Crown Point Corvette Club
About Us
The Crown Point Corvette Club is a not-for-profit organization comprised of a group of people who are passionate about Corvettes. Membership is open to all generations of Corvettes (C1 - present). We are Northwest Indiana's premier automobile club with over 90 members strong. This club's function is to provide a social environment for Corvette owners/enthusiasts to participate in Corvette related activities such as, but not limited to, road rallies, holiday parties, car shows, restaurant outings, cookouts, road trips, parades, and civic, as well as, charitable events.
Club History
In 1992, two co-workers and friends, Jim Jaeger and Tom Nicholls, decided it was time to fulfill lifelong dreams and purchase Corvettes. The two began the magical journey of finding their respective cars, searching car ads, going to dealerships, and even taking long distance trips to cities such as Boston to look at collections of Corvettes for sale. Ironically, Jim was looking for a red car and ended up with a black one (a black 1985), and Tom was looking for a black car and ended up with a red one (a red 1987)!
Upon purchasing their Corvettes, one of the first things they did was take their lovely wives, Kathy and JoEllen, to Bloomington Gold. That was the hook for all of them! Meeting all of the other Vettes on the road, the hotel parking lots filled with nothing but Corvettes, and participating in the famous road tour with lines of Corvettes that went on for miles!
Other friends joined them in the Corvette fraternity along the way and for a while, the group became members of another Corvette club. They had a great time, but they were not able to stay active because of work schedules. They agreed that they would one day form their own Corvette club.
Photo of Original CPCC Flag & Logo
In 1999, Jim got a call from another friend, Bob Hoffman, who had just purchased a black 1978 Corvette. After talking a bit about their cars, the subject of starting a new club came up and Jim talked Bob into becoming the new club's first president. And so it was, in September 1999, the Crown Point Corvette Club was formed with just four members. One of the founding members also being Ken Ziese from Ziese & Sons Excavating. The group agreed on a regular meeting day and time, and some initial by-laws. By the third meeting, the club now had nine members -- Bob Hoffman, Jim Jaeger, Tom Nicholls, Mikey Peterson, John Sum, Chuck Stephen, Mac Randolph, Ken Ziese and Al Krok. The group put an ad in the paper and gained new members each month.
The club continued to grow, both in size and activities. There were numerous cruises, parades, car shows and picnics. In 2001, the club partnered with the Crown Point Chamber of Commerce to present a "Summer Cruise Night" at the Lake County Fairgrounds. These events featured plenty of fun, door prizes, music and dancing.
Also in 2001, the club began presenting an annual charity car show. We have proudly continued this event through the years, and have raised thousands of dollars for worthwhile charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Anthony's Hospital Pediatric Ward, Halo of Hope Foundation, Disabled Veterans, and the Humane Society.
With many good times, come some sad times too. We have many special members of the club -- Mac Randolph, Patty Rench, David Blankenship, JoEllens Nichiolls, Cindy Peters, Ed Wenzel, Shelley Kelby, Jerry Ramusack, Glen MacDonald, and Tom Lyons. They will always remain in our thoughts and prayers.
Thanks to past club presidents who have helped keep our club going strong -- Bob Hoffman (1999-2003), Chuck Stephen (2003-2006), Mary Hoffman (2006-2007), Jeff Graystone (2007-2010) and Bill Gnerlich (2011 - 2016), Herb Craig (2017), Gary Boender (2018-2019), Brian Daniell (2019-present). We appreciate your hard work over the years, as well as the work of ALL of the officers who previously and currently serve.
We are proud of the Crown Point Corvette Club and its accomplishments and activities. We look forward to many more years of great fun and community service.
"Remember, there are no stranger in the Crown Point Corvette Club. Just a lot of good friends you may have not yet met!" --Tom Nichols (past CPCC member)
Membership Information
Visit CrownPointCorvetteClub.org for membership application and more information.
Annual memberships are $40.00 for an individual, or $45.00 for a couple. We also require a one-time fee of $8.00 per person for a club name tag.
Membership is open to all generations of Corvettes (C1 - present). The only requirement for membership in the club is Corvette ownership.
We hold a monthly meetings all over Northwest Indiana (often on Sunday afternoons in summer and during the week in fall/winter). For our next meeting date please visit our club site listed above.
We are an active club, with numerous activities throughout the year. These include group cruises to various locations, an annual charity car show, a club picnic and a club Christmas party. We also try to join with other Corvette clubs, and share activities when we can.
If you are interested in learning more about our club, feel free to stop by one of our meetings. There is no pressure to join. Come see what we have to offer and talk with some of our members.
Dues and completed application forms can be mailed to:
The Crown Point Corvette Club
P.O. Box 94
Crown Point, IN. 46308
Or, you can simply bring them to the next meeting.
Thank you for your interest in the Crown Point Corvette Club!
Website Created By Doug Van Der Weide
