Club Events
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SOUTHWEST MILITARY MUSEUM TRIP

Fifty-four folks joined us 2/17/17 for our tour to a phenomenal museum in Cape Coral. Our always-impressive caravan of Corvettes proceeded down I75 and met some additional club cars along the way.  Judy met us at the door and introduced us to our four volunteer docents who guided us around the museum’s extensive collections. They are arranged in “story-telling style in chronological order from the Revolutionary War through the Afghanistan conflict”. The docent's explanations and sharing regarding the displays brought greater depth to our understanding. The Museum and Library is dedicated to “honoring our military, preserving and displaying military artifacts and memorabilia and educating the public.” All of the artifacts have been donated or loaned by the military, their families, government, and other generous individuals.

The Museum also provides free services to veterans regarding benefits to which they may be entitled. They also have a motto that “no veteran ever leaves their headquarters hungry!” We, as visitors, certainly did not! Our group enjoyed a delicious hot luncheon in the 'mess hall'. It included two meats, vegetable, potato, salad, apple pie, and beverage.  We were privileged to honor the 18 veterans that were traveling with us with an appreciation applause.
Our sincere thanks to the Museum folks for their warm hospitality.
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Corvettes at City Place

The Corvette Club of the Palm Beaches hosted their show on 2/4/17. The show is at a new location downtown at Palm Beaches. A pre show get together was held at Blue Martini the night before the show. Club members had a good time at the new location but also thought the prior show location had its advantages.

Welcome Party

 On Sunday, January 22nd, 115 VFC members enjoyed a wonderful brunch at Boca Royale in Englewood as a welcome back tribute to our northern snowbird friends. Seventeen cars caravanned from Venice to Englewood to meet the remaining members. We enjoyed socializing, relaxing and eating (of course) tasty hot and cold brunch delicacies served in a spacious atrium adjacent to a comfortable dining room overlooking the beautiful golf course greens at Boca Royale. Soft piano music was being performed in the atrium to further enhance our enjoyment.

Ecklers Car Show

The 1/21/17 Eckler show on the east coast was attended by four of the club's cars.

Holiday Happening

The Harbor Corvette Club once again hosted a pre Christmas car show on 12/11/16. A total of 41 of the club's cars took part in the show. It is always good to be able to support another Southwest Florida Corvette club. Our club won the club participation award which in turn will be donated to the charity supported by the Harbor Corvette Club. The weather was good, the company even greater. Fifteen club members took home awards.

Christmas Party

The Venice Yacht Club was once again the destination of the December 4 club party. The Yacht Club decorations added to the holiday spirit, as do the boats displaying their lighting from the boat parade. It's fun to see club members dressed up, no yellow shirts for this event. The food and service were great. Music provided by Kim Jenkins provided a perfect balance between easy listening and great dance music. After dinner, the real dancing began. The floor filled up quickly. There was even a conga line towards the end of the night. All 125 attendees had a wonderful time.

Venice Christmas Parade

Venice holds one of the largest Christmas parades in Florida, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The club has participated in the parade for a number of years. It is our opportunity to do something dramatically different with our cars. We also share some holiday spirit with the thousands who line the parade route. Due to number of parade participants, we are limited to only 10 cars. The local TV station broadcasted the entire parade live.

Marion County Corvette Show Ocala

November 19 was the Corvette Club of Marion County show at a new location, Market Square. The show had been held at the Don Garlits Museum grounds. The new location had paved parking, near by shops, and restaurants. Eleven VFC cars ventured the two hours north to attend the show. The welcome party was Friday at a local hotel. The Saturday show was well attended. Club members took home some hardware making their car clean up work worth it. 

Solomon's Castle

Few club members had ever heard of Ona Florida let alone Solomon's Castle. On November 11, twenty-nine club cars (and 1 tin car) enjoyed the cruise over back roads to the destination. The castle is one man's dream built in the middle of Florida The exterior covered with one-time use metal plates from newspaper printing. Howard Solomon was a noted artist who built the castle as his home, workshop, and gallery. His whimsical take on life is displayed all through out the castle. He also loved cars and has his favorite Fords housed in another building with still more art work. We had a docent tour of the castle pointing out many of unique parts of the house. Later we enjoyed a great meal at the 'Boat in a Moat', also built by Howard. Unfortunately Howard Solomon passed in the summer of 2016. It would have been fun for us to share are love of Corvettes with him.

