The folks over at Camaro5 have made no bones about their deep-rooted love for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and just to emphasize just how fanatical they are about this car, they even organized a Camaro meet-and-greet in Valdost, Georgia.

The event, which was predictably called "Camaro5Fest", was attended by over 500 owners of the fifth-generation Camaro, most of whom brought with them some pretty rare versions of the Chevy muscle car.

In addition, delegates from General Motors->ke1024, including Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser, Vehicle Line Director Peter Kosak, Camaro Marketing Manager John Fitzpatrick, and Camaro Product Manager Cheryl Pilcher, all participated in the gathering and - if you can believe - even drove all the way from Detroit to Valdost, Georgia to be part of Camaro5's first-ever Camaro5Fest.

Camaro Marketing Manager John Fitzpatrick wasn't the least bit worried of driving from Michigan to Georgia, saying that the enthusiasm shown by Camaro owners made the trip a must-go. "It was an incredible opportunity to see the passion and enthusiasm owners have for the new Camaro," he said. "This was such an exciting event that I would not be surprised to see more than 1,000 cars at next year's Camaro5Fest."

Congratulations to our buds over at Camaro5 for pulling off a highly-successful event. Well done, fellas.

Chevrolet Press Release after the jump

More than 500 2010 Camaros descended on Valdosta, Ga. for the first Camaro5Fest. The event, hosted by Camaro5.com, is believed to have been the largest-ever gathering of fifth-generation Camaro owners. More than 1,000 people attended the event, driving their 2010 Camaros from across the U.S. and Canada to Valdosta on Friday, April 16.

Several members of the Camaro team attended, including Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser, Vehicle Line Director Peter Kosak, Camaro Marketing Manager John Fitzpatrick, and Camaro Product Manager Cheryl Pilcher. Team Camaro drove from Detroit to Georgia in two Camaro Transformers Special Editions, two Camaro Synergy Special Editions, a development Camaro, and VIN 002 of a 2011 Camaro.

Camaro5Fest kicked off with a cruise through the streets of Valdosta, led by Oppenheiser. Residents lined the streets, cheering as a line of Camaros more than three miles long passed by under police escort. The following day, Camaro fans traveled to South Georgia Motorsports Park for a car show, drag races and autocross competitions. The track events ended with Camaro owners getting the rare chance to drive their cars on the 1/2-mile oval track.

“It was an incredible opportunity to see the passion and enthusiasm owners have for the new Camaro,” says Fitzpatrick. “This was such an exciting event that I would not be surprised to see more than 1,000 cars at next year’s Camaro5Fest.”

For more information, and additional photography, please go to Camaro5.com.

Camaro5.com is a consumer-created Web site and forum dedicated to all news and information surrounding the fifth-generation Camaro. Moderators of the site are some of Camaro’s most knowledgeable enthusiasts. Currently, nearly 26,000 people are registered on the site and are actively involved in the forums. Camaro5 started in April 2006 shortly after the Camaro Concept was unveiled at that year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.