With the incredibly low turnout of the 2022 Member Gathering and incredibly low activity on the C3VR Forums, I'm left wondering if interest in future Member Gatherings have waned to the point of such little interest that there is no point in having one.

It takes a lot of effort to plan a Gathering and I don't want to ask someone (or myself) to be put through the effort of putting one together only to have little to no turnout.

If we did have one in 2023, I'm not sure where it would be, though likely it would be in the East region. ( See the region map here  )

We could piggyback off another event like Mid American Motorworks Funfest or Corvettes at Carlisle. But in the past we've decided against that because it is not "our event" that way.

So please cast your vote "yea" to say that if the location and date worked out you'd want to join us. If you have no interest no matter the location or date, please vote "nay".

I also welcome any comments, questions or suggestions.

-Adam Wartell
NCM Lifetime Member #1222
Founder: C3 Vette Registry 
C4 Vette Registry, C6 Vette Registry

My first Vette, now owned by JB79:

I for one would be saddened to see "The Member Gathering" go away.  While I haven't been able to make it to every one of them the ones I have attended have always been a lot of fun.  The early ones were great because I got to meet folks in person that I had only known via the messages written in the forums or spoken with over the phone.  If you walked away from an after dinner "fireside chat" session without your stomach muscles aching from all the laughter generated by the "cast of characters" holding court you simply weren't alive, imho.  Yes, quite a few of those folks have passed on to the great unknown and the "fireside chat" sessions have lost a bit of the "sparkle" of the early ones, but they are still a great joy, for me anyway (even tho' a few of us missed one this year wrenching on "BLKBRRD" in the hotel parking lot - THANKS Bob and Kerry!).

Knowledge shared via the forums was invaluable to me when doing projects on "The Toy" and the friendships formed were strengthened when meeting in person at the various places around the country.  The epic road trips have been memorable and I'm envious of "Road Warrior" Dave (dwright) who has probably logged the most mileage roaming around the continent than of any of us.

And as Adam has said many, many times it isn't about the cars.  It is the people who have been brought together by the cars.  'Nuff said.

Jim Olson 

"The Toys"...!!!  Save the Wave!

Where I've been in a Corvette...!!!

AMEN! MR. Norsky. 

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TRUE WORDS OF WISDOM, well said.  Without the member gatherings C3VR is just another online forum.  It's been a few rough years but lets keep the flame alive.

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While I certainly appreciate Norsky's sentiment, and Mark & Kerry backing him up, but that alone plus the 3 votes (which I assume are you guys) does not a Gathering make.

The lack of response to this thread just cements my thinking that people do not frequent the C3VR Forums like they did 4, 5, or 10 years ago.  Some have passed, some found facebook, I don't know where the others are. I don't know why the multiple new people that sign up here weekly don't participate in the forums. But all of this leads me to believe that the glory days of C3VR are (long) over and Gatherings do not make sense anymore. I'd love members to prove me wrong by responding overwhelmingly to this poll, but so far that does not look like that is going to happen. 😞

-Adam Wartell
NCM Lifetime Member #1222
Founder: C3 Vette Registry 
C4 Vette Registry, C6 Vette Registry

My first Vette, now owned by JB79:

Mr. Chief, Sadly I have to agree with you. The electronics age has dominated the younger folks, and the new cars no longer need a screw driver or 1/2 inch wrench. The Nay sayers have spoken, without saying the word. Suffice it to say that those who still want the friendships to continue, and the get togethers to happen, will find a way, a place and a time to keep the flame alive regardless of the mode of transportation or the emblem on the steering wheel. I agree that the economy and dollar bills speak loudly for decisions made. So.... What's next for C3VR?  

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Sadly, it looks like the Gatherings are over.  I'm so glad that we were able to go to the Ft. Worth one this year.  After being a member for almost 20 years, we wanted to see all our friends and participate as much as we did.  I knew it would be our last one as my health and age will probably prevent further attendance.  I will still keep up online with what's going on.  