Flagler Car Show

​On Saturday November 5th three cars left for the 15th Annual “CORVETTES” at the Beach hosted by the Flagler County Corvette Club.  We stopped for lunch at Miller Ale House in Orlando along the way to Flagler.
The night was spent at the Hilton Garden Inn where many of our club members have stayed when attending the show. We had drinks before dinner at the hotel and then went to dinner at the Olive Garden just west of the hotel. Our waitress was really funny and took great care of us. The show was on Sunday, November 6th at their sponsor Tom Gibbs Chevrolet just West of the Hotel. Hurricane damage in October caused damage to the previous location City Square. We all arrived early and stated to clean up our Corvettes. The Trophy presentation was good to club members with all cars winning trophies. We had a great day and headed home after the trophy presentations.

Rum Run To Wicked Dolphin Distillery

There were 20 corvettes that caravanned to the Wicked Dolphin Distillery on Friday, October 21st.  The weather was perfect. We were given a tour of the Distillery by one of the original owners who started the distillery in 2012.  They only made 2 types of Rum in the beginning – Spiced and White. Today, they carry 11 different types of Rum. All the Rum is made in this distillery and distributed to local stores for sale.  The tour included a tasting of their Rum Punch and 3 different shots of their Rum. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and the information was very educational.
 
There were 40 members who went to eat at Bubba’s Restaurant after the tour. The service and food were excellent. They were ready for us and had tables all set up and the staff were very attentive to our needs.
 
This was a great day had by all thanks to Diana Gilson, who made all the arrangements for the tour and restaurant.
 
Another successful venue attended by the Venice Corvette Club members.  

Corvette Clubs Joint Picnic

A multi-club picnic was held on October 10th at the South Gulf Cove pavilion. Thirty one members from Peace River attended as did 35 from Harbor and 35 from VFC club. This made for an incredibly well balanced mix.
In a change from the past each participant was asked to pay $5.00 rather than bringing food items which made it easier to attend. Some Harbor members brought their commercial cooker which made it easy to serve the over 100 people in attendance. They also arranged for live entertainment from the Lemon Bay Bluegrass Band. They also had some nice gifts for a random drawing.
It was a fun time for all. In discussions with members of Harbor Corvette they would like us to consider having this twice a year. Once slightly later in the year (November) and then again before the summer heat starts (likely April).

Tropicana Stadium Open Car Show

On September 3 ​a dedicated caravan of two cars left Nokomis for St. Petersburg and arrived at Tropicana stadium under so-so skies.  As the pre-show routine began, the sky quickly darkened and chairs and cleaning supplies were packed back into their cars. 
The rain only lasted a couple of hours; one hour of which was spent in their cars and the second hour was spent in the nearby Taps House for lunch and air conditioning.  With less than 30 minutes remaining until judging was to begin, the dedicated “show-birds” completed what might be the quickest show cleaning effort in their respective car show histories. 
Trophies were awarded for second place, first place and best in class. Both cars took a crystal baseball trophy for “Best In Class”.
The afternoon continued as the couples received a reduced rate Tampa Bay Rays game ticket and ball cap, and a not-to-be-missed Rays “bobble head” figure.
The rain elevated the number of no-shows, but this car show turned out to be a unique and fun experience.

Ice Cream Social at Lickity Split Cafe

As storms surrounded our area, 17 cars met and began a cruise to Lickity Split Cafe. The 8/27/16 cruise proceeded to Manasota Key on Beach Road before getting to the cafe. Six additional cars met us there. We enjoyed good food, homemade ice cream and great conversation. The car related theme of the cafe added to our enjoyment. Not a drop of rain fell on the cars. Members bringing their 'tin cars' because of the rain potential were kicking ourselves.

