Over 900 Corvettes old and new lined the streets of downtown Cape Girardeau Tuesday, Aug. 24, during the 2019 National Corvette Caravan.
The traveling caravan is going into its 6th year, heading across the country making multiple stops along the way. The final destination for the group is in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the home of the National Corvette Museum.
Although the event did showcase Corvette's new C8 model, it's meant to honor the museum's 25-year history.
Show members travelled from as close as Cape county to California, and arrived in a mix of styles and years
The event kicked off with a 90 minute parade of classic cars slicing through Capaha Park at 3:30 p.m., and continued with a party downtown, hosted by Corvettes of Southeast Missouri until 10 p.m. The classic cars lined the streets of Spanish, Main, and Water, which allowed visitors to take pictures, talk to vehicle owners, enjoy live music and purchase food from local vendors.
Rick Schmidt, a Cape police officer, spoke on the logistics of the show, explaining that a lot of organization goes into these kinds of local events.
“This Corvette show in particular took a lot of extra planning because people from all kinds of locations are coming to stay in Cape, which they may be unfamiliar with,” Schmidt said. “We need places for parking, areas for people to eat or stay overnight, and we just want to make sure we have the space for it all,”
Jerry Miracle, a Cape local and show member, explained what makes a traveling Corvette-only show unique is that there aren't any other car brands that do something just like it.
“You get a real sense of the car specific community you’re in,” Miracle said. “You meet a lot of people from different places that share your interests, and you always learn new things from everyone you talk to,” said Miracle.
Howard Kinder, who showcased six cars in his fifth year with the caravan, said this event is something that has become a tradition in his family. His son, Shawn Kinder, believes that these shows can have the same effect on other families and will help influence new generations.
Kinder explained that these events allow older generations to share some of their nostalgia with new generations as well as the experience of attending community events.
“These shows also bring the community together and welcome the new community of out-of-towners. It’s always great for local businesses and it really helps put Cape Girardeau on the map,” Kinder said.
The caravan departed Cape and headed to its final destination, a celebration ceremony from Aug. 28 to Aug. 31 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.