughta do it next year. It seemed like a festival.’ We kinda contracted those two things, and said, ‘Well, let’s do it next year. Let’s call it ‘Funfest.’”

According to Yager, the Corvette Funfest is still a customer-appreciation extravaganza to this day, with this year expecting “thousands of Corvettes,” and between 15,000 and 20,000 fans over the four-day affair.

The Funfest is held on the 170-acre grounds of Mid America and has plenty to offer, including seminars, fashion shows, road tours, and more, beginning with a 1,000-Corvette homecoming parade from Effingham to Yager’s hometown of Newton, Illinois September 19, followed by a live performance by the Newton High School Marching Band, all in honor of Yager’s 70th birthday.

From there, there will be a St. Jude’s charity drive just northeast of Effingham to Tuscan Hills Winery, and book signings by Yager (Corvette Bible), retired Bowling Green Assembly plant manager Will Cooksey (No Time to Cry), and retired Corvette chief engineer Dave McLellan (Corvette from the Inside).

Aside from Tuscan Hills Winery (where there will also be an amazing light show on the night of September 20), there will be a pair of big tours near Corvette Funfest: one to Moonshine Burger Shack and the Jackson Truss Covered Bridge (the latter built by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and his family), the other to Effingham’s Lake Sara for a boat tour.

Finally, there will be a concert at Mid America’s 14,000-seat amphitheater Saturday night, featuring Beatles tribute band The Return, and rising country superstar Dakota Danielle, the latter touring on her debut album, 2019’s My Mother’s Daughter.

“We started [our] museum informally in 1990,” says Yager of Mid America’s museum, which features an ever-changing lineup of Corvettes from his collection. “In ’88 and ’89, we were sponsors of the Corvette Challenge, along with Goodyear, and Exxon. I bought a couple of cars out of the race series, and that was the basis of my collection.”

Yager has had around 50 cars over the years. Right now, his collection features a ton of “one-off Corvettes,” including the alpha and beta builds above for the C5-era Corvette, part of the three-pronged centerpiece for this year’s Funfest. The black C5 was among 14 alpha builds ever made, is the only one of its kind today, and is preserved in its “as-tested” condition. The white beta C5 build includes an improved hydroformed frame, plus the Gen III 5.7-liter LS1 V8 under the hood.

The final third of the trio is the CERV-IVb, which was built and funded in secret by Chevrolet and the General Motors Corvette group, lest the brass found out about the project and cancelled it. The CERV-IVb, based on a C4 Corvette, took 90 days to develop, was built in April 1993, and is the only CERV with front-mounted engine.

“When I was 20, I bought my first Corvette,” says Yager. “I got thrilled with the Corvette lifestyle, the community, and the people around the car. So, I started a Corvette club and then got the club involved in the National Council of Corvette Clubs [NCCC]. We were very strong in the founding of the National Corvette Museum as far as donating and contributing.”

One of his biggest contributions was the founding of Mid America Motorworks, which he began with a $500 loan and a need to bring Corvette memorabilia into one place, while also making enough money to go to as many Corvette shows as he could. Yager’s business has since grown from a two-page mimeographed catalog to a 360-page book sent to four million addresses around the world annually.

“[It’s a] monumental jump,” said Yager when asked about the upcoming C8 Corvette. “I’ve sat in ’em; I haven’t driven one yet. But it’s just an absolutely outstanding car. I think it’s going to carry the torch very well for Corvette, and bring in a younger, new generation of people.”

The National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame Class of 2018 member says the average age visiting his company’s Instagram is a lot younger than those who order parts from his massive catalog, which he attributes to the Corvette team going after young, potential fans from the late C6 era forward. Yager adds that he’s seen plenty of young C7 owners, and he believes the new, mid-engine Corvette will add more to the momentum.

“The best I can say about the Corvette culture [is] there’s a lot of great people in this hobby,” says Yager. “My life is built around the hobby, the car, and the people within the Corvette community. Anytime there’s a Corvette gathering, I meet new friends, make new friends, and see old ones.”

Sounds like this is one Corvette party you don’t want to miss!

Photos: Corvette Funfest/Mid America Motorworks

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