Home  
        About          Join           Contact          Events

 

 



.

CMU invades Wytheville, Virginia
October 7 -11, 2026
If you like driving your Mini, don't miss this 3 day cruising adventure!

Experience
beautiful mountains
and classic Minis
as far as the eye
can see!

(Picture from the Mini 51,
Autumn in the Appalachians)

Hosted by the CMU Florida Chapter and members from around the world.

This year we chose to go back to a GREAT location, Wytheville, Virginia as the base for our 3 day driving adventure and Mini '67 Summer of Love party. It's located near some amazing mountains and rivers, setting the scene for some breathtaking drives. As with all of our CMU events, we like to drive, and that's what we'll be doing. We will have drives each of the three days with plenty of stops and things to see. Add in the Friday night party featuring the fancy dress for the 1967 Summer of Love, and you have the most amazing classic Mini event in the Americas! But wait, there's more! This event will also have the famous scavenger hunt, swap meet, epic silent auction, beer tasting, and Hot Wheels racing!

If you haven't been to a CMU event before, we do it differently; we like to drive/cruise a lot and see all around the beautiful area we're visiting. With this being a CMU event, you must be a member to attend. Membership is free! If you are one of the few that hasn't already joined, go to the join page and become one of the over 1,500 North American classic Mini owning members! As with all of our events, this is for all members, but all of the drives/cruises/anything is only for classic Minis, variants, and Mini based kit cars produced from 1959-2000, no exceptions. (The period following "exceptions" is to end the sentence and to also say "period".) There's always room to ride in someone’s Mini if you come in something else. We don't leave anybody behind!

For those of you that don't know someone that has been to a CMU event to hear how amazing it is, the following should help you with your decision. But, beware, when you come to one you'll be counting down the days until the next one, and we only do it every year and a half!

MiniWorld Magazine - The Mini 60 - Here's the full printable story.
"While the Mini is what brings us together, the campground parties are all about the people. Everybody shared stories while making new friends."

MiniWorld Magazine - The Mini 53 - Here's the full printable story.
"Imagine a two-hour twisty cruise with 70-plus Minis, followed by white water rafting, then another unique twisty cruise... memories to last a lifetime. "

MiniWorld Magazine - The Mini 51 - Here's the full printable story.
"As a follow-up to the landmark Mini 50, CMU surpassed themselves with the Mini 51 "
"Everyone witnessed the truly unforgettable sight of the endless line of Classic Minis twisting through the mountain curves."

MiniWorld Magazine comments on our Mini 50 event.
"Many people who went said it was the best Mini event they'd ever attended."
"The event set a new standard for USA Mini meetings..."

Mini Magazine also comments on our Mini 50 event.
"... it raised the bar of what should be expected of a show in North America."
"... can't wait for the next CMU event!!"

If that's not enough, see our Mini 50 and Mini 51 stories!



Typical view at a CMU event, but you can't see the other 75 Minis in front of the Moke!

We always base our events at a campground with an affordable hotel nearby. There is nothing like the campground atmosphere for our nighttime activities and to start our drives. So far it has been KOA all the way. Great locations and great people. This KOA is the same as they have become part of the CMU family... Unfortunately this one isn't as big as some of the others we have stayed at, so while there is plenty of room for tent campers and motor homes, there are not that many cabins. Note, all of the cabins with indoor plumbing have been booked by the CMU staff and helpers, but there could be some cabins left. But don't despair about staying at a hotel as they are close.

   
Host Campground
Wytheville, VA KOA website
This is once again a beautiful KOA with a very friendly and helpful staff, along with a game room featuring a bowling alley, arcade, and batting cage! They are looking forward to seeing gaggles of Minis and making our event a success! Please note to be respectful to the property and KOA staff. That also means NO speeding

Contact the KOA directly for pricing and availability at 276-228-2601. Tell them that you are with the Mini club and that you're excited to be there!
 
