The 2024 GOF Central (Gathering of the Faithful):

A Call to Arms!

The Vintage MG Car Club of Chicago has hosted the GOF Central many times. In 2012 Jerry Cihak took the helm, and the event took place at Pheasant Run in St. Charles Illinois. Six years later I had the pleasure of hosting the GOF Central at Lake Lawn Resort in Delevan, Wisconsin. Next year’s GOF Central will be held in South Bend, Indiana and hosted by the Olde Octagons of Indiana. After that, in 2024, it is our turn again.

It would not have been possible to host the 2018 GOF without the help of both the CMGC and the VMGCC. I am a member of both, as are many members of the VMGCC. One person cannot take on this event alone. It is the work of many volunteers from one or more clubs. I have my spreadsheets and documents from the 2018 event, but not the energy I had four years ago. Judging from the attendance of both clubs at the GOF last summer in La Crosse Wisconsin, there is just as much interest in attending these events in the CMGC as there is in the VMGCC.

If we are going to host the 2024 GOF Central we must get started NOW!. We have 18 months to pull this off, and that is barely enough time. We will need volunteers ready and willing to put in the time and effort to make this a success. We need people to do the long range planning that must be done this Winter and Spring, and we need many more people to organize the events at the GOF itself. Others need to organize things like audio visual services and photography.

First, let’s focus on what needs to be done over the winter months. We need to find a resort or other venue to hold the event and get a contract signed. We can save considerable time if we host the event at the Lake Lawn Resort which is big enough to host the event and not too far away. People enjoyed it, and it was not too expensive.

Second, we need people to step up to the plate and organize the events and details. That can wait until next September. I would like to know who is interested in joining the team or taking over as team leader. IF YOU ARE WILLING TO VOLUNTEER, PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY EMAIL BEFORE THE END OF JANUARY. Let me know if you want to help this winter, next year, or both. We cannot sign a contract for a venue unless we can be sure we will be able to pull this off. My email is rlincoln314159@gmail.com. My cell phone is 217-390-5300. Call me, text me, or send me an email. With your help we can host a fantastic GOF Central, just like we did in 2018.

~~Ray Costa