   C3VR Lifetime Member #102                   
    My Link.........           
                     

Yes, You are correct in the Age and Health area. Many of the Dedicated members are now in that area, and it holds a very important aspect to the future of our relationship. Keep adding fuel to the flame, and don't let E-15 ruin the internal combustion firing order. Hope there is never a C3"E"VR. See ya on the road, and wave as you pass. 

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We also would be very disappointed to see the gatherings become something of the past. We have thoroughly enjoyed every gathering we have attended, including the smaller events that were member organized.  We have made life long friendships that mean the world to us.  As Norsky mention this site played a valuable role in the restoration of many C3s, mine included.

 Life has really overwhelmed us in the past few years with active grandkids having a multitude of scheduled events throughout the year (that we don't want to miss) along with the loss of parents, siblings and other close relatives. So this is not to be mistaken as lack of interest but a mater of life pulling us in a different direction.

We hope to see the gatherings continue however understand all the points that have been mentioned earlier.  I mentioned that we have made life long friendships through the gatherings however that seems to be too weak of a description, they have become much more like family to us. So as always, if gatherings continue and a location and time fits our schedule we will absolutely be there.

Mel & Karen
KARMEL77

Mel
Lifetime Member #90

Well, here is a thought.  How about instead of trying to do a national, super organized, event intensive, once a year gathering.

How about regional, pick a weekend and a hotel and just have regional get togethers in locations that have stuff to do and just let the folks that show up decide what to do.  Drink beer and tell stories.  Go on an area cruise.  Nice dinner and watch a race or football.

Totally informal and don't have to travel a long distance.

Years ago there were a few regional gatherings that took place.  No idea how well they were attended as they were never close enough for me to get to easily.  That being said, there's no reason why a regional gathering still couldn't be pulled together by folks.  All someone would need to do is throw any idea out there for a time and place and see what the response would be.

Jim Olson 

"The Toys"...!!!  Save the Wave!

Where I've been in a Corvette...!!!

Yea

there definitely should be gatherings. One location I saw is in Yorktown heights New York and that’s not far from me. Would like to meet all the cool members 

I'd be down for the regional gathering theory. I'd even offer up to host the LukesVette BBQ again. It's been a while but still love this crew!

Fantastic idea!!

Mel
Lifetime Member #90

Nay

I realise I'm a bit late to this particular party, but I thought I ought to explain my vote.

I voted "nay", simply because I'm in France!  Just a bit too far to come for a Members Gathering.  

But on principle, I like the idea.  Back when we travelled regularly to the US it was fun to meet people who I had corresponded with on various forums, club websites etc, and I'm guessing that's the same for you guys here.  But, I can see the problem of organising something that few can, or want to attend.   

I can see merit in combining a members event into another one, like FunFest, but also in "local" events.   Many years ago, when I was back in the UK, the club there suffered from a lack of activity.  I set up the second only "Regional" group in '93 and over the years, that has proved to be the way to go and the club has flourished as a result.  

It is slightly different for an on-line community, but it may be worth looking at?

Looking in from afar, I have in the past envied those of you who have been able to get together, so I hope that you can arrange something in the future.

I have never attended one, but certainly would if the circumstances were right!  I understand the effort to put together an event like this and I likewise understand the lack of support from the community!  People are busy, travel is expensive, driving a 50 year old car to an event also have its challenges!  

Our Forum joins us together and our interest and love of the C3 Corvettes brings us a common bond!  The forums and interesting and helpful information also aid and expand our members bond in this hobby!  

I am a member of the C3 and C4 communities and really appreciate and value the forums and comradely.  But many working members may be constrained when trying to attend an annual gathering at a distant location.  Likewise older retired folks may have financial or health issues that make it hard to attend!  

We own a Polaris Slingshot also and they have a number of gathering events across the USA and we make the annual SSITS slingshots in the Smokies.  This event draws 300-400 vehicles annually, but the slingshot is a newer vehicle and the owners are generally younger and part of a more adventurist motorcycle group.  SSITS is a 5 day event with vendors and rides and dinners and dancing and quite an undertaking!  

Our Restoration Corvette enthusiasts are probably not the same group generally and the SSITS has a group of people that sell products and promote businesses related to the slingshots!  The resources of the organization have a profit motivation and therefore can dedicate a lot of resources to the events! Like many things $$$ drives things.  It is a great event but it is driven by $$$$.

Bringing vendors in and getting vendor incentives and creating the $$$ profit motivation is a little harder with the restorer Corvette crowd.  That might be an option for you to consider.  Vendors and others might be able to help organize and promote the events more and help make $$$ drive the events.  

Anyway, I think having a C3 gathering and promoting the event is a worthwhile endeavor, but you and your resources are the ones that need to determine if the effort is worth the results!   

�

nay

Right now, I can see the hesitation in folks not wanting to go to a Gathering with the high costs of travel these days. The reliability of our old cars also makes it difficult. But many of us attend the Gatherings without our C3's, as many have stated it's the people not the cars as the reason to gather. Obviously, it's much simpler and less costly to attend a gathering in your region for many reasons so that makes a case for the "regional" gathering. Several years ago, we had what was called an "Alternate Gathering" in our PA, NJ, MD, NY area due to the Gathering being held on the west coast and it worked quite well. I don't know how it would be handled in individual areas. We are lucky in our area that we have a long standing "group" from C3VR that get together often which certainly makes it easier to accomplish. You have to take into consideration the area of the country to have a Gathering due to population density, certainly in the east a Gathering would be more likely tom be attended than others. So, I guess what I'm really trying to say is the idea of a regional thing is the way to go. Just my 2 cents.

DanT

YEA.

I would love to see a member event independent of the larger events. However, it is good to piggyback off of the promotion of other events. 

I think pairing with one of the smaller events such as the Chattanooga motor car festival would be a good event. 

1- This event is sponsored in part by Coker Tire which owns Corvette Central. 

2- Chattanooga is on the way to just about everywhere in the southeast. 

3- chattanooga is a walkable city with multiple venues which allows the event to be spread out throughout the city

just my thoughts. 

As  Webmaster of one of the largest Corvette clubs on the West Coast and an owner of multiple C3's , there has never been a gathering in Southern California which technically according to your map is one of the highest ranking states having the most C3 corvettes in the United states. What I think would be a good idea is having one here in Southern California and since most of the C3 owners that I know here on the West Coast are seniors they would love the idea. Maybe even having it at one of the Indian casinos here in Southern California may actually raise the membership of the C3 registry and popularity. I have spoken to other C3 owners about this a few times and they were really enjoy a good get together. Over the years we have actually been doing it on our own here on the West Coast. Constantly having them on the East Coast is  discouraging. 

Doug,

As you can See in the region map here we have Gatherings all over the country (and even Canada). We rotate the schedule annually East, West, Mid, East, West, Mid, etc, etc.  So being that last year was in Mid, we are to be East this year.

We have held 4 Gatherings in the West so far (not including the one in Canada).   As you can see from the historical attendance list, turnout there is lower than the East.  

-Adam Wartell
NCM Lifetime Member #1222
Founder: C3 Vette Registry 
C4 Vette Registry, C6 Vette Registry

My first Vette, now owned by JB79:

I don’t feel it is for me to say

I am not able to attend no matter where it is held. With my wife’s heath condition it just isn’t possible. She had a liver transplant back in June and is doing well but not well enough to travel

If I was able I would love to meet with everyone

Brian - NCM Lifetime Member

73 coupe L48, Flat-top pistons, Performer RPM Heads, Crane Cam and roller rockers, Holley 650 vac sec. Performer intake,
3.55 gear BTO 200-4R trans,
Leather seats, Seatbelt Plus 3point seatbelts, Pioneer CD player
Magnaflow Exhuast System

Adam,

I agree with those who have shown interest in having at least a "Alternate Gathering". The one that Danascar mentions below was my first time to a Gathering. It was where my wife & I met the members of C3VR. I especially enjoyed it because my wife enjoyed the experience. I consider the C3VR members Danscar mentions to be close, lifelong friends although we are many miles apart. We continue meeting and entering our vettes at Unlimited Car shows, Corvette shows and Corvettes at Carlisle.

So, I voted "Yea"

I was the President of a local Corvette Club here in Wichita, KS.    The membership is down somewhere in the 15-20% range.  A couple of factors are:  Covid, we are still having concerns about large gatherings especially those who are +65 and are in risk categories.  Internet based clubs are attracting more members than in the past.  No meetings, No dues, No structure, just drive.  They are highly oriented towards the C5 through C8 chassis.   

You could consider having the major event every two years, giving people plenty of time to plan.   You could consider regional coordinators who may have events in their regions more often rather than wait for an event to move into your territory.  

I bounce back and forth from this forum to the Corvette forum.  My thinking is there are not too many issues that someone who has a C3 has already encountered.   The forums are a good place to be able to assess an issue or get feedback to confirm your suspicions.  

I believe attaching the C3VR event to another event makes sense, you can take advantage of vendors, entertainment, housing, coupled with separate events for C3VR.   I know you do it now at Corvette of Carlisle, there are a lot of other events that may make sense as well.   

Driving a 50+ year old car long distances is not appealing to myself.   Too likely you will have a maintenance event far from home.  Car mileage, comfort all factor into this.   

The C3 for sales thread you have started is great, I like seeing what the market is doing.   

You are doing a great job Adam, keep it up.   Times are changing but we should be able to move with them in some manner that allows the group participation.   

Mike & Marcia


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I DO like the regional aspect. It would give the adventurous ones an opportunity to attend more than one, and see more friends and make new ones. 

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I vote yea!  I for one missed the glory days of the events held before I joined C3VR.  I am often regaled with tales of "C3VR Fest" and other iconic gatherings.  Unfortunately my C3 was not roadworthy when I first joined but that did not stop me from attending in my "metal" car (even if I had to park in the boondocks when visiting the Tonawanda Engine Plant because it was a Honda!) or even flying into an event without a car (Canada).  Also, those of us still working had to fit in long distance trips with other family demands on vacation time, which was my issue with Texas, but many of us are retired (including me!) so that shouldn't be an issue for me anymore!  And if driving the C3 long distance is daunting for some, I know many of us have newer generation cars that can be used - it's still a Corvette! and again, as said by many others, it's about the people! Finally I don't see any downside in piggybacking off another event like Mid America Motorworks Funfest or Corvettes at Carlisle. That would add to the appeal for me and also take some pressure off of the host.  We could still hang together and have some side trip cruises and keep it "our event" that way.  I'd also support regional gatherings.  Just my random thoughts!

Mario

I haven't attended any of the events due to my Vette being down. I would really enjoy attending the 2023 Member Gathering and of course vote Yea. Hopefully there will be enough interest to go forward with the planning. 

Johnson

Yea if its within a 5 or 6 hour drive

Hello everyone!  I am fairly new here and have had my '70 Vette for a little over 1 year now.  I am located in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, and would be very open to attending an event if it was held locally.  Attending an event in another state would not be realistic for me at this time, though.  Thank you.

I like the idea put forward about having regional gatherings.

Pigeon Forge please, great central location.... 

