Corvette Welcome Fest Downtown Party Thursday

The City of Effingham’s Tourism Office will be hosting the Corvette Welcome Fest Downtown Party from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, to kick-off Mid America Motorworks’ 25th Annual Corvette Funfest, and residents are invited to join in welcoming Corvette enthusiasts to Effingham!

Mid America Motorworks’ Fun Run Road Tour will end in downtown Effingham with a Corvette parade coming down Jefferson Avenue and ending at the Courthouse square. The Corvettes are expected to arrive downtown around 5:00 – 5:15 p.m. and residents are invited to come out for the Corvette 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 three waves to help with local traffic beginning at 4:30 p.m.

“We are expecting between 500-700 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 and Robin’s Nest Gourmet Fare, in addition to other sweet treats including Aunt Kim’s Kettle Corn, Toppins Soft Serve and Effingham Tropical Sno. You can also enjoy live musical entertainment by Quick & Bradley, 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. 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 the Corvette visitors and 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 20 to 23 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 Decades Rewind.

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.CorvetteFunfest.com.