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Volksfest

Story and photography by Audra Brousseau

On the second Sunday in August, the small town of Embrun, Ontario (located South-East of Ottawa) turns into Bugville. Known as Volksfest, this festival plays host to over 300 Volkswagen owners and enthusiasts.

All Volkswagens, vintage and contemporary, are welcome to participate in this un-judged event which attracts vehicles from Ontario, Quebec and New York State. Admission is free to the general public and people can be seen meandering around the cars and engaging in discussions with owners and their fellow VW fanatics.

The atmosphere is amiable and most owners will invite you to sit in their car and encourage you to honk the horn while they share their Volkswagen's history. There are several vendors (at this sponsored event coordinated and hosted by Bob Lyons) providing an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to purchase Volkswagen parts and memorabilia.

Local VW clubs look forward to this growing mid-summer event as an opportunity to come together. Feel free to visit the Capital City Volkswagen Club for information on next year's event.

22nd Annual Circle Yer Wagens

Story and photography by Steve Covington

The Appalachian Volkswagen Association held it's annual show October 1st and 2nd. "Circle Yer Wagens" is their claim to fame, with this being their 22nd show. It was staged at the Sevier County fairgrounds, in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee.

The weather couldn't have been nicer. This annual get together brings fans from all over the country with a shared passion for our beloved Volkswagen. From daily drivers to all out street rods, every base seemed to be covered. Some of the nicest cars in the Southeast made it out to strut their stuff.

Not only were there nice cars, there were plenty of vendors on hand for this two day event hocking new and used parts. From the rare to mundane, if you needed it, someone there probably had it.

And let's not forget about the Boy Scouts who showed up bright and early both mornings to serve up hot breakfasts which included everything from biscuits and gravy to all out full plates of pancakes and sausage topped off with free coffee.

The festivities included burnout contests, engine sound off, and stereo sound off competition. Our friend Bruce Simurda made it out from Hot VW's to snap some pictures and do a story for an upcoming issue. Also making an appearance was Jake Raby from Massive Type 4, to talk shop about the popular type 4 conversion.

It was a trip worth making and will definitely be made again. The location is beautiful, the time of year perfect, and the people are great too! If you get a chance to make a Southeastern show, check out "Circle Yer Wagens". Do yourself a favor and check it out next year!

24th Annual Bug Out

Story and photography by Wayne Dean

Let's go back to 1981; Raiders of the Lost Ark was playing at the movies, Steven King wrote the novel Cujo, