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Chirco's Bugtoberfest XII

Story and photography by Loren R. Knapp

Joe Chirco, a living legend in his own mind, and his trusty sidekick Don Wiggins put on another fantastic V-Dubya car show. The two-day event began Saturday evening, October 20, 2007 with "Joe's world-famous night before BBQ." The food was terrific and free, and fun was had by all.

Chirco's is about an hour's drive from where I live, so I got up at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday to get over there in plenty of time to secure a good spot and help our VW club "The Dry Heat Panzers" (DHP) direct the parking. I thought I would surely be the first car there. However, a bright yellow bug was sitting in the parking lot when I rolled in. It seems the young man drove down from Mesa, Arizona for the BBQ and show and just slept in his car.

The show drew entries from all over the southwest including a guy from Sonora, Mexico in a 1997 Mexican Bug. Entry into the show was free, although everyone was asked to bring a bag of canned goods for the Tucson Food Bank. Dash plaques were given to show entries.

As usual, there were some amazing cars there including a green bug with no engine in the back, but it had a V-8 in the front. Volkswagens in all kinds of condition from the beaters to the big-dollar show cars were proudly displayed. The total number of cars this year was 160, and trophies were awarded in different categories. The system used to ascertain the winners was "People's Choice."

The swap meet area was packed, and people got some great deals. Joe opened the store and offered a 10% discount on items purchased during the show. There was a raffle, food vendors, music and the highlight of the day…..the engine blow, where a VW motor was run full-bore with no oil, until it gave up the ghost. People purchased a chance to win a prize by correctly guessing how long the engine would last.

Now on a personal note…I have entered "The Blues" in quite a few shows, and it has never won any award at any show, as usual I was entered into the "daily driver" category. I had been awake for what seemed like days, and although I was enjoying myself, I did have a few irritating moments during the day. I was sitting in my brand new blue camping chair with a nifty fold-out tray… all set to eat a big, juicy hamburger and enjoy an ice cold coke from the small ice chest I had sitting on the tray. Anyway, to make a long story short…mustard on my shirt…knocked the can of coke off and spilled it in my lap….hamburger now in the dirt…ice chest tipped over in the dirt, too. I cleaned up the mess as best I could, and then went to the bathroom to get the mustard off my shirt. While I was there, I figured I would just get rid of what coke I did manage to consume. I was doing just that when a woman walked in…….just another proud moment. Guess I either didn't lock the door, or the lock was broken. I really think she was more embarrassed than I was.

By the time I got back to the car the engine-blow had started. I noticed that someone had moved a car, which meant that I was no longer "pinned in. So I decided that this would be a good time to make my exit…..before the rush. As I said, I was tired, sunburned, and was still wearing most of my lunch. It seemed like a good plan.

Well, I hadn't been home much longer than thirty minutes when my VW mechanic called and said that I had won "Best Daily Driver - Type 1 - 1968 & Later." I was flabbergasted. Wouldn't you know……. the one year that I leave early "The Blues" wins. I am already looking forward to next year, and hoping that I won't be such a clumsy doofus at Bugtoberfest XIII.

VW Festival at Harewood House

Story and photography by Alex

The event was held at Harewood House, Leeds, England. Built in 1759, by the late Lord Harewood, Harewood House, home to the Queen's cousin, the Earl of Harewood, provides a wonderful day out for all the family and an excellent location for the event. The House, with its outstanding art collections, splendid State Rooms and fascinating 'Below Stairs' exhibition, is set in spectacular grounds, which include formal gardens and gentle woodland walks. A visit to Harewood offers the opportunity to marvel at the collections in the House, explore the Gardens and Bird Garden, take a boat trip across the lake, while youngsters can enjoy the challenge and excitement of the Adventure Playground! With an extensive program of events and exhibitions, Harewood offers something for all.

It certainly wasn't the kind of weather you'd expect in the middle of August, but despite it raining pretty much constantly from Saturday through to late Sunday morning, the show went ahead. And apart from the mud and associated loss of lanes and disarray, it seems that a good time was had by most. It certainly didn't stop people coming out in droves, and by early afternoon the showfield was looking very full.

