I want to thank all the Camaro and Firebird owners who came out to Morgantown for this year’s Nationals. Without cars and car owners, there is no show. From our first event in 1999, through two venue changes, and the release of two additional generations of Camaro, you have grown with us – both in numbers and in knowledge.
All car shows are a group effort…large shows are epic group efforts. Over 60 volunteers came together – from Colorado to New Jersey, and from Maine to Florida – all members of various Camaro Clubs; to host and produce the 24th Camaro Nationals. Over 600 registered Camaros along with some Firebird cousins descended upon Morgantown PA and the Classic Auto Mall, for what turned out to be one of the largest, most successful Camaro shows ever. We cannot thank the volunteers enough, for working the registration tent, parking spectator and show cars, directing trailers and motorhomes, and assisting vendors to their spaces, and judging cars. Many worked multiple shifts per day (or all day) to make sure everything got done.
Whether inside or outside, there were Camaros everywhere. Over 75 prime F-Body examples were inside, split between the Survivor Display and the Concours judged cars in the Classic Headquarters Exhibit Hall, and the Display cars – both stock and custom, in the Wheel Craft Exhibit Halls. Another 500 or so cars graced the north lot of the Classic Auto Mall; and there were another 40 or so Camaros for sale on consignment in the Classic Auto Mall itself.
The Charity Auction raised $17,000 for the Silence of Mary Home, buoyed by the North Eastern Ohio Camaro Club’s winning bid of $4,800 for our mascot “Bobby Banana”. NEOCC completely topped anything I ever could have imagined, and single handedly set a new record for the auction. Bobby has already been posting his exploits in Ohio, on his Facebook page ‘The Life and Times of Bobby Banana’.
Vendors and Swap booths had a dizzying array of hard to find first and second generation Camaro parts, and most reported brisk sales overall. Other spots had Camaro tee shirts, clocks, Chevy Jewelry, Show Boards, insurance for your classic, as well as automotive art. Spectators increased dramatically, and all the chatter on Facebook and the Web appears to be very positive; so more growth should be in the works.
The Camaro Nationals is like our cars and our local clubs…ever changing and evolving. Our staff and host clubs have pages of notes – new ideas, and things that need improvement. We will work through them in the coming weeks and months, to bring you an even better event in 2024. The dates will be July 18-20th, so mark your calendars now. Hotel and event registration will be announced in the coming weeks, when the website is updated.