Chicago Area MOPAR | Rock Valley | Willowa | Fox River
In January of 1990, a group of MOPAR enthusiasts formed the Chicagoland MOPAR Connection. Through the years chapters have been added to accommodate the growth of this dynamic car club. First there was the Rock Valley Chapter, next was the Willowa Chapter, and then the Fox River Chapter. From the very early days there was always the membership that was called the Main Club, Today they are considered the CAM chapter.
Years later CMC has many hundreds of memberships and thousands that we consider members. A large portion of these members live in the greater metropolitan area of Chicago, IL. This geographical area includes Cook County, DuPage County, Will County, Kane County, Kendall County, Grundy County and northwestern Indiana. To put all members on an equal footing, in April of 2004 the C.M.C. membership approved the creation of a new chapter for this large area. The name chosen was CAM, for C hicago A rea M OPARs. The officers for this new chapter are: Steve Bertok as Director, Dave Kanofsky, as Treasurer.
We are the newest chapter of CMC with lots of new ideas. As is the case with the other 3 chapters, CAM is always looking for new members and new ideas!
Our events are the result of hard work by our volunteer membership, all of which are CMC members with great ambition. If you own a MOPAR, want to own a MOPAR, or just enjoy MOPARs we welcome you and your ideas.
Our CAM monthly meetings are on the last Tuesday of each month and are held at local Restaurants in CAM area. The meetings start by 7:00 P.M. and guests and new members are certainly welcome. To keep the meetings exciting, CMC sponsors host certain meetings. Bring your MOPAR to any of these meetings, whether it is a Muscle Car, Antique, Truck, Sports Car, Late Model, SUV, or Specialty, and show it off and have some fun! We always have flyers available for upcoming events and we hope to see you there!
Willowa Chapter
Willowa Chapter (AKA Mighty Mississippi Mopars) meetings are held either the second or third Sunday of the month at various locations around the tri-state area. Usually, we eat at 5 pm and have the meeting at 6 pm.
The club is for anyone interested in the Mopar hobby. We share information with each other on auto events in the area. Meetings are kept short so there is plenty of time to chat. On the fourth Sunday of August is our Mopars on the Mississippi car show. We have a large swap area with over fifty vendors. We have 36 classes and six special awards. It is the biggest, and we think the best, car show in Iowa. It is held at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds, there is plenty of shade, seating, and fantastic food. Show proceeds are donated to local volunteer fire departments. In March each year we have our March Mopar Madness Banquet and White Elephant Charity Auction. Proceeds from the auction go to local charities such as food banks, veteran organizations, Toys for Tots, Boys & Girls Club, and Make-a-Wish. For more information, please see our Facebook page of Mighty Mississippi Mopars.
Rock Valley Chapter
The Rock Valley Chapter of the Chicagoland Mopar Connection was the result of an idea conceived by John Slack out in Rockford. He knew of an enthusiastic group of Mopar folks in the area and wanted to organize them into a club. However, being familiar with the Chicagoland Mopar Connection, he felt it would be beneficial to be part of that much larger entity. He discussed the idea with then CMC President Scott Spirakes who agreed. Hence, our chapter came into being.
Geographically, our chapter covers North Central Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. With a membership of over 100 and monthly meeting attendance averaging around 48, we have become an integral part of CMC. Our chapter officers consist of Chapter Director Eric Walker, Assistant Director Mark Adams, Secretary Jeff Bird and Treasurer Art Pittaway.
The Rock Valley Chapter has produced the annual “Belvidere Mopar Happening” car show since 1991. In 2001, the event attracted nearly 500 vehicles and thousands of spectators making it one of the premier one day Mopar shows in the country! The time was right for expansion and the following year, we moved from our original home, the Belvidere Chrysler Assembly Plant, to the beautiful Boone County Fairgrounds just a few miles away and expanded to a two day event. This show has grown steadily from the first year showing of 107 vehicles, to the two day regional event it is today.
While the “Happening” is our major event, our chapter is very active year round. We have our chapter birthday party each February celebrating our formation. We have had Poker Runs and Road Rallies. Each fall, we host a pig roast. We follow that up with our “Boo-Hoo Bash” in Apple River IL in conjunction with our Willowa Chapter friends, giving us a great time to reflect on the past show season. We wind up our year with our Christmas Party which carries its own legend. When you sprinkle in organized participation to local cruises and shows and treks to national events you can see we have a VERY active chapter.
Our meetings are usually held on the second Saturday evening of the month, but do change on occasion when events dictate. Our chapter phone number is (815) 262 -6311 and chapter email is cmcrvc@comcast.net. When you are in our area, give us a call. Everyone is welcome at the Rock Valley Chapter Meetings and events!
Fox River Chapter
The Fox River Chapter is our newest chapter catering to the needs of Lake, McHenry, and northern Cook counties in Illinois and Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee counties in Wisconsin. Our monthly meetings are held in Antioch, IL on the fourth Saturday of the month at Cuda’s Bar and Grill. Any Questions Contact Superbird Steve (847) 710-2300 or MoparMarc at (847) 815-2891
We hold a car show yearly at Veteran’s Park (Formerly known as Deer Haven Park) in Fox Lake, IL. generally on the third weekend of June. Veteran’s Park is a beautiful tree-lined city park with easy access and room for over 200 cars and trucks.
All CMC members are invited to attend our monthly meetings and we hold special meetings at area businesses on occasion. Besides the typical 1960’s – 1970’s Mopars, we also have a strong following of Modern Mopar and Jeeps. Please come up and see us in the north suburbs for a pleasant weekend drive. More Fox River Chapter info can be found in the “Whats New” section.