2026 I’m Sick of Winter Show: Corvettes & Barn Finds

Key Takeaways: The 2026 “I’m Sick of Winter” Sweetheart Cruise-In

• Event Kickoff: The Georgia Cool Cruisers launched the 2026 season on Valentine’s Day at Smoke Rise Baptist Church, hosting over 130 cars in pristine 63°F weather.

• Philanthropic Impact: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the club donated 100% of this event’s registration fees to the Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer, contributing to over $450,000 raised since 2013.

• Human Narratives: The show emphasized that “every Corvette owner has a great story,” featuring Ed’s “backfired” negotiation for a Red Mist C8 and Mike’s ’78 “Ghost in the Barn” that was recovered after 26 years following a call from a penitentiary.

• Veteran Connection: The event highlighted VFW Post 4180, emphasizing the vital role these hubs play in veteran advocacy, VA assistance, and community support.

• What’s Next: Upcoming 2026 events include shows at Hayes of Baldwin (March 21), Briscoe Park (April 25), and a USO Benefit (May 23).

The 63°F sun hit the pavement at Smoke Rise Baptist Church with a vengeance this past Valentine’s Day.

If you’re a gear head in North Georgia, you know the annual “I’m Sick of Winter” Sweetheart Cruise-In isn’t just an event—it’s a collective exhale. By this point, we’ve all been staring at battery tenders and garage dust for too long.

It didn’t take long for the stationed-off section of the church lot to fill to capacity with over 130 cars soaking up the best weather day of 2026. With abundant sunshine and toe-tapping oldies coming from the sound system, you couldn’t ask for a better kickoff to the 2026 car show season in Atlanta.

You’ll often hear us say, “A car without a story is just a depreciating asset.” It’s the human element, the “why” behind the wax, that gives these machines a pulse.

Clearly, on this Valentine Day, everyone was anxious to peel back the tarps and let the chrome dazzle in the sunlight. But for us, it was the perfect venue to shake off the winter doldrums and hear the stories again from fellow Corvette enthusiasts.

As we’re fond of saying, “You don’t just buy a Corvette; you inherit a narrative.”

A Paycheck of the Heart

Rick and Sharon Ellis, the power couple behind Georgia Cool Cruisers, don’t just throw a party; they run a 501(c)(3) powerhouse.

Rick’s obsession with iron started early, watching his dad wrench on a ’52 Studebaker and a ’57 Chrysler featuring a push-button Hemi. But the club itself was born from a bit of domestic rivalry. When Sharon bought a PT Cruiser in 2000 and joined a club, Rick decided she was having way too much fun and snagged a 2001 Chrysler Prowler to keep up.

They’ve been at this since June 2013 and are currently hitting their 14th year of operation. In that time, they’ve raised over $450,000 for various charities through roughly 11 events per year.

This year, every cent of the registration money went to the Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer, formerly known as “It’s the Journey”. It’s a 100% pass-through; Sharon noted that because their amazing sponsors cover the overhead, they don’t take anything for themselves.

Major names like Streetside Classics, Summit Racing, and Year One ensure the money stays in Georgia for screenings, treatment, and family support. Not surprising, we learned that several Georgia Cool Cruisers members are also big financial sponsors & supporters.

As Sharon told me, “It’s a paycheck of the heart”.

The GCC team, as always, had everything ready for a fun time, and they aren’t slowing down. Mark your calendars for these upcoming 2026 shows:

• Hot Rods at Hayes of Baldwin: Saturday, March 21st (10:00 am – 2:00 pm). Event benefits the Hot Rodders Children’s Charity.

• Cool Cars at Briscoe Park: Saturday, April 25th (11:00 am – 3:00 pm). Event benefits the SE Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry.

• USO Benefit Car Show: Saturday, May 23rd (11:00 am – 3:00 pm) in Tucker. The event benefits the USO Georgia.

The Art of the “No” (That Became a “Yes”)

Sometimes the best stories come from how their “Pride and Joy” came to be in their possession. Here is a case in point, while walking the rows, I found Ed standing next to his stunning 2022 Red Mist C8 convertible Stingray.

Come to find out, Ed’s journey to the mid-engine life was a masterclass in psychological warfare. As the story goes, he’d been stalking this car at Jim Ellis Used Cars for six months.

Hoping to “extinguish the fire,” he brought his wife to the dealership, betting she’d talk him out of it. Big mistake.

