Some Corvette owners love the energy, excitement, and camaraderie of a good car show. Dan Black is one of them.
As a former President of Corvette Cruisers of Atlanta and other car clubs, Dan is a self-described “Car Fanatic” at heart. He has long since run out of room for his multitude of car show plaques and awards.
Still, the chance to meet other people in the Corvette lifestyle keeps him coming back for more. You might remember Dan from the article we wrote about his visually intriguing 2015 Z06 titled, “Nothing Mellow About This Velocity Yellow.”
Among Dan’s favorite car shows is the annual Corvette Expo held at the picturesque LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN. Since 1977 this event has drawn many of the region’s fiberglass faithful to the Great Smoky Mountains to celebrate America’s sportscar.
For the 44th running of the event this year, we asked Dan to give us his well-traveled impressions of the show. What follows is the edited transcript of our conversation.
Thanks, Dan
Rod Worley – Editor – Dan, thank you for taking time with us today to talk about your recent trip to the Corvette Expo in Pigeon Forge, TN.
We appreciate you sharing your experience with us. Who was the featured club this year?
Dan Black – Rod, you’re welcome. The annual Corvette Expo held in the Great Smoky Mountains has always been one of my favorite car shows.
The featured club this year was the USA Corvette Club of Dalton, Georgia. They had about 20 Corvettes featured inside the bright LED-lit LeConte Center.
More Than Corvettes
Rod Worley – Editor – Corvette Expo is predominantly a Vette event, but there is more than just Vettes parked inside, right? What were the other groups parked inside?
Dan Black – Yes, it’s three events in one. This year they had 13 Chevelles and 12 other assorted hot rods. The hot rod group ranged from a 1932 Ford to a Hemi Cuda and some early model Cameros.
Of the 90 Corvettes parked inside, 20 were from USA Corvette Club, 17 were from the MAD Vettes group, and 53 were from around the country.
To show you the draw and prestige of this event, Patrick and Jennen Stephenson drove their Corvette 1,800 miles from Colorado to attend.
They also had approximately twenty-five vendors inside selling their wares.
Strong Turnout
Rod Worley – Editor – The pandemic played havoc with this event last year as it did with so many worldwide. How was the turnout? Did attendance bounce back?
Dan Black – The show started Friday at 9:00 am, and the foot traffic was heavy for both days. Attendance was said to be over 1,100 for the two days. I’m guessing that had to be near full venue capacity for the two days.
On Friday, I heard a count of 210 cars parked outside. Many of which came after the morning rain moved on.
I’m sure the Friday group wanted to be there in time for the annual Tail of the Dragon run, which is always popular. They said they had 172 Corvettes take part in the run this year.
Undeterred By Weather
Rod Worley – Editor – Congratulations on picking up a trophy while you were there at Corvette Expo. Many of the cars you competed against brought their vehicles to show on trailers, but you drove up from Florida.
That had to mean a lot more work for you. Why did you do it?
Dan Black – My wife Susan and I bought our 2015 Z06 Corvette to drive. In fact, we turned 19,000 miles on the way up to this event.
Yes, we hit rain several times on the way, but that’s just part of the driving experience. It took me over seven hours to get the car ready for the show once we got there.
All I can say is thank goodness for the work Al Bathurst at Shiny Fenders did in polishing and ceramic coating the car. Between the ceramic coating and the XPEL paint protection film, clean-up was much more manageable.
As crazy as it may sound, but getting the car ready for the show is almost like therapy. I don’t have to think about it. I just do it.
Childhood Friends United
Rod Worley – Editor – Dan, you’re a veteran of hundreds of car shows. What is it about the annual Corvette Expo at Pigeon Forge that makes it so unique?
Dan Black – Rod, it’s the people. This show is such a draw in the Southeast Corvette community that it becomes, in many ways, a family reunion of sorts.
That is especially true if you attend this show as often as I have over the years. I’m continually reacquainting with old friends and meeting new people.
This show, in particular, had a different meaning to me personally.
Sonny Snell was my best friend growing up in Indiana.
We went to grade school and middle school together before my family moved to Florida. I hadn’t see Sonny in over 45 years, yet we managed to reconnect on Facebook a little over a year ago because of our shared passion for the Corvette.
I invited him to join the MAD Vettes online page, where we talked about getting together at Pigeon Forge. So, after all of these years, I had a chance to see him and his new C8.
That’s my point. The Corvette Expo gives you the chance to make new friends and reacquaint yourself with people you haven’t seen in decades.
The shared love of the Corvette is the common denominator, but it’s all about the people.
Passion Drives Perfection
Rod Worley – Editor – Dan, you’re one of the administrators for the MAD Vettes Facebook group page. With over 8,300 members, that has to keep you busy.
Can you give us the backstory about the group?
Dan Black – The whole MAD Vette concept started as a Facebook group page. We are not a club.
There are no dues, and we are more like a supportive family who enjoy Corvettes than anything else, which is probably the best way to describe it.
MAD stands for “My American Dream,” which was created by Donnie Herrin. One of Donnie’s business ventures is a Corvette customizing business called MAD Customs in Atlanta.
His passion for Corvettes and the people who drive them inspired him to launch My American Dream (MAD) Vettes and the business.
One of Donnie’s mantras is “Passion Drives Perfection.” You see it play out in the success MAD Vette members had at the show.
Twenty-five members attended the event with their Corvettes. The LeConte Center selected seventeen of those for display inside the Center.
Of those seventeen, fourteen of them won somewhere within their category.
Kickoff Event
For many of us, the Corvette Expo is the official kickoff of the car show season. Once again, Byron Cooper and his wife Brenda have shown why their annual Corvette Expo is the standard by which all other car shows in the Region are judged.
Since 1977 they have invited enthusiastic fans of the Corvette brand to enjoy their fiberglass creations amidst the Great Smoky mountains’ rugged backdrop.
Special thanks go out to Dan Black for sharing his weekend experience with us.
Here’s hoping that we’ll be making the trek to the Corvette Expo in the Smokies for years to come.
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