So they decided on a different tack in hopes of luring Chevrolet Corvette owners who travel periodically to "homecoming" rallies for owners of the classic sports cars made at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green.

And in just a few years, the Lightfoots have turned the simple 25-room motel in Smiths Grove into a quaint and quirky stop that gets rave reviews from owners of $50,000-plus Corvettes. Amenities include a daily car washing for proud Corvette owners who want to keep their cars clean and shiny.

There are no fancy security locks, bellboys or monogrammed towels. Just old-fashioned Southern hospitality.

That's exactly what a Corvetter needs," said Don Otto, president of the Corvette Coventry of Southwestern Michigan, based in St. Joseph, Mich.

"They treat you like family," said Roger Thomas, governor of the Corvette Coventry and a regional representative of the National Corvette Club.

More than 40 members of the club—the largest in Michigan—will stay for the second time at the Bryce Motel for the 16th Annual Corvette Homecoming at Beech Bend Raceway Park today through Sunday.

At least three Corvette sites on the Internet feature the motel as the best place to stay in the Bowling Green area.

The motel's billboard humbly reads:
"Quite possibly the cleanest place to stay."

But Corvette owners said it's other, little things besides the newly remodeled rooms that make the Bryce Motel a draw for them.

The homecoming began when Newton and some Bowling Green business people decided that the town would be a great place for such a festivity because, since 1981, it has been the home of the Corvette plant.

“We call it homecoming because they’re coming back to where they were made,”Newton said.

For the Lightfoots, playing host to Corvette clubs began with the Kalamazoo(Mich.) Corvette Club.

Elana Siebel, governor of that club, was trying to woo her fellow Corvetters during the 1994 grand opening of the Corvette Museum.

"I picked up (a brochure) that said something about caves, Corvettes and something else she said, referring to the motel's advertisement. "Just a great place for antiques, Corvettes, caves and hospitality'

So Siebel decided to take a chance. She remembers wondering, "What if we get there and it's the Bates Motel?," referring to the motel in the movie "Psycho." "And then these people were so wonderful."

The Kalamazoo club will return to the Bryce Motel this September.

"YOU DRIVE Eight HOURS. You have homemade chocolate chip cookies waiting for you," said Otto, 54. "You got a water hose, a gallon of water and soap."

A club like Corvette Coventry usually caravans in on a Thursday.

The couple serves doughnuts and orange juice for breakfast. "We pamper them,"

Jackie Lightfoot said. "These people like to eat. I found that out right away."

The Lightfoots don't think they do anything special. "We enjoy it as much as they do," Bob Lightfoot said. "We feel sad when they leave. When their fun weekend is over, ours is too."

Last September, the Corvette Coventry helped the Lightfoots' daughters, Lindsey,  and Sarah,  with show-and-tell at  School by driving 15 Corvettes to the school and placing them on display.

"If you've never seen 500 kids oohing and aahing at one time, it's a sight," Bob Lightfoot said.

And Siebel said the trip doesn't end when Corvette owners leave on Sunday morning. The Lightfoots "call and make sure everyone made it home."