Tampa Auto Museum Cruise

Twenty-five club members caravanned to the Tampa Bay Auto Museum in Pinellas Park on Saturday, July 30. The museum is a private collection of more than 60 cars owned by Alian Cerf owner of Polypack, Inc. The focus of the collection is on rare and unique vehicles incorporating engineering and/or design innovation. The majority are of European origin. The docent guided tour included interesting stories about car acquisition, restoration, while providing antidotes on automotive history. An unexpected highlight was seeing the workshops where four additional autos are being restored. Two of the museum’s cars are headed for the Pebble Beach Concours.
After the tour, photo ops and a short but heavy rainfall, the caravan headed to Quaker Steak & Lube for lunch. The restaurant is decorated in an automotive motif, with memorabilia, signs, posters, and photos hanging in the restaurant, and a television in the floor.

VFC Social at Hurricane Charley's

June 4, 2016 found the VFC club in a caravan to Punta Gorda for an event at Hurricane Charley's. There we were meeting members of the Harbor Corvette Club for a lunch that allowed the clubs to socialize. New and renewed friendships were forged. We also had the benefit of a good meal.

Corvettes at Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach isn't exactly a South Florida event but the VFC members decided to caravan to South Carolina for a multi day cruise. The group left on Thursday to begin the 10 hour journey. The first stop was in the Savannah area. Leaving the hotel the next day was about a 4 hour cruise to Myrtle Beach. Car clean up was next before attending the welcome party Friday night. Saturday 6/4/16 was the day of the show. The weather cooperated and it was a good time.
(Click on the picture to enlarge)

Corvettes at the Pier

St. Petersburg is a popular show with the club. On May 28, 2016 was the Corvettes @ the Pier in Straub Park. A number of trophies were brought back to Venice.

Corvettes on the Circle

St. Armand's Circle is a great location for a car show. Sixteen cars from the club headed to Sarasota on May 5. The cars are positioned in the center of the circle. Surrounding the area are a number of restaurants and shops, with something for everyone. The weather was perfect, the cars varied and beautiful. Six club members won trophies. The trophy is a small version of the 20 foot tall statute 'Unconditional Surrender' that is on the Sarasota bay front. Its one of the nicer trophies on the show circuit. The comradeship between clubs was demonstrated when a C2 in the club had a clutch issue that was fixed by someone from another club. Much appreciated.

Name That Tune Trivia

Music trivia was the club event on 5/1/16. We have done this event before and always enjoy it. Pelican Pointe Country Club was the location and Barry and Nancy spun the tunes for the trivia. Before we start trivia there was a great meal done by the club. The trivial competition is 'fierce'. Part of a song is played and you have to come up with the artist, name of the song, and the next few words of the song based on where it is stopped. There was even time to get in a little dancing. The final was close but the winners were some non club members invited to the event. To make matters worse each table had a name and theirs was Mustangs.  It was a great night anyway!

Road Rally

On April 10, 2016 a new event was added to the club's experiences. A road rally was held in the Englewood and Manasota Key areas. There were 38 club cars participation. Each car was given a list of questions (rally sheet) and were given a route to follow. Answers would be written on the sheets as the cars followed the route. Cars were released every minute and a half. Soon 38 Corvettes were strung out looking for the answers. The travel down Manasota Key was scenic but slow. Neighbors wondered what all the Corvettes were doing on their quiet street. The rally ended at the Prime Time Bar & Grill in Placida. All enjoyed the good food and drink while the rally sheets were being scored. The winners received their prizes. A great event.

VFC Picnic Meeting

In what has become a tradition, the April general meeting (4/5/16) is a picnic held at Maxine Barrit park near the beach. The club provides the hamburgers and hot dog. Club members bring a vast array of salads and deserts. The meeting is short leaving time to enjoy the food and the time spent with club members. This year there were about 190 enjoying the event.

Corvettes on the Lake

A number of club members traveled to Lake Worth to take part in the April 2, 2016 car show. The show was hosted by the Corvette Club of the Palm Beaches. The venue had a good turn out at a beautiful location. The trophies had a sting ray theme that owners of Corvettes with the 'Stingray' designation would be proud to win.