Hotels
There are plenty of hotels in Wytheville near the KOA. The exit on 75 onto 11 (East Main Street) is the closest to the KOA and has many hotels to choose from. I looked at Booking.com and saw some as low as $56-$60 per night at the time I updated the website. Note, this is the start of the leaves changing colors, so book asap before the prices go up.

Trailer parking - Do your best to park trailers on the hotel property. If it gets full, don't panic, bring it to the KOA and we will have an area for them. But for ease, please try to park them at your hotel.

Or you can book at the hotel below.

Clown Motel DOD
($24.79 includes tax)
Website
Check out the website before you decide. It's a great price and could actually be fun. It's worth checking out. For more information visit the website.


Drives, drives, drives...
Fun drives are what CMU is all about. We don't care what your Mini looks like, what's important is that it doesn't have any mechanical problems during the drives. The drives can range from 75 to 150 +/- miles each day. Please make sure your Mini is in good condition for the fun twisty mountain roads. We have plenty of stops, but come to the morning drivers meeting with a full tank of fuel and an empty bladder.

Scavenger Hunt
Following the Thursday morning drive and lunch, we'll have the famous scavenger hunt. We do it differently than any other club in the world, unless they copied our fun creation of Minis going in every direction. Justin Handy and Cole Gentry did an amazing job setting up and running the last couple, so we are thrilled they're going to do this one! Thanks Justin and Cole!!!! When you see them after the drives at the end of the day, they like beer.
Get ready for some fun, classic Minis going in all directions!

Friday night party!

The drives are A LOT of fun, but our Friday night parties are a blast as well. This year our theme is the 1967 Summer of Love. That is when psychedelics, hippies, and the Beatles were in full force. We will have a themed fancy dress (costume) contest with some cool prizes. We will also have a swap meet, silent auction (epic stuff!), beer tasting, and of course the Hot Wheels racing, and a great catered dinner. Wow all in one epic night at the KOA!!!

Friday night Silent Auction
One way we keep the entry fees the cheapest in North America is through the money raised at the silent auction. CMU is lucky to have so many amazing members that bring so many items for the auction. We can auction just about anything that members will bid on, so please show your CMU support and please keep doing what you're doing and bring some cool items to the Mini 67. Special thanks to Malcolm and Linda for organizing the many items and running the auction. It's A LOT of work for them before and on the party night. When you see them after the drives at the end of the day, they like beer. Please bring your items to registration so they can start organizing everything before the drives and party starts.

Friday night Swap Meet
What's the best way to sell some of you Mini parts? The Friday night swap meet! There will be a section for the swap meet next to the party area. If you have something to sell, bring it! If you want some great deals, come see what's there. Note, please do not display or sell any items at the event until the swap meet. That way everybody has an equal chance to see and buy the items. It also makes for a good sized swap meet!

Friday night Beer and snack tasting!
Yes, you read it right! As people will be coming from many miles away in many directions, we invite you to bring some of your local favorite beer, tasty beverages, and snacks from your part of the country. Trish and Vaughn Hook will have an area set up for everyone to meet and exchange drinks and snacks (cups and plates will be supplied). Thanks Trish and Vaughn!!!

Friday night Hot Wheels Racing
at the Toe Joe Raceway!

Seriously?!? Yes! Have some fun and win some money! There's two ways to race, a fun race class where we supply the car, and the Pro Series where you modify and bring a Hot Wheels classic Mini to compete. Yes, you read that correctly. There will be some exciting racing and happy cash winners! Special thanks to Justin and Wilver for all of their time to run this fun event like a professional race! When you see them after the drives at the end of the day, they like beer.
Go HERE for the information/rules of each class.
Get your Hot Wheels ready to race!

.