Nay, last year was my first year on this site, along with buying my 69. This site has been a great help to me as there were alot mechanical things wrong with it, that I missed when looking.  It had been 40 something yrs. since having a classic car so my mechanical skills are a bit rusty. Everyone has been so helpful with helping me fix what's wrong, so for that I say thank you. My driving limits for next year will 2-3 hours,  which being from the Chicagoland area will be Bloomington Gold next year.  Have a great year.  Thanks, Dan

I am sorry. I am battling cancer at this time in my life & need to keep my attention focused on that. I can still vote YEA even though I would be able to contribute to a member gathering. Happy New Year.

gene

We are Yea! Gathering or regional! For us, it’s friendship and a good excuse to drive our cars! Dick/Jill

I would hate to see this feature go away I’have only been able to make 3 of the gatherings.  this is one of the features that makes this fourm special maybe it should be scheduled every other year. Since the Covid the world has changed some for the better and some for the worse and many are still playing catch up 

Annicorvette
Lifetime member # 35

I vote YEA!  I've only been a member for about 4 years and I haven't participated in one of these events yet. Personally, I'm over this COVID BS and I'm ready to get back to normal. The government's handling of this just, basically, put us all in a partial lockdown as they hyped it WAY over the Flu that it is. The Flu has killed way more people. The people are the true value in this group... much more valuable than the online capabilities. I'd rather talk to you on the phone than text. That's how I feel. Thanks to all of you that make this a special place!  God bless you all! 

Some of our members' C3's may not be up to traveling far from home safely (mine for one). So a road trip may be nerve racking and a challenge. It's fun to have a C3 and I love tooling around in my Chevrolet but my concern for safety and well being on a road trip is an issue for me and may take all the fun out of it.

I always love to meet fellow C3 enthusiasts and I appreciate the previous comments regarding the opportunity. The C3 VETTE REGISTRY is great for connecting and sharing thoughts and ideas and getting help and advice.

I don't have a solid answer. Hosting a Member Gathering that is centralized to a higher density of members may help (like the east region). Piggybacking on another event may be advantageous to getting members together. With the member map that allows us to see members who live close by, and for those who are interested, it may be an opportunity to reach out to fellow members and gather at an event within a respective area.

I appreciate what you do Adam and all the time and effort you contribute to bringing the C3 family together.

Thank you.

We very much look forward to seeing our C3VR friends every year at the annual gatherings. Although Covid disrupted those gatherings the last few years, we hope that the group will continue to get together in the future.

We feel that our next annual gathering would be most successful if it’s scheduled in the Eastern Region, as it is where we are likely to get the highest turnout. How about New Jersey or Massachusetts? 

Mark 


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States I've visited:

Thank you to everyone that has chimed in here.

Looks like we have a decent amount of interest.

So, it's time to make some location suggestions.

Check out this thread to make your suggestion...

https://www.c3vr.com/vrforums/annual-c3vr-member-gathering/2023-member-gathering-location-suggestions-wanted/546750/ 

-Adam Wartell
NCM Lifetime Member #1222
Founder: C3 Vette Registry 
C4 Vette Registry, C6 Vette Registry

My first Vette, now owned by JB79:

Most excellent...!!!

Jim Olson 

"The Toys"...!!!  Save the Wave!

Where I've been in a Corvette...!!!

Hip Hip Hoorah!  Thank you Sir for revisiting the possibilities. 

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I would like to see the group and gatherings continue. I live in Canada, and with the high price of gasoline and the high exchange rate I have to pay to buy U.S. dollars, it makes any trip south very expensive. As well I have serious health problems, that have taken over many aspects of our lives. I can’t attend, but would like to see things continue.

I have been a member for almost 20 years and would hate to see the gathering go away.  Have been to quite a few and the one in Texas this last year.  Hope they keep going as the friendships we make are great and as we all love our Vettes have a lot in common.  

   C3VR Lifetime Member #102                   
    My Link.........           
                     

Hi Adam,

You can move JPD1stvette from "Maybe" to "Will Attend"

Jeff

I'm locking this thread. Please see this new one to give us your official RSVP:

https://www.c3vr.com/vrforums/annual-c3vr-member-gathering/2023-gathering-will-you-be-there/547698/

-Adam Wartell
NCM Lifetime Member #1222
Founder: C3 Vette Registry 
C4 Vette Registry, C6 Vette Registry

My first Vette, now owned by JB79: