The National Corvette Homecoming (NCH) is once again, looking toward the future. With its origins beginning in 1981, the same year that Corvette production moved from the assembly plant in St. Louis to the current facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the National Corvette Homecoming has made a habit of introducing the Corvette faithful to everything the Corvette’s hometown has to offer. Over the past 37 years that the show has been in existence, it has enjoyed various venues, as well as owners.
After a short bout with some heath issues, Joe Pruitt, the current owner since 2001 along with his wife Vera, had begun entertaining thoughts about selling the event. Joe explains what drove the 74 year old enthusiast to make the decision and what encouraged him not to go through with it. “After trying for about three months to sell the show to about 4 different groups, we just couldn’t get together, and I just did not want it to die. Feeling a lot better, and almost 50 pounds lighter, I just said to myself I am not through having fun.”
And having fun is something that’s easy to do at an NCH event. The show competition categories will be Drive and Shine, for regularly driven cars, a Show and Shine for restored cars which are typically trailered to events, a Custom Class for modified cars, a Race Car Class, Sans Pareil, which consists of concours-level cars and an Ultra Original class for cars retaining 85-percent or more of their original components after 30 years or more. There will also be a Reunion show, which will consist of 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, and 1998 production cars. As always, there will be vendors and lots of food and with the event’s current location, it’s just a short walk to Montana Grill, Double Dogs, Steak and Shake, and Buffalo Wild Wings, many more if you want to drive your Corvette. They’re also bringing back the parade through downtown Bowling Green for yet another opportunity to drive your Corvette.
Back To The Future is the theme for the show this year, which will be held on May 31 – June 2 at the Hilton Garden Inn on Wilkinson Trace in Bowling Green. Joe goes on to say, “People may notice a few changes, but all in all, we are planning a Great Show with a lot of fun.” One of those changes will be the lack of the Chevy Invitational portion of the show, which was added in 2014. Without the invitational, NCH will once again, be a Corvette-only event.
If you’ve never made a trip to Corvette’s hometown, there’s no time like now to start your planning. You can begin by visiting the National Corvette Homecoming’s website and seeing all the things that Bowling Green has to offer to the Corvette Enthusiast. You won’t be disappointed.