Bloomington Gold
June 10-11, 2022
Bloomington, Illinois

When Mary Rae Brockhouse and I learned that the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show was coming back to Bloomington, we immediately saw an opportunity.  We were early-birds who obtained a vendor booth at a discount, and the purpose was to sign up new members.

Thursday was vendor set-up day and Bloomington Gold official Mike helped get us in the right spot.

This is our vendor spot after we were all set up and ready by the end of vendor set-up day.  As you
can see, we proudly posted our banner!  The front table was the greeting table, and the white table behind that was the business table were we signed up new members.

And our booth was a success!  Not only did we sign up new members, we also helped a member through an online dues renewal.

The building is the Horton Field House at Illinois State University.

Also, the Central Great Rivers Chapter held a chapter membership meeting.

(Clockwise starting from the back right) Denny Coughlin Chapter VP, Judy Coughlin, Laura Lael, Dale Lael , Diane Burgmaier, Lonnie Burgmaier, Gerri Hollada (whitre hat), Mary Rae Brockhouse, SACC Secretary, Jane Fontana, Chapter Secretary, Dennis Fontana, Michelle Paillou, Chapter President.

Also helping at the event was SACC President Larry Spilman.

Larry and I discussed ways to boost membership and membership enjoyment of the club, and he also helped at the vendor booth.

(L to R) Mary Rae Brockhouse, Larry Spilman, Michelle Paillou, Jack Hollada, and Gerri Hollada.

Bloomington Gold had all the events that they are famous for.  Michelle and Mary Rae participated in the Road Tour that was partly on Rt 66.  In the upcoming months you will probably hear more about Bloomington Gold 2023.  It was a success for the club in that we signed up many new members, plus we got lots of recognition, both at the vendor booth and in the event program.

(Indulge me a little bit here).  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Normal, Illinois.  Also staying were Sweet Adelines (barbershop quartets and barbershop choruses), actually an offshoot of Sweet Adelines, Harmony, Inc.  It was their regional convention plus the competition to see which quartets would compete in the National.  This was back in the hotel lobby, after their convention... it was their Afterglow Party!

I have done music all my life and when I mentioned to them that in years past I had sung bass in a barbershop quartet and a barbershop chorus, they insisted that I join them!  They are all terrific singers!  The one song that they do that I also know was "It is Well", a gospel standard.

It was the highlight of my evening!!  (And we made that last chord ring!)

-Jack Hollada, (Holiday), DC

SACC VP