Where were you when you heard about the sinkhole that swallowed eight rare Corvettes in the middle of the night at the National Corvette Museum?
While it may not rate up there with 9/11 or the assassination of JFK, the disaster was nevertheless upsetting and memorable for Corvette enthusiasts. This writer found out about the sinkhole from my mom, who – knowing how much I loved Corvettes – called me that morning after hearing about it on the early news shows.
Believe it or not, as a prime example of just how quickly time passes, it’ll be 10 years on Feb. 12 since the automotive world was shocked by the unexpected sinkhole.
Fortunately, thanks to great leadership by the NCM team and Corvette enthusiasts from all over, the disaster quickly turned into a textbook case of how to make lemonade out of lemons. Museum attendance actually increased in the following months and years as tourists clamored to see what might be described as one of the world’s most famous car wrecks.
Museum officials commissioned a study into what caused the collapse and how best to repair it, and while the hole has now been fixed, a window on the floor still offers visitors a look into the remaining cave below. A “Corvette Cave-In” exhibit also digs deeper into the sinkhole (pun intended) and the massive effort to rescue the vehicles, some of which were able to be restored, some of which weren’t.
In the years since the sinkhole, the NCM has thrived, becoming a symbol of resilience and restoration.
Now, as the Museum itself prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, a special “Ground to Sky: The Sinkhole Reimagined” exhibit will open in June to mark the 10th anniversary of the sinkhole. Recovered Corvettes will be displayed, and media coverage that documents the past, present, and future of the Museum will be included, along with recognition of everyone and everything that helped get the facility running again.
The NCM team is making sure the 30th anniversary is special, with other special exhibits planned all year, too. In March, the traveling exhibit “LUSTER: Realism and Hyperrealism in Contemporary Automobile and Motorcycle Painting” will debut, the vintage Corvette shop is opening at corvettestore.com in April, and the museum’s “American Love Affair” exhibit will be refreshed in October. And of course, enthusiasts from around the nation will travel to Bowling Green in groups in late August for the Corvette Caravan that celebrates America’s Sports Car and the museum’s anniversary.
For more information about the sinkhole or to learn more about everything the National Corvette Museum will offer this year, head to CorvetteMuseum.org. Gearing up for a car-centric trip to Bowling Green? Go to VisitBGKY.com to start planning the ultimate auto getaway.
Source:
National Corvette Museum
Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette Museum’s Security Cameras Capture Sinkhole As It Happens
These are the Eight Corvettes that Fell into the Corvette Museum’s Sinkhole
[VIDEO] The First of Eight Corvettes is Rescued from the Corvette Museum’s Sinkhole
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