The Show and Shine: For some enthusiasts this is was most important part of any show... their chance to show off their project cars and to try to win prizes. The competition is split into different categories which are judged by professional adjudicators. Prizes are given to the winners of each class at the end of the show, which is a great photo opportunity. Congratulations to all the winners, and in particular Peter Wray, the owner of the Beige 1300 Beetle that won the "Best of Show - Air Cooled"....he has owned the car for over 30 years; it has been used daily ever since, has never been painted, and never been welded. In fact he has only ever spent £1500 maintaining it since he purchased it for the princely sum of £800 all those years ago! Those of you that saw it will agree it was a worthy winner; not only was it one of the nicest Beetles we have ever seen, but he had painstakingly spent over 1000 hours polishing the engine and carburetor with a toothbrush....not chromed, but polished! Amazing!

It was great to see a much more balanced split between AIR and WATER this year, probably assisted by the camping on the Saturday and the fantastic support by some of the air-cooled clubs. This was our first tentative step to a two day event, and it is safe to say that we learnt a lot from the experience. After all they say, " What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".

For more on this show go to http://www.vwfestival.co.uk. You can see pictures of the event and check out the winners of the Show and Shine and tickets raffle winners as well. I would like to give a HUGE thank you from myself, Paul, Kev, Shirley and Shane, to all the volunteers that helped us to ensure the show went as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

See you all next year,

Alex

16th Annual Volksfest

Story and photography by Guy Perron

On Sunday August 12, 2007, under a beautiful sunny day in the municipality of Embrun Ontario Canada, Volkswagen enthusiasts were gathering to share what they love the most: Volkswagens. This one-day event is a non-judging Volkswagen car show. Whether you have a VW air cool or a VW liquid cool, the public has a chance to see Beetles, VW buses, Westfalias, Kharman Ghias, Dune Buggies along with new Beetles, Golfs, Rabbits, Siroccos, Cerrados and etc.

On Sunday morning, a dozen of us (members of the Capital City Volkswagen Club) left from Ottawa towards Embrun, which was a 25 minutes ride. Every one of us had a smile and was anxious to get to the biggest Volkswagen car show in Eastern Canada if not in Canada, but that we did not know until…We arrived in Embrun at around 8:45 am. Surprisingly, the site was already packed with German cars from all over Ontario, Quebec and some areas of the United States. We all had the feeling that there would be a lot of "folks" (volks…cough) for this 16th edition of Volksfest.

Year one of Volksfest had 90 vehicles on display. In 2005, Volksfest recorded 300 vehicles; then in 2006 it went up to 350 Volkswagen cars. This year, Volksfest recorded a phenomenal 425 cars. The Volksfest show is situated in a large park with plenty of trees providing shading areas and even with 425 cars there was still some space left for more entries. Can't ask for a better location!

The entry fee is only 5 dollars per car and Volksfest chief organizer Bob Lyons and its volunteers make donations to various local charities. Entrance to the site is free for the general public! Overall we all had a fantastic time and everyone on site had a chance to either buy a "nostalgia" souvenirs, toys, books or purchase brand new Volkswagen parts.

See ya next year!

For more information: www.volksfestautoparts.com

8th Annual Bug'n in July Charity Car Show

Story and photography by Daryl Martin

The North Alabama Volkswagen Club held their 8th Annual Bug'n in July charity car show earlier this month on July 14-15, 2007 in beautiful Point Mallard Park in Decatur, Alabama. Point Mallard Park, hidden among North Alabama's wooded pines, is a 500-acre family park that features an 18 hole golf course none of the South's best golf courses, a 25-acre wooded campground, and America's first wave pool, and an indoor ice skating rink!

The show and swap meet took place under the giant blue pavilion that used to house the old ice-skating rink. It was the perfect location for a summer car show, providing ample room for the 70+ cars and offering protection from the hot July sun and occasional summer sprinkle. The show benefited Crisis Services of North Alabama, a multi service agency for individuals and families in crisis. For the second year in a row, Bug'n in July was a two-day show, featuring lots of great info and entertainment for the whole family including Tech talks, an engine blow, and R/C drag racing!

The Tech talk was hosted by Vic from Online Air-cooled Part. Vic discussed the importance of maintaining your Volkswagen's fuel system and the proper location and placement of in-line fuel filters. The engine blow, always a crowd favorite, was handled by Airkooled Kustom's own Eric "Spook" LeClair. Using a discarded 40 hp motor, Spook invested a little time and a few parts to get the greasy derelict engine back to life. Bolted to an engine stand and outfitted with a thunderous exhaust system, the engine roared to life on Sunday and ran for just over two minutes before smoking and succumbing to thermal breakdown.