Selby Botanical Garden Cruise

On March 19, 2016 41 club members cruised to Sarasota to visit the Selby Botanical Gardens. Mother nature tried to dampen our spirits with rain storms and a few members reverted to their 'tin' cars. The guided tour was great especially seen the orchid show. The thunder and lightning cut the visit a bit short and the group was off to the Der Dutchman Restaurant for lunch. The food and company were good as always.

VFC Car Show March 13, 2016

The Venice Florida Corvette Car Show started Sunday morning with the first cars lined up to enter a "bit" earlier than the published opening time. The welcome party the night before and the time change to daylight savings time did not deter the early risers. The weather forecast the days before the show had rain in the forecast from 60% to 20%. The day was beautiful and all the worry of the show committee not needed. Over 150 Corvettes were in the show plus 60 VFC club cars parked on the street.
Enjoy some pictures from the show.

Lemon Bay High School Band Benefit Car & Truck Show

A number of club members showed their support for the Lemon Bay High School on March 5, 2016 and attended their show. It was an open car and truck show with good variety. 

Vette Show on the River

Corvettes of Charlotte County hosted a Corvette only car show on 2/27/16. Gilchrist park on the peace river was the location. The show was well attended by the club and a good time was had by all. A number of trophies relocated to Venice in the club member's cars.

Pelican Preserve Corvette & Open Benefit Show

Corvettes on the Gulf hosted the February 20, 2016 benefit show at Pelican Preserve. The Golisano Children's Hospital Cancer Fund was the beneficiary. The club was well represented and added to their trophy collections.

Club Sponsor Sales Event

 Our club was asked to display our cars at a special sales event at Bill Buck Chevrolet on  2/13/16. Bill Buck Chevrolet has been the a sponsor of the club since it's inception. There were 40 of the club's corvettes displayed. The club was more than happy to attend.

South Florida Museum Cruise

The 2/12/16 event began at Pier 22 restaurant as 36 corvettes and 74 club members met for lunch. The weather was beautiful and dining was outside overlooking the river. The museum tour was next. The members  were split into 3 groups each with a docent leading the tour. The museum is fill with many interesting items. Included was a Guinness record collection of Coprolite (dinosaur poop). Go figure. Snooty the 67 year old manatee entertained in his large pool. There is also a planetarium here with an interesting show and a chance to sit down.

Corvettes & Coffee

Sunset Chevrolet hosted Corvettes & Coffee on January 30, 2016 at their dealership.

Spring Mountain Performance Driving School


Owners of a new C7 have the opportunity to take part in a two day performance driving school. The school/track is 50 miles outside of Las Vegas NV. Track time is in a C7 Z51 Stingray or Z06 depending on which car you own. Three club members took advantage of this opportunity January 27 to 28, 2016. The school is first class and the best part of it is that Chevrolet covers part of the cost. For more pictures and a detailed description of the school go to the Tech Talk menu item under Event/News.  

Go to School Tech Area

VFC Welcome Brunch

January 24, 2016 was the date of the welcome back party for the club's northern members. The Boca Royale Gold & Country Club was again the location. The event was well attended and Boca Royale did an outstanding job with the brunch.

Vettes In The Vines

January 17, 2016 found the VFC at a bit different event. They ventured to the Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery in Ft. Pierce. The cars were displayed between rows of grape vines for a peoples choice award event.

Rolling Thunder

The club has supported the Venice High School Marching Band for many years. January 23, 2016 was the date of their open car show on the grounds of the school. The weather was cold and windy but that did not deter 31 of the club's car attending. The club participation award was won by VFC and proceeds donated back to the band group.

A Holiday Happening Show

The Harbor Corvette Club had their 2nd annual Corvette & GM Show in Punta Gorda on December 13, 2015. Similar to last year the VFC had a good representation, enough to win the club participation award. The award money was in turn donated to the charity that the Harbor Corvette club supports.

VFC Christmas Party

On December 6th the Venice Florida Corvettes had their Christmas party. The Venice Yacht Club, decked out in holiday decorations, again was the location of the party. Over 100 VFC members enjoyed socializing, a great dinner, music and dancing. This is probably the only club event where you do not see our yellow shirts. The party is after the Venice boat parade and the yacht club slips contain some of the boats decorated for the parade. 

