Generations Corvette Club

The Generations Corvette Club of Central New York was started in the year 2000 by a small group of Corvette owners in the Groton area who wanted to get together in the summer months to drive their cars and in the winter months for socializing. The group’s stated goals were, “to promote unity among Corvette enthusiasts for social, recreational and community events”.  In the beginning, they met in a small upstairs storage room at the Walters Chevrolet dealership in Groton.  They crafted a set of by laws, created a club logo, opened a bank account and started collecting annual dues.  As the club members began talking to other Corvette owners and the word got around, more and more local enthusiasts joined the ranks of the new club.  Today, the club includes over 40 primary members from throughout the Central New York/Finger Lakes region, plus their spouses or significant others, and about 50 Corvettes.

The club name, “Generations” refers to what are now six major design versions, or generations, of the Corvette, beginning with the “C-1” generation in 1953 when the car was first introduced to the public by Chevrolet.  Only 300 Corvettes were produced in that year and they were quite primitive by today’s standards. Over the years since 1953, Chevrolet has made many design changes in the car but only five major changes, which were basically complete new designs.  These major redesigns occurred in 1963, 1968, 1984, 1997 and 2005 and those cars carry the subsequent designations, “C-2”, “C-3” and so on.  Today’s “C-6” version is a highly sophisticated, very powerful, extremely fast sports car with performance that rivals and, in some cases, exceeds the capabilities of the far more expensive European sports cars.  Racing versions of the current Corvette have enjoyed considerable success on the various sports car racing circuits around the world.

On summer weekends, the club members travel together (in what is referred to as a “caravan”) to a variety of events such as car shows, parades, wine tours, horse races, dinners, brunches, pancake breakfasts, car museums, laps at Watkins Glen, picnics and farmer’s markets to name just a few.  In the winter, members usually drive their “other” vehicles to monthly get togethers such as group dinners, brunches, holiday parties and so on.  Once a month, on the second Monday, the members meet at the Ithaca Ramada Inn on Triphammer Road for dinner and to carry on the club’s business and make plans for future events.  Typically, one member volunteers to lead each event, which includes making plans and reservations, selecting a starting time and place, planning the route and then leading the caravan.  While enroute, members often stay in contact with two-way radios or (hands free) cell phones to keep the group from getting separated.  Driving a Corvette is certainly a fun experience in itself but joining with others who share your interest and enthusiasm for “America’s sports car” enhances that enjoyment greatly.

Most, if not all of the hundreds of Corvette clubs around the country also choose to involve themselves in community service projects and the Generations Corvette Club is no different.  Each spring, the club offers two $250 scholarships to graduating high school students who are in the auto mechanics or auto body programs at the Cortland or Ithaca BOCES and are going on to advanced training at other institutions.  Recipients are selected by the club on the basis of their academic achievements, their performance in their vocational classes and recommendations from their teachers and other school administrators.  These scholarships are funded by an annual chicken barbecue run by the Corvette club with assistance from members of the McLean Fire Department.

The club also participates in New York State’s Adopt-A-Highway program.  Once in the spring and again in the fall, club members gather on a Sunday morning to collect trash along two miles of NYS Route 38 just north of Harford.  The trash is placed in bright orange bags to be picked up by crews from the NYS Department of Transportation.  The morning begins with a group breakfast for all of the workers at a local diner, which the club pays for.  This is a fun and easy way for the club members to support our community by enhancing its appearance.

Each year, the club also makes a donation to “Cops, Kids and Toys”, a program run by the state, county and local law enforcement agencies in Tompkins County to provide gifts at the holidays for the children of local disadvantaged families.  This began in the early years of the club when charter member Carl McGlaughlin, a retired City of Ithaca police officer, suggested that we put on a car show to support the program.  Our sponsoring dealer at the time, Stafford Chevrolet in Dryden, donated the use of their facilities and other major support to offer a family type event showcasing collectible cars, trucks and motorcycles.  This continued for several years and it allowed Stafford Chevrolet and the club to donate several thousand dollars to this worthy cause.  Currently, the club supports “Cops, Kids and Toys” with proceeds from an annual chicken barbecue held in the Spring.

The Generations Corvette Club of Central New York welcomes both Corvette owners and people who just have an interest in the Corvette but don’t yet own one.  Our group includes members from all walks of life who enjoy sharing their hobby with others of similar interests.  In addition to the “car events” we also offer numerous social opportunities where members get to know each other better and, in many cases, form long term friendships that they might not have had otherwise.  This even extends beyond our own club as several of our members also hold memberships in other neighboring clubs, which has facilitated the planning of joint events involving multiple clubs.

Anyone having an interest in the Generations Corvette Club is invited to attend one of our monthly club meetings, held at the Ithaca Ramada Inn on Triphammer Road on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM.  Additional information can also be obtained by contacting club president Phil Martinez at (607) 898-3053.  Come on out and see how much fun you have been missing.