GOF Central - 2024

GOF Central - 2024

6/15/2024 

We decided to go to the GOF (Gathering of the Faithful) in Newark, OH.  The MG has never been to Ohio and the host hotel is shaped like an Octagon, so it was meant to be!  We decided to stay on the other side of town the day before leaving as it would save us about 2 hours just getting out of Atlanta.  We stopped at the new Cumming (GA) City Center and had lunch at Wright's Fish and Chips. Seemed an appropriate send-off to a British car show and Mrs. Wright was excited to see the MG.  The fish and chips seemed authentic and the portions were so large that we had the leftovers for dinner!  We could have split one order.  We then continued on to Canton, GA where we will stay tonight.

6/16/2024

We left Canton, GA this morning on our way to Berea, KY.  The morning started out clear and very pleasant - wonderful driving weather.  It stayed that way throughout the day, it just got hotter!  The back roads in TN and KY were excellent.  The surfaces for the most part were very nice, a lot of it seemed to have been paved recently.  We arrived in Berea mid-afternoon and checked in at the Daniel Boone Tavern, which the school built in 1909 on the Berea campus and continues to own and operate.  Berea College is an interesting school.  There is no tuition and the students all work while going to school.  Tomorrow, we will head to the Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark, OH, site of the GOF.  

Total miles so far:  353

Daniel Boone

6/17/24 

As we left Berea, it was wonderful weather but already warm.  We continued through the rural Kentucky country side and soon were on Hwy. 627/Winchester Rd.  This was a stunningly beautiful drive through Kentucky horse country with beautifully manicured horse farms, (and some cattle farms), all with laser straight, brown creosoted fences and magnificent vistas of rolling, green hills.  One of the farms we passed is Claiborne Farm, home and final resting place of Secretariat.  

The last stop in Kentucky was Augusta where we took the ferry across to Ohio.  It was a fun and relaxing respite from the driving.

We had some brief, light showers in Greenfield, where we had lunch.  As we got closer to our destination in Newark, the sky darkened and it got cool and windy.  After awhile, it was obvious that our direction and the storm's was about to converge, so we pulled off where we could and put the top up.  About 10 minutes later the skies opened up to a horrendous downpour.  The storm eventually subsided but it was still raining lightly as we pulled into the hotel in Newark and stopped a few minutes later.  We chatted with some old friends, had dinner at the hotel and slept soundly!

6/18/2024

Another beautiful day, but hot!  I washed the car and talked to some new friends.  After breakfast, we took a short drive to downtown Newark to see where the show will be tomorrow and then drove to downtown Granville for lunch.  

Getting ready for a morning drive

3 beautiful MGs

Downtown Granville, OH

lunch at The Pub on Broadway

6/19/2024

Today is show day!  A parade of about 15-20 cars left the hotel enroute to the show field a few miles away in downtown Newark, OH.  I did not hear an official number but there appeared to be about 125 cars.  There was a class for Other British with about 6 cars, but all the rest were MGs, from a very early 18/80 to two MG-Fs.  There were about a dozen beautiful MG-TCs, about an equal number of MG-TDs and TFs as well as many wonderful pre-war cars.  MGAs and MGBs (including a Frontline MGB with Mazda power) rounded out the field.  Unfortunately, there was only one modern Midget in attendance (yours truly) so they put me in the "Other MG" class along with an MG 1100 and two MGFs.  Below are some pictures from the show and some surrounding areas of downtown.

Mural

Mural

view of one of the show areas

Frontline with Mazda power

Some of the beautiful MMM cars

6/20/2024

Today we had a group drive to Utica, OH which is the home of Velvet Ice Cream.  This 110 year old company is still family run.  We met Joe Dager, the current chairman of the board and part of the 3rd generation.  The company is now run by two women of the 4th generation!  The ice cream was great and there was a very nice museum in the old mill.  Just outside of Utica, we came across some cows that must have been MG fans!

This evening is the awards banquet and then we'll pack up and get ready for the trip home tomorrow.

Friday, 6/21/2024

Today is a travel day to Berea, KY.  We will spend a day exploring this quaint college town.

We traveled down beautiful, horse farm-lined roads in KY.  They also have beautiful stone fences that were built with stones taken from the fields.  Irish and Scottish masons taught slaves to build these walls before the Civil War.

Did we mention that it has been very hot for the entire trip.  As we entered Berea, we passed a pond that the cows were cooling off in!  

6/22/2024

Today we explored Berea.  There is a small college, Berea College, with a very interesting history.  It is the first college in the southern United States to be both coeducational and racially integrated.  Also, all students are on a work/study program and pay no tuition.  They have gift stores on campus with arts and crafts made by students.  There is also an area called Old Town Berea that has many galleries and shops.  The picture is of Mary Colmer "warping" in her studio.  Close by on I-75 there is the Kentucky Artisan Center with all kinds of arts and crafts made by artists from all over Kentucky.  It is worth a stop!

Berea College also has a farm where students raise crops and animals.  They also have a horse farm where they breed Suffolk Punch horses.  This is a rare breed of draft horse from Suffolk County in the U.K.  The mask on its face is a "fly mask" to protect their eyes from fly strike and UV rays.  The horses can see through the mask and are very comfortable wearing them.

6/23/2024

Today, we had an uneventful drive home.  It was a great trip and a great event.  We had some great driving and met some old friends and some new ones.  Stay tuned for our next event somewhere!