Corvettes to return in April

The Central Arkansas Corvette Club will hold its 20th annual Corvette Weekend for Charity in Hot Springs April 19-21.

Joyce Johnson, chairman of the Corvette Weekend Event, said she expects 500 Corvettes and 1,000 Corvette owners to be in town for the gathering.

“We already have participants registered from 14 states including Arkansas, Colorado,

Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas,” she said.

On April 20, a scenic road trip will start at 9 a.m. from Hot Springs Convention Center, as well as a new autocross starting in the J.C. Penney parking lot. The public is welcome to view the Corvette Parade in downtown Hot Springs at 4 p.m. starting from the convention center and proceeding on Central Avenue to West Mountain, before traveling to Highway 270 and returning to the convention center from Malvern Avenue.

Opening Ceremonies on April 21 will start at 8 a.m. with the Indoor Corvette Show at the convention center taking place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. A silent auction will be held from 1:15 to 2 p.m., as well as a live auction. The Sixth Annual Valve Cover Car Race starts at 10 a.m., and awards will be presented at 2 p.m.

The Indoor Corvette Show is free and open to the public. Vendors will be located inside and outside the convention center.

Special guests this year include Wil Cooksey, retired Corvette plant manager; Mike and Linda Yeager, owner of Mid-America Motorworks; Ken Lingenfelter, owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering; and Naveen Ravuri Sr., quality engineer at GM Corvette Plant.

“We are thrilled to have the Corvette Club return to Hot Springs,” Tammy Clampet, director of sales for Visit Hot Springs, said. “The Corvette Weekend is an event that Hot Springs residents and visitors enjoy tremendously. They love coming out to see the beautiful cars that are on display throughout the gathering.”

Email Joyce Johnson at lovemyredvette@sbcglobal.net for registration or membership information.