Bloomington Gold 2011: The Rest of the Story

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Bloomington Gold 2011: The Rest of the Story

Article and photos contributed by Steve Burns

In addition to Certification, the Great Hall, and the Mecum Auction, Bloomington Gold offers several other activities during their annual June Corvette-palooza. Click past the jump below to see highlights from the GoldMine, GoldMarket, GoldTour, as well as other parts of this years show.

The GoldMine
If a potential bidding frenzy and buyer fees aren’t for you then you can check out numerous Corvettes for sale in the GoldMine. Dealers and private owners from all over bring Corvettes in hopes of sending them off to new homes. Likewise eager buyers can comb the front parking lot along Route 64 for their next dream machine or project. This years Goldmine seemed to have more “attainable” cars than in recent years as the market continues to adjust itself.

Bloomington Gold: The GoldMine Bloomington Gold: The GoldMine Bloomington Gold: The GoldMine
Bloomington Gold: The GoldMine Bloomington Gold: The GoldMine Bloomington Gold: The GoldMine

The GoldMarket
If you need a hard to find part or accessory, you can take a stroll through the GoldMarket. Although media like eBay and Craigslist have affected the size of the GoldMarket over the last several years, the swap meet and vendor areas are sure to still have something for everyone. For example, on Thursday and Friday this year sweat shirts and jackets were in especially high demand. People like Corvette Central (http://corvettecentral.com) and other well known Corvette parts houses are almost always present at Bloomington. As an added bonus, you could take your ride over to the installers ally and have your newly purchased exhaust system installed. That’s a pretty handy way to get your new parts home without hauling them inside your Corvette!

Bloomington Gold: The GoldMarket Bloomington Gold: The GoldMarket Bloomington Gold: The GoldMarket
Bloomington Gold: The GoldMarket Bloomington Gold: The GoldMarket Bloomington Gold: The GoldMarket

The GoldTour
And don’t forget about the hundreds of Corvettes zipping along the back roads of northern Illinois on the GoldTour. This event made its return after a 1 year hiatus. Although the weather was a little drizzly at times, tons of America’s sports car came out for the tour. We haven’t seen any official numbers yet, but we estimate somewhere around 750 -1,000 (maybe more) were present. It was nice to see a lot of early Corvettes out getting exercised even in the “iffy” weather.

Bloomington Gold: The GoldTour Bloomington Gold: The GoldTour Bloomington Gold: The GoldTour
Bloomington Gold: The GoldTour Bloomington Gold: The GoldTour Bloomington Gold: The GoldTour

The Golf Course
Lastly, what’s better than just wandering around and checking out thousands of Corvettes together in a spectacular setting? One of the best parts of Bloomington Gold is simply wandering through the parking lot. In this case the parking lot is a beautifully manicured, lush, green golf course. Countless Corvettes dot the fairways of Pheasant Run as their owners meander through the show. Here’s a free CorvetteBlogger tip: towards the end of the day head out back to one of the main exits with a chair. Park yourself in the shade and watch all the cars file out. Not only do you get the see all the cars, you get to listen to the cool exhausts as they rumble by. Oh, and there’s the occasional “spirited” exit along the service drive between the golf course and the neighboring airport.

Bloomington Gold: The Golf Course Bloomington Gold: The Golf Course Bloomington Gold: The Golf Course
Bloomington Gold: The Golf Course Bloomington Gold: The Golf Course Bloomington Gold: The Golf Course

If you missed this years Bloomington Gold show, be sure to check out the 2012 edition scheduled for June 21st–24th, 2012.


Related:
Bloomington Gold 2011: Certification Day
Mecum’s Bloomington Gold Auction Rakes in $5.8 million in Corvette Sales
Bloomington Gold Officially Inducts 2011 Great Hall Honorees
[PICS] More 2012 Carlisle Blue Corvette Photos from Bloomington Gold

 



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