Venice Christmas Parade

The VFC has participated in the Christmas parade for a number of years. The parade is the first Saturday after Thanksgiving (11/28/15 this year) and is Venice's jump start to the holidays. It is always a fun event for club members and for those watching the parade. The lights on our Corvettes provide a unique look to 'America's Sports Car'.

Wonderful World of GM

The Disney Coronado Resort was the site of car shows on Friday and Saturday (11/27-11/28/15) after Thanksgiving. Many of the club arrived on Thanksgiving day and enjoyed dinner at Raglan Roads restaurant in a private dining room. Friday was an all Corvette show and Saturday was an all GM show. Of the 18 club members at the Friday show 11 won trophies. At the all GM show club members came home with 6 more trophies. 

Friday All Corvette Show

Saturday GM Show

Broadway Palm Theater

The social event on 11/21/15 was a bit different for the club. Twenty nine club members were off to Ft. Meyers to see the Boys of Plaid in a musical event of 50's and 60's songs along with some Christmas songs.

All Corvette Show at Don Garlits Museum

The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala is the location of the 11/21/15 car show attended by 11 club cars.  After arrival, the club toured Burnyzz Classic Car Museum and then Friday night there was a welcome party on the museum grounds. Saturday's show had over 200 cars. Trophies were won by 6 VFC members.

Driving Experience Visit

Driving Experience in Sarasota offers many products for cars and trucks. Twenty two from VFC heard the owner, Melissa, talk about window tinting and clear film paint protection. Donuts and coffee were provided during her talk. There was a demonstration of applying the film in the shop behind the store. It was a good way to spend part of November 17.

Decorating Clinic

On 11/14/15 there was a car decorating clinic held for club members considering putting their cars in the Venice Christmas parade. A number of members who had added lights to their car for previous parades gave their tips. No Corvettes were harmed during this event.

Cruise to Culver's Restaurant

The Culver's restaurant in Port Charlotte was the destination for 14 club members on 11/9/15. The food and service was excellent and a good time was had by all. 

Three Corvette Club Picnic

The Peace River Corvette club invited the VFC and the Harbor Corvette Club to a picnic on 11/1/15. The picnic was at the South Gulf Cove Pavilion. The food and company made it a special day.

The Ultimate Corvette & Chevy Show

Stingray Chevrolet was the site of the show on 10/24/15. Tampa Bay Vettes were the host club. This was the first time the club went to this location right on the dealership lot. 

Burnt Store Cruise and Lunch

The 21 Corvettes made the drive to Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda on 11/23/15. The idea was to leave the corvettes and take a boat ride to the Burnt Store Marina. The cruise was in Charlotte Harbor. The weather and the sights were great. Lunch was at Cass Cay Restaurant at the marina. The food and service were excellent.

Dimmitt Corvette Show

October 17, 2015 marked the date of the Corvette Car Show hosted by the Bay Area Corvette Club at Dimmitt Chevrolet.

Corvettes at the Beach - Flagler

Sunday October 11, 2015 was the date of the corvette car show hosted by Flagler County Corvette Club. A number of VFC members ventured across the state to take part in this popular show. There is a great welcome party at the Hilton the day before the show. Club members enjoyed the party and the show the next day. 

AACA Car Show

The Venice chapter of the Antique Auto Club of America held it fall show on October 4, 2015. The show is held in the Venice Centennial Park (same location as the VFC car show in March). The show has variety of classes including three for Corvettes. Several of the VFC members entered the show.

Lunch VFC with Harbor Corvette Club

On September 30, 2015 the club hosted a lunch get together with the Harbor Corvette club. It was an informal get together at the Marker 4 restaurant in Venice. The restaurant is located on the inter coastal water way with a great view.

Pensacola Cruise

On September 10, 2015 ten club cars departed on a cruise to attend a corvette only car show in Pensacola Beach Florida. It is a bit of a run to the panhandle of Florida from Venice. Plans were made to stay in Apalachicola for the night. The ​accommodations were at the Gibson Inn circa 1907. Dinner that night was at the inn and it was outstanding. Pensacola was reached by lunch time the next day. There was time after lunch to visit 'old town' Pensacola before arriving at the Holiday Inn on the beach in Pensacola. The Miracle Strip Corvette Club hosted a meet and greet that night. The show Saturday was on a beach front parking lot near the hotel. The weather was ideal for the show. The club took home 4 trophies. The next morning was spent touring the National Naval Air Museum with a docent tour. From there the group separated with some members going to Biloxi MS, New Orleans or Vicksburg. The final part of the cruise was a trip to Memphis enjoying several sites including Graceland.

