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In recent years, we saw our Fund A Field Trip campaign come to fruition. This campaign allows us to offset the cost of field trips to the National Corvette Museum for local school groups in underserved areas. Unfortunately, with budget cuts and school funding shortages, many students in our community do not have the opportunity to take field trips. The National Corvette Museum is committed to the needs of all students and educators who want to visit, and we’re asking for your assistance in removing some of the financial roadblocks.

Our Fund A Field Trip campaign co-aligned with the opening of our McMichael Family Education Gallery this year. The exhibit allows the museum to provide a state-of-the-art educational experience geared directly to the next generation of Corvette enthusiasts, engineers, designers, and more.

We have a goal of raising $15,000 during Giving Tuesday for our Fund a Field Trip program. If this goal is met, it will help sustain our campaign until 2026. This sustainability goal is made possible through the gracious donation to this campaign by Elfi’s Silver Pearl Sisterhood earlier this year.

Please consider helping us Fund a Field Trip for a group of deserving students. Your tax-deductible gift can be life-changing for those visiting our Museum, and can inspire a child who might otherwise have been denied the opportunity to get a glimpse of what it could be like to become an engineer or a future Corvette designer.

We offer various donation methods to make it as convenient as possible for you. Donate online by using our Fund A Field Trip form on our website, by phone, or in person at the National Corvette Museum. All donations are tax-deductible, and individuals who donate will receive their donation documentation before the end of tax season.

Find additional program information and donation form here.

To find out more information on the Giving Tuesday movement, visit their website here.

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Family Memberships include:

• Two membership cards
• Two NCM member lapel pins
• Annual subscription to America’s Sports Car
• Free admission to Museum for member and immediate family* **
• Discount on NCM sponsored events
• 10% discount on merchandise from the Corvette Store and catalog***
• Discount on insurance from NCM Insurance Agency
• Discounts on car rentals and hotels
• 20% Discount on CARFAX reports
• $10 off membership to Air Evac/AirMedCare Network
• Access to Members Only section of website, including Monthly Corvette Calendar Wallpaper and Special Videos

To take advantage of this special offer, visit this link for a new Family Membership. During the checkout process, enter VAL2021 in the DISCOUNT CODE box. You will receive a membership packet in 4-6 weeks.

Offer expires February 28, 2021

Museum Memberships make GREAT Valentine’s Day gifts for that special Corvette Enthusiast in your life!

* Does not include admission to special gated events
** Immediate family includes spouse and children under 18 years old
*** Does not include discount on sale merchandise

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Andy Pilgrim, an inductee of the Corvette Hall of Fame and former factory team driver for Corvette and Cadillac, serves as track pro and driving coach at the NCM Motorsports Park and has developed a new drivers’ learning area.

“1995 is when I started this give-back project known as the Traffic Safety Education Foundation where I essentially just try and educate young people, parents and drivers’ education teachers,” shared Andy. “Coming to Bowling Green I have worked to develop a community-centered project, a drivers’ safety driving area. Essentially, most parents don’t spend the amount of time they should working with their children on supervised driving time. This area will hopefully encourage parents to come spend some of that supervised driving time here at the NCM Motorsports Park. And if you drive your own car, it’s free to use.”

Picture left to right: Mark Heusinkveld, Jan Rue, Dr. Sean Preston and Andy Pilgrim

Andy took the drivers’ learning area idea one step further, proposing to have Corvettes available for student drivers to utilize for a small fee. Jan Rue and Mark Heusinkveld of Cincinnati, OH were the first supporters to come forward and answer the call for help.

“When we put out a call to our enthusiast following, Jan and Mark answered,” said Dr. Sean Preston, President and CEO of the Museum. “I know I would have loved to do my practice driving at a cool racetrack like this and in a Corvette instead of an empty school parking lot in a 1979 Mazda RX7.”

Jan and Mark, members of the Museum, were happy to support a worthwhile project with their donation. The 1999 Arctic White Coupe Corvette was a 60^th birthday gift to Jan from Mark.

“We saw the call-out for cars and talked about it,” said Jan. “With COVID, we’ve both recently retired. We used to go to club meetings and things. There are no meetings this year, no events because of COVID. And so, she’s just not getting the driving and the attention that she should be getting. What a perfect thing for youth to be able to learn some safety in such a cool car or group of cars.”