New this year was the R/C Volkswagen drag-racing. Track conditions and crowd participation were a little off on Saturday, but on Sunday, the track was moved to grippier concrete and several more spectators and R/C VW's showed up. Kevin Howlett won the unlimited class with his "invisible" New Beetle (unpainted body shell) with his wife Sandra taking a close 2nd in her red classic Beetle. And in case you forgot your miniature racer, Dolphe Mills was on-hand during the show selling goodies from his large and enviable collection of die-cast Volkswagen toys and collectibles.

If you got hungry during the weekend, the Boy Scouts were ready with peanuts and soft drinks, and the Hickory Barn BBQ folks returned this year with fresh smoked pork and BBQ sundaes!" For dessert, Cakes, etc. brought out an amazing Herbiecake on Saturday to share with the crowd. The showed wrapped up on Sunday afternoon several more door prize giveaways and finally the trophy presentations.

Mid America Motorworks Funfest for Air-Cooled VW 2007

Story and photography by Cheryl Habing

Mid America Motorworks, the leading supplier of classic Volkswagen parts, accessories and licensed apparel, announced the 2007 recipients of a Lifetime Achievement Honor, the Platinum Bug Award at its annual VW Funfest. The awards' 2nd annual recipients, Dean Kirsten, technical editor of Hot VWs Magazine, and Tim Hall, collector and restoration guru of classic VWs from Owensboro, Kentucky were honored for having shown long-term dedication to the preservation and promotion of the Classic Volkswagen hobby for future generations.

The initiative to create the Platinum Bug Award last year came from a letter written by Adam Hanks, grandson of the first year's award recipient David L. Hanks. In the letter, Adam expressed his wish that Mid America Motorworks could somehow honor the dedication his 75 year old grandfather had put into repairing and restoring VW air-cooled classic vehicles over a 55 year career. Having seen the letter, Mike Yager, Mid America Motorworks owner and Chief Cheerleader decided "What better place to recognize someone's undying support of Volkswagen than at the biggest party for VW Fanatics in the country: Funfest!" Funfest for Air-cooled VW, where the award ceremony takes place, is an annual "customer appreciation party" held by Mid America Motorworks on their campus in Effingham, IL. "Funfest for Air-Cooled VW is our way of saying 'Thanks!' to our loyal air-cooled Volkswagen customers and enthusiasts" said Yager.

The two day event has grown steadily over the years to host more than 8,000 enthusiasts, and over 1,300 VWs who come together for a whirlwind weekend of special displays, a fun judged car show with awards, swap meet, tech seminars, product demonstrations, ladies' events, kids' events and more. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Last Oval Window Beetle, the vehicle was the featured marquee of the 2007 Funfest for Air-Cooled VW, with a special Oval Window display in front of the MY Garage Museum. Oval window Beetles were only produced from 1953-57. This year's event drew attendees from 25 states including New York and Hawaii. "We flew over from Hawaii to St. Louis where we store our bus and drove from there. This is our first time at the event. We are definitely coming back next year!" Says Hawaiian native, Dale Head. Mike Yager led over 200 VWs in his 1974 Thing on a Saturday evening road tour, through the country side.

The tour ended up at a vintage 1940's art deco theater to watch a private screening of the Disney movie "Herbie Fully Loaded". The movie was an appropriate choice as OLE' Demolition Herbie, an original movie car from "Fully Loaded" made its official debut at Funfest. The car is owned by Dale Persch. Also on display was Shaking Herbie and Spinning Herbie from "Herbie Goes Bananas" and Modified Street Herbie from "Herbie Fully Loaded", all owned by Mike Yager. Modified Street Herbie also made the road trip. As provider of most of the Volkswagen parts for "Herbie Fully Loaded", the Mid America Motorworks brand appears in the movie numerous times.

