Corvette Funfest Welcomefest Set for Tonight

The City of Effingham’s Tourism Office will be hosting the Corvette Welcome Fest Downtown Party from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight to kick-off Mid America Motorworks’ 23rd Annual Corvette Funfest, and residents are invited to join in welcoming Corvette enthusiasts to Effingham!

Be listening for a live broadcast from 4:30-6:30pm focusing on the Corvette Funfest in general and the RoadTour and the Funfest kickoff in particular on www.979xfm.com and www.kjcountry.com.

Mid America Motorworks’ Fun Run Road Tour will end in downtown Effingham, with a Corvette parade (including candy), coming down Jefferson Ave and ending at the Courthouse square. The Corvettes are expected to arrive downtown around 5:30 p.m. and residents are invited to come out for the parade. Following the parade, the Corvettes will park down Jefferson Avenue, around the Historic Courthouse Museum lawn and parking lots adjacent to the square. The Fun Run Road Tour will be leaving Mid America Motorworks in 3 waves to help with local traffic.

The Fun Run Road Tour is scheduled to depart at 4:30 p.m. from Mid America Motorworks and will follow a new route. The extended route will be 45 miles long, spending most of their time on highways.

“We are expecting 500 Corvettes to participate in this year’s downtown party, said Effingham Tourism Director Jodi Thoele. “The Corvette Welcome Fest is a great opportunity for us to welcome visitors to our community, but also, for residents to come and check out some one-of-a-kind Corvettes and enjoy the downtown festivities. We have a great lineup this year.”

Activities that evening will include food from Lickin’ My Chicken & Pullin’ My Pork BBQ, Martin's IGA and The Dog, in addition to other sweet treats including Aunt Kim’s Kettle Corn and a bake sale by Effingham Telecommunicators. You can also enjoy live musical entertainment by Russ Howard, dance performances from Cayla's Power Tumbling, artisans on the Courthouse square, giveaways, and of course, a chance to see a variety of Corvettes!

“There will be a lot of activity downtown that evening, and we hope residents will join us. Some of the Corvette enthusiasts will be throwing out candy along the parade route again this year. We hope everyone will come out and enjoy a great night in our beautiful downtown area,” said Thoele. In addition, some of the downtown businesses, including the Effingham County Courthouse Museum, will also stay open late to accommodate Corvette visitors and the Effingham community.

Mid America Motorworks’ Annual Corvette Funfest is expected to bring in over 40,000 visitors to Effingham over the weekend. The event will be held from September 15 to 18 on Mid America’s campus on north U.S. 45. This year Mid America Motorworks Funfest will feature seminars, demonstrations, excursions, Swapfest and a Saturday night concert featuring Dennis DeYoung and the music of Styx.

For more information on the Thursday night event, contact the Effingham Tourism department at 217-342-5305 or visit www.VisitEffinghamIL.com. For more information about events at Mid America Motorworks, visit www.FunfestEvents.com.