“The gentleman we purchase this from, he was an ex-Air Force mechanic,” shared Jan. “He was so proud of this car. He sent every scrap of paper with this car, memorabilia, every receipt, and he was the third owner of the car. He put an extra coat of wax on it before it would get on the transport truck and then sent us a video of a walk-around of the car before it left Clearwater. He was very proud of his baby and we were very grateful to get it.”

Mark shared that his first Corvette he purchased about 20 years ago – a ’69 Big Block Convertible that he still has. They have also owned a 2013 Grand Sport that they traded in towards a 2019 Corvette (which they drove to Bowling Green for the donation ceremony). Jan is looking forward to ordering a C8 in the next few weeks.

The couple also enjoy other marques including Jan’s daily driver of a 2016 Mustang GT, and Mark has a long history of Camaros before Corvette – including a ’68 Camaro that he still owns. Their involvement with Camaro is what introduced them to the Museum by attending an F-Body event. “I remember one year there was a couples membership offer and I got presented my membership on Valentine’s Day,” shared Jan. The couple have also participated in Kentucky Club Day and the National Corvette Caravan.

The new drivers’ learning area will be available for public use in the coming weeks with the Corvette driving option being added soon thereafter.

“We want to thank Jan and Mark for their donation and hope this inspires other enthusiasts to come forward and support our program designed to create safer drivers on the road and a new generation of Corvette enthusiasts,” added Sean.

Additional details about the offering will be shared on the Motorsports Park’s website as they become available at motorsportspark.org.

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“Adam’s Polishes offers a wide variety of products, not just washes and waxes, but also foam guns, cannons, polishers and more that our team is looking forward to utilizing, making our customer’s cars that much cleaner and pristine,” shared Shane Webb, Delivery Department Manager. “This year alone we will deliver over 1,000 next generation 2020 Corvettes. We look forward to introducing those customers to the line-up of Adam’s Polishes products.”

“The National Corvette Museum is a world-class facility. What better place to take delivery of your new Corvette, or visit for an Experience with your Corvette? We are excited to partner with the Museum and increase the range of products available at their fingertips when detailing Corvettes,” shared Adam Pitale, founder of Adam’s Polishes. “Since the debut of the C7 in 2013, Adam’s Polishes has been partnering with Corvette. We look forward to this new relationship with the Museum.”

In addition to being utilized in the Delivery Department, Adam’s Polishes will continue to have a large retail presence in the Museum’s Corvette Store including online and at their booth at car shows across the country.

Learn more about the Delivery Programs at corvettemuseum.org and shop now for Adam’s Polishes products at corvettestore.com.

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While an official reopen date for Kentucky’s museums and other tourist attractions has yet to be announced by Governor Beshear, fans of the Chevrolet Corvette have a new way to connect with the National Corvette Museum and experience a taste of the improvements that have been in the works for the past six months.

“We kicked off renovations last November, and have been hard at work on the new E. Pierce Marshall Memorial Performance Gallery ever since,” shared Museum Director of Collections / Curator Derek E. Moore. “For those who have visited us in the past, we think they’ll be impressed with the upgrades we’ve been able to make to the space. And for those who have yet to visit, they’ll be equally impressed by technology as advanced as the car it celebrates.”

Only 100 enthusiasts will be allowed to tune in for a first look at the new exhibits. A private live stream will showcase the artifacts, technology, cars and even the people behind them.

Corvette Hall of Fame inductee Gib Hufstader, who was a member of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s inner circle of engineers, will share his insight into the Corvette SS and how that car, perhaps more than any other, embodied the spirit of racing that Zora desperately wanted to have.

Hall of Fame inductee John Heinricy will also participate in the virtual event as he was heavily involved with the 1989 Corvette ZR-1 “Record Run” car that’s featured in the gallery – a display that pays homage to the team that set 12 international world time / distance speed records in a ZR-1 and L98 Corvette, averaging as high as 175.885 mph over a 24-hour period.

The program will include a special appearance by former Corvette Racing driver and Hall of Fame inductee Andy Pilgrim before Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan joins in to share a few stories that only Doug can properly tell.

Viewers will have the rare opportunity to hear a few of the cars crank up, with a peek under the hood, followed by a Q&A session.

As a bonus, Derek will venture into the Design and Engineering Gallery for another sneak peek – this time to show viewers the progress being made on ‘The Vision Realized: 60 Years of Mid-Engine Corvette Design.’