Cruise to Culvers Restaurant

Culver's restaurant was the destination for the club's dinner cruise on August 31. A good time was had by all.

Pine Island Cruise & Red's Fresh Seafood House

On Sunday July 19, the club was off to a cruise to Pine Island with dinner at Red's Seafood House. The 24 Corvettes made quite a sight as they cruised the island's two lane road. A total of 48 club members plus two guests filled much of the restaurant. Red's did not disappoint and the food was great. 

Revs Institute Cruise

The club discovered a truly unique car museum in our back yard in Naples Florida. On July 11, 19 cars cruised to the Revs Institute. We were spit into groups of 10 for a two hour guided tour.  The museum, really an institute preserving the progress in automotive history. The automobiles range from the earliest in 1896 to 1995. The cars are presented in galleries with logical groupings of the automobiles. The variety includes some of the rarest and most important car built. You see a 1915 Pierce-Arrow, 1930 Duesenberg Model J. You also will see a 1909 Ford Model T and 1964 Austin Cooper S. The racing cars in this museum are outstanding and trace the race car from its beginning to recent race cars. For the club members, seeing 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, one of only 5, was a special treat. A truly rare race car was the 1939 Mercedes Benz W-154 V12 engine with two supercharges. The museum is open only certain days of the week and a reservation is required.

After our tour, the club was off the get some food before our "long" drive back to Venice. Spanky's Speakeasy is just down the road and was a great place to go eat. The decor is different. The food very good.

Ice Cream Social

Summers in Florida are hot. What better way to spend a June evening than cruising to an local ice cream establishment. On June 27, the club was off to Lickity Split Cafe in Englewood Florida. Twenty three corvettes cruised from Venice to the Lickiyt Split Cafe. The cafe has food service complementing the home made ice cream. Club members had a choice for dinner or just desert. It was a great way to spend an evening.

Edison Ford Winter Estate Tour

May 31 found club members at the Edison Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. The cruise had 17 Corvettes plus 5 met us at the estate. There was a hour and a half guided tour of both home plus out buildings and gardens. Thomas Edison maintained a laboratory on the site that has been preserved much as he left it. The large museum on site contained many interesting exhibits. After the tour, it was off to Pincher's Crab Shack - a shot walk from the estate.

Vettes at the Pier

May 23, 2015 car show hosted by The Suncoast Corvette Association and held in St. Petersburg, Florida. Always a favorite event of the Venice Florida Corvette Club. 

Detailing Clinic

April 22, 2015 club members met at Ron LaPlaca's house to share tips on detailing corvettes. There were some hands on practice bringing an aluminum wheel and the painted hood back to life.

Naples Zoo Cruise

On April 18, 2015 the club  ventured to the zoo in Naples Florida. Several of the members tried an alternative method of transportation but decided to stick with the corvette.

Vettes at the LAKE CAR SHOW

April 11, 2015 was the Vettes at the Lake Corvette Car Show. The show was hosted by the Corvette Club of Palm Beaches. It was the first time at this location in Bryant Park in Lake Worth Florida. The club  had a good showing and took home a few trophies.

April Picnic Meeting

The club's April meeting (4/7/15) was a picnic meeting at Maxine Barrett Park in Venice right on the Gulf of Mexico. The picnic meeting allowed us to say good bye to our northern members before they left us until next year. The club provides burgers and dogs (hot dogs) and members bring salads or deserts. The spread is always great. After dinner and the meeting, many members enjoyed a sunset a few steps away. 

Welcome Back Brunch 1/18/15

The club each year schedules a brunch to welcome back to the area our club members from up north. This year it was held at the Boca Royal Golf and Country Club in Englewood FL. The food and location were great and the company during the brunch could not have been better.