The fifth annual Capital City Corvette Classic will roll through Jefferson City on Saturday, bringing in gearhead tourists for the second straight weekend.
Organizers expected 25,000 people to attend last week's three-day Shelbyfest rally, which included concerts, autocross racing and country drives. Activities culminated in a Saturday car show that showcased hundreds of Ford Mustangs on High Street.
Tourism officials said this week's show will feel smaller, but they still expect to see about 100 Corvettes at the event.
More than anything, organizers are excited about good weather conditions Friday and Saturday, because poor weather plagued the event over its first four years.
Forecasters predict a 30 percent chance of rain in Jefferson City on Friday morning, with mostly sunny skies later and a high of 70 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday looks even better with mostly sunny skies expected and a high of 77 degrees.
"It will be nice Friday and Saturday, which is such a relief for us in the planning process," said Chris Wilson, sports sales manager for the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Corvette owners have such pride in their vehicle, and there is such a big financial investment in their vehicle that if it looks like it's going to rain or hail, they are just not willing to take that chance."
Festivities start at 4 p.m. Friday with a 100-mile scenic country drive, starting at the Riley Chevrolet Show Room at 2033 Christy Drive. A dinner will also take place at 6 p.m. at El Jimador Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, 2930 W. Edgewood Drive.
Saturday's Corvette car show will take place on the south side of the Capitol's circular drive and in media and overflow parking lots on that side of the building. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and costs $10 for non-judged entries and $20 for judged entries.
An awards ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. before festivities wrap up around 4 p.m.
Three years ago, rain on the day of the event cut attendance from an expected crowd of 60-70 cars to about 30.
Last year, 75-100 cars participated in the event, despite cool and overcast conditions that morning. Wilson said he expects 100-125 cars to participate this year.
Former Mayor Eric Struemph started the event five years ago while trying to think of events to draw tourists who would stay at hotels in Jefferson City. City officials scheduled the inaugural Capital City Corvette Classic for May 3-4, 2013, but heavy rain forced the event to be postponed to the following weekend.
Final attendance figures are not yet available from last weekend's Shelbyfest, but Wilson said more than 400 hotel rooms were booked because of that event.
Shelbyfest moved from Hermann to Jefferson City in 2015. At that point, city leaders decided to allow both car shows to draw visitors to the area on back-to-back weekends.
"It's an opportunity to showcase Jefferson City and let people know what we have to offer," Wilson said.
Tourism officials want to maximize the space they have in the the Capitol's south parking lots and possibly north parking lots if the event continues to grow. Wilson said while Shelbyfest is a bigger event than the Corvette Classic, both events remain important to the city.
"Right now, Shelbyfest at this point is well established," Wilson said. "With the Corvette Classic being home-grown, we have a responsibility to make it as large as it can be."