“General Motors approached us about an exhibit they were developing, which focuses on the key vehicles that built the foundation for the 2020 Corvette Stingray,” shared Derek. “It features original renderings from our Museum alongside photographs, artifacts and ephemera from both the GM Design Archive & Special Collections, and GM Heritage Center. We are excited to be the first location to display the exhibit.”

Wrapping up the unique opportunity is a look at the new ‘Entombed Corvette’ display, showcasing the iconic 1954 Corvette that had been ‘cemented in history’ for 27 years, an exhibit made possible through the generosity of Robin and Mary Vann of the East TN Corvette Club.

“We are appreciative of Pierce Marshall, Jr., the Vanns and so many others for their financial support which helped us make these amazing improvements to the Museum,” said Dr. Sean Preston, President and CEO of the National Corvette Museum. “This year we celebrate the Museum’s 26th Anniversary, and many of these galleries have not changed since the opening of the Museum in 1994. We’re excited to share a peek at the renovations with our supporters, and look forward to announcing our grand reopening soon.”

The virtual, interactive experience is Thursday, May 7 at 11 am CT. Access to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is available for a $100 tax deductible donation to the Museum. Registration is available at https://www.corvettemuseum.org/event/e-pierce-marshall-memorial-performance-gallery-virtual-sneak-peek.

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With spring car shows, races, and other automotive events having been cancelled or rescheduled, the National Corvette Museum has pulled together resources to offer then next best thing – an online car show.

“Being a 501c3 nonprofit foundation we started brainstorming ways to keep our audience engaged and the idea of an online car show emerged,” said Dr. Sean Preston, President and CEO of the Museum. “We’ve created a number of categories that people can enter including the opportunity to share a little extra about their car – so rather than have judging like a typical car show, it’s fun, celebrity choice awards.”

Corvette elite through the generations were quick to jump on board with the idea. Joining the line-up of celebrity judges include retired Engineers and Chief Engineers Gib Hufstader, Dave McLellan, Dave Hill and Tom Wallace,  Designers Peter Brock, Jerry Palmer and Tom Peters, racers Tony DeLorenzo, John Heinricy, Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell as well as Racing Program Manager Doug Fehan, past and present GM Corvette Plant Managers Kai Spande, Jeff Lamarche, Dave Tatman, Wil Cooksey and Paul Schnoes, Corvette Hall of Fame inductees Reeves Callaway and Mike Yager, Corvettes at Carlisle’s Lance Miller, and Museum President Sean Preston.

A total of 24 awards will be given, including for each Corvette Generation, Corvette Race Cars, Best Story, Most Unique/Personalized, Plant Manager’s Choice, President’s Choice, People’s Choice and a Club Participation Award to the Corvette Club with the highest percentage of participation. For the C8 award, Ralph White has donated two Next Generation Corvette Counter Stools with backs. Honorable mention certificates will also be awarded.

“We wanted to encourage all enthusiasts to enter, even if they don’t normally enter their car in shows. We created categories that give everyone a fair shot at walking away with some recognition,” shared Sean. “One category focuses solely on the story behind the car and we can’t wait to read the submissions!”

Corvette enthusiasts can enter the show on the Museum’s website from April 6 – 12. The cost to enter is $10 per car, with the option to add on additional judged categories for $10 each. Enthusiasts can enter more than one Corvette by using a separate online entry form per car. Each household that enters will receive a commemorative dash plaque.

All entries will be posted on the Museum’s website, and judging will occur the week of April 12. The Museum will post a video announcing the winners on Thursday, April 23. Awards will be mailed to each winner or can be held for pickup at the Michelin NCM Bash, slated for May 28-30.

“During these uncertain times the Museum has worked hard to keep as many of our staff employed as possible. The car show is not only a fun way for people to get involved in the car hobby at a ‘social distance’ but will hopefully generate a little revenue for the Museum while we are closed. We are excited for everyone to fill our website’s pages with images on their beautiful Corvettes!” added Sean.

The awards have been made possible through the generosity of several businesses, Clubs and Corvette Store partners, including Artisan’s, Callaway, Custom LED Service LLC, Dana Forrester, Huntington Sheet Metal, Kim’s Gold Dust, Mid-America Motorworks, NCM Fighter Squadron, Ralph White, Ready Motorsports, Titan Lifts, Vince Con Corvette, Volunteer Vette and Zip Corvette.

“We sincerely thank those businesses who jumped on board with this endeavor. We realize budgets are tight for a lot of companies, so it means a lot that they choose to support what we are doing and to help keep the car hobby alive,” said Sean.

A few individual award sponsorships are still available. Contact katie@corvettemuseum.org to request more information.

Visit the Online Car Show Page

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Slated for raffle on Thursday, February 20, 2020 is a 2019 Blade Silver Corvette Grand Sport Convertible. But what’s special about the car is that it was the LAST seventh generation Grand Sport Convertible built. The car was built on August 30, 2019 – just before the start of a more than 40-day strike by GM Bowling Green Assembly. The final date of production of the C7 was November 14, 2019.

The car features a 6.2 liter V8 460 HP engine with 8-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission. Other options include a power-folding black convertible top with remote control; magnetic selective ride control; multi-mode performance exhaust; Grand Sport black-painted aluminum wheels with red-painted calipers; 2LT equipment group with Adrenaline Red leather interior including head-up display, heated and ventilated seats, Bose 10-speaker audio system, universal home remote, and remote vehicle starter system; Carbon Flash painted ground effects package; performance data and video recorder with navigation; curb-view front cameras; Carbon Flash badge package; Carbon Flash hood stinger stripe; Carbon Flash painted outside mirrors; red seat belts; Chevrolet infotainment audio system; battery protection package; front license plate bracket.

The winner of the raffle will be afforded the opportunity to pickup the Corvette through the Museum Delivery program (option code ‘R8C’). The delivery program welcomes customers with signs and a VIP guided tour of the Museum where their car is displayed, followed by an orientation and presentation of their new vehicle.

Tickets for the raffle are $150 and is limited to 1,500 tickets – however the raffle will be held on February 20 regardless of number of tickets remaining unsold. Tickets can be purchased on-site at the Museum, located at I-65 Exit 28 in Bowling Green. Additionally, buyers can download a raffle ticket order form from raffle.corvettemuseum.org to purchase tickets via mail order. Those located in Kentucky are able to purchase tickets online with a credit card.

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At the 25th Anniversary Celebration, the Silver Pearl Sisterhood had their inaugural luncheon, generously provided by Sisterhood Founding Member and NCM Board Chairman Emeritus Leslie Gardner. The group was tasked with reviewing four Museum projects and voting on which one their funds would support.
On the ballot included five year naming rights to the Museum’s turntable exhibit, also giving the Sisterhood the opportunity to have a member’s vehicle showcased; naming rights and financial support of the Museum’s Fund A Field Trip program, providing visits to the Museum to underprivileged schools and students; a Women in Racing exhibit, highlighting women in the history of the sport including Betty Skelton and Donna Mae Mims. Ultimately, the project that was nearly unanimously voted for by the group was a Damsels of Design exhibit.

In the early years of the auto industry women weren’t paid much attention. Only in the postwar era did automakers start to think seriously about women. The mass move to the suburbs brought with it the two-car household and suburban female drivers. By the 1950s the biggest question in the car industry was, “How do we appeal to women?”

Harley Earl, the father of Corvette, decided the best way to sell more cars to women was to involve them in the design process. These designers were dubbed “Damsels of Design.” The women were trailblazers and acknowledge that GM provided a great opportunity for the advancement of women in the world of design.
This is just a glimpse of the many accomplishments of the Damsels of Design. Funding from the Elfi’s Silver Pearl Sisterhood will sponsor a “Damsels of Design” exhibit at NCM. The Sisterhood will have the naming rights for the lifetime of the exhibit. This creation and maintenance of this exhibit will be led by NCM Curator Derek Moore and his team. It will include artifacts pertinent to the story of the Damsels of Design and will feature interactive technology that will allow guests to learn more about this amazing group of women.

“We are excited the Sisterhood have chosen to support a new exhibit at the Museum with their funds,” said Director of Collections/Curator Derek Moore. “There are so many fascinating stories of the ladies of Corvette, and our new Damsels of Design exhibit will help tell not only that early story of Harley Earl’s team, but we hope to continue to grow and develop the female presence in our Museum with other unique stories.”

The amount awarded by the Sisterhood was $27,620.

Learn more about the Sisterhood here

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