She sat in the passenger seat, then hopped into the driver’s seat, and simply refused to leave. Ed even tried to distract her with the $8,000 discounts the dealership was offering on new models,

By this time, she’d already bonded with the fiberglass. Now? It’s in his garage.

The Ghost in the Barn: A 26-Year Long Game

Then you have Mike’s 1978 Corvette—a car with a backstory that belongs in a noir film.

The saga began back in 1981 when a coworker of Mike’s stepdad, who owned a farm in Wisconsin, decided to rent out his barn for winter storage. A “shady character” rolled in with this ’78 Vette, and he was incredibly secretive about why the car was essentially a rolling shell.

Despite having only 14,000 miles on the clock, the engine and transmission were gone, and the interior was completely missing. It was an odd sight for a car that wasn’t that old at the time, but the guy paid for six months of storage upfront and then vanished into the ether.

The owner didn’t resurface for a decade. In 1990 or 1991, the barn owner received a sudden phone call at his home from a penitentiary—some prison out of state, possibly in Missouri. It was the original owner calling from behind bars with a short, final directive: “Just get rid of the car”.

Even after that call, the car sat untouched under a tarp for another 16 years. It wasn’t until 2007 that Mike’s stepdad, remembering the old ghost in the barn, asked his coworker if it was still sitting there. Once he confirmed it was, they started the long legal climb to bring it back to life.

They didn’t cut any corners; they had the sheriff come out to the farm to validate the VIN and conduct a deep-dive research project to ensure the car hadn’t been stolen or involved in any missing insurance claims.

When the search came up clean, they navigated the Wisconsin DMV red tape and finally secured a fresh title. Seeing it today, you’d never guess this prison-yard ghost spent a quarter-century waiting for its second lease on life.

Service and Speed: The Snellville Connection

Tucked among the heavy hitters was Larry’s ultra-clean 2013 Crystal Red Grand Sport. Larry isn’t just a restorer; he’s a pillar over at VFW Post 4180 in Snellville.

Larry and I often joke that we have the same car, because they are identical except for the wheels, which I changed out for Italian Racing wheels.

As a 70s-era Air Force vet myself, I know the value of these posts. They aren’t just social clubs; they are advocacy hubs for over 1 million veterans.

• Veterans Services: Posts assist in navigating VA benefits and providing financial assistance.

• Legislative Power: The VFW was instrumental in legislation like the Honoring Our PACT Act and Post-9/11 GI Bill.

• Community Impact: They organize clothing drives, build playgrounds, and support military families.

• Peer Connection: They offer a supportive environment to help overcome isolation after service.

Seeing Larry’s C6—a car that looks like it just rolled off the Bowling Green assembly line—reminded me that the same discipline it takes to serve our country usually results in the cleanest engine bays in the state.

Beyond the Chrome: The Soul Behind the Steel

As the last of the “oldies” faded from the speakers and the shadows lengthened across the Smoke Rise pavement, one thing became clear: the 2026 season didn’t just start; it exploded.

We came for the chrome, but we stayed for the soul. Whether it was the “paycheck of the heart” delivered by Rick and Sharon’s tireless 501(c)(3) efforts, or the sheer resilience of Mike’s ’78 barn-find survivor, the day reminded us that a Corvette is never just a car—it’s a vessel for our shared history.

Watching 130 owners swap stories in that 63°F sunshine proved that while winter might be cold, the heart of the Atlanta car community is always running at operating temperature.

Our goal is not to just show you photos of owners and their cars, but to share their story. From Ed’s C8 negotiation—a masterclass in why you should always let your wife take the wheel—to Larry’s dedication to VFW Post 4180, the day was a tribute to the discipline and passion that keep our lifestyle alive.

Winter is officially in the rearview mirror now, and the road ahead looks wide open. With the Georgia Cool Cruisers already prepping for the March rumble in Baldwin and the April showcase at Briscoe Park, there’s no excuse to keep your pride and joy under a car cover.

So, check your fluids, tire pressures, and your calendar. We’ve shaken off the doldrums and proved that even a “sick of winter” afternoon can be the best day of the year.

We’ll see you at the next stop—because as we always say at Vettes of Atlanta Magazine, the stories are just getting started.

Georgia Cool Cruisers

Website: Georgia Cool Cruisers – Facebook

A Car Club, open to all makes, models and years. Our Mission is to raise money at our events to benefit local and National charities. Georgia Cool Cruisers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Organization.