Movie goers were asked to count the number of times Mid America Motorworks appears in the movie and then enter that number to win a $50 gift certificate. With a correct number of 17, 6-year old Chloe Warf, of Mattoon, Illinois won. Chloe made the road trip in her families' 1974 Super Beetle. Funfest attendees flocked to the Funfest Swapmeet area, where over 30 swappers offered everything from original fasteners to entire VWs. Every swapper attending left with a much lighter load than when they came. A happy group from Desoto, Missouri brought two trucks and a trailer loaded with used parts and left empty. Piles of memorabilia, toys, and parts traded hands and a number of Air-Cooled classics left with happy, new owners.

Some of the event's other highlights were:

-Display of customers' Oval Window Beetles
-Free event T-shirts, pins and posters for registered entrants
-Vintage VW's For Sale
-Wine tasting from a local vineyard
-Free Tech Seminars and Product Demonstrations
-10% Discount and Free Ground Shipping on products purchased at the event
-Kid's events - Shirt Tie-dying, model races, & Chalking of a VW Beetle
-Ladies' Day Spa and Woven Bracelet Classes
-Free Camping on the grounds
-Official stop of Wagens West 4 - Northern Exposure Caravan

Plans are already in the works for the 2008 Funfest For Air-Cooled VW, set for May 31st & June1st. Next years' theme will celebrate the 10th annual Funfest and honor the Manx Dune Buggy along with its venerable creator, special guest Bruce Meyer. To register for next year's event, submit a nominee for next year's Platinum Bug Award, or to receive Mid America Motorworks' free, full-color catalog of parts and accessories for Air-Cooled Volkswagens, visit www.mamotorworks.com/acvw or call (800) 500-1500.

Little Anthony's 50's Car Show
Hosted by Tucson Arizona's Dry Heat Panzers

Story and photography by Loren R. Knapp

Little Anthony's 1950's style diner periodically has hot rod car shows. This one took place on Saturday September 9th, and it was the first time ever that a VW club sponsored the show. It was put together at the last possible moment, but the DHP (Dry Heat Panzers VW Club) still managed to fill the parking lot with 38 VW's.

DHP raffled off the artistic talents of Lemorris Harris, who happens to be a very skilled auto illustrator. The person whose name was drawn would have a framed large professional illustration of their vehicle done by Lemorris. The money made from the raffle went to a local high school to use toward restoration of a VW bug by the auto shop class.

Fun was had by all enjoying the old style rock 'n roll music and scrumptious hamburgers, fries and malts delivered by beautiful car hops in poodle skirts. "The Blues" and I had a great time and enjoyed visiting with the hard-core hot rodders, who seemed to tolerate all the air cooled V-dubs.

The 11th Annual Bugtoberfest

Story and photography by Loren R. Knapp

The big event this year took place Sunday, October 15th, and turned out to be the biggest ever. People traveled from all the surrounding states for the show as well as the swap meet, where you could find just about everything you would need in the way of VW parts. Next to Chirco's is a big lot owned by Joe Chirco, and he opened that to anyone who came in from out of state to camp during the event.

I left my house at 4:00 a.m. in order to get a good spot this year and was the second car in line. The entry fee was a bag of canned food for the local food bank. All monies raised went to the local food bank. Joe had a big free barbeque the night before for all the people, who had registered their cars. He and his crew including the whole Chirco family cooked up nearly 500 hamburgers and just about as many hotdogs!

The morning of the show it was cloudy and cool and did sprinkle for a while, but then the skies opened up and it turned out to be a beautiful day in the high 70's. General Manager Don Wiggins told me that they had 128 cars this year and they had zero room for more. They plan to clear off some more land and make more room for next year.

The highlight of the day was the World Famous Chirco Engine Blow. They take a VW engine and fire it up with zero oil. Then run it full throttle until it blows. People in the crowd purchased a chance to win a $100 Chirco Gift Certificate if they can come closest to guessing when the engine would seize up. The money made on this event also goes to the food bank. Last year the engine hung in there for nearly 12 minutes, as I recall. So, I guessed 7 minutes 36 seconds. It started smoking and gave up the ghost at 2 minutes 3 seconds.

Many VW clubs from around the state participated, and in addition to all the different "People's Choice" categories that Chirco awarded trophies for, each club also presented trophies. I shot quite a few photos, and some you'll see here on SuperBeetles.com. I was told that my car received quite a few "Daily Driver" votes and actually was ranked in the top 5. Unfortunately they only have a first, second and third prize in this category. Such is life…. I had a great time anyway.