Important!!!!!:
As many of you can imagine, when you get 75+ Minis in a long line/cruise, things could happen. Due to the growing size of the event, we took a close look at safety. We concluded, to keep everybody informed at all times regarding road/traffic/Mini problems during the drives, 2-way radios are now mandatory. Below is an example of what we ran in to the last time in Cherokee. It went from clear to this fog around a blind corner.

If you don't have a radio with sub channels, you can rent one.  The rental of a club radio/charger is $15 for the event. The registration form will have a place to order the rental or to let us know that you have one. The club uses channel 7 sub 9. If you don't already have a radio and want to purchase one, we'll save you some research and give you the magic answer away from all of the misleading promises on the packages! It's all about power and all of the "affordable" radios have the same amount. So, here's the main difference to look for... You want a radio with GMRS channels as they are about twice as powerful as the basic FRS channels. Power is distance! Go to Amazon or Google and search for "GMRS Radio" and start shopping. Most come in a set, so split it with a Mini friend (make sure it has 2 chargers)! It's a safety issue and the cost of a radio is nothing compared to what could happen if you don't have one....... Please note that the radios are for this purpose only, no chatter, no "Oh look a chicken"!

Cruise groups!
We tried something new at the Mini 56, two drive groups, and perfected it at the following events . It was a HUGE success each time!!! Being at the rear of a 75 Mini line means you're almost always trying to catch up. But you put yourself back there so you could go slow... What to do?!?! We'll have two drive groups that do the exact route, the "Spirited" and the "Touring" groups. There will be a Cruise Master to lead each group. The Spirited group will leave first and the Cruise Master of the Touring group will start directly behind the last Mini of the front group. The difference will be that the Touring Cruise Master will re-start the pace, a little slower. This has worked GREAT and solved so many problems, but you still have to pay attention and keep up with the Mini in front of you! Stay together, stay safely tight so other cars don't get in our line and that you don't fall back and get lost as nobody seems to read the supplied instructions! Note, if this is your first CMU event, you need to start in the Touring class. You can then move up to Spirited at any stop if you feel you can safely keep up.  DRIVERS MEETING!

Schedule
The schedule will be out when registration is open. But for your planning, it's basically as follows. Wednesday night is registration and hang out with friends at the KOA. PLEASE come to registration then! Thursday early morning is limited registration, then a morning drive followed by lunch and the famous scavenger hunt back to the KOA. Depending on the weather, we will do an ice cream run that night. Friday morning is very limited registration followed by a fun day of fun drives in the twisty mountains. We are usually back by about 4 so you can get ready for the party and other activities that night. Saturday is basically the same as Friday but with different roads. As many pack and some leave that night we usually have a much smaller turnout for a campfire and story telling after dinner on your own. Sunday everyone left leaves until April, 2028!


Registration will open around August. You will receive a club email when it is open.

Supporters and Sponsors
If you would like to help make the Mini 67 the biggest and best event to date, we could use your support. Simply put, the more money we raise, the more money we can spend on the event. We keep the entry costs down so everybody can afford it (Cheapest in the US by far.). We have a title sponsor (Mini Sport USA) to help make the event happen to our standards, but we always like to embellish and add to it. If you would like to support the Mini 67 please contact Mike Guido. If you are coming and have something for the silent auction, no need to contact Mike, just bring it to registration. Thank you!

Thank you sponsors!
Their logos are links, visit them and see some great Mini stuff!.


See their 400hp AWD Mini!


850-244-6608 -Fort Walton Beach, Florida

 

Special thanks to:
Rhonnie Guido XOXO
Rob and Gail Woelfle
Cruise Masters Chuck Gaines and John Szweda
Scavenger Hunt Masters Justin Handy and Cole Gentry
Silent Auction Masters Malcolm and Linda
Hot Wheels Masters Justin and Wilver
Beer Tasting Masters Trish and Vaughn Hook
Jim Watson leaves no broken Mini behind!!
... and everybody else that's making this the BIGGEST and BEST North American, 3 day Mini adventure!



Copyright 2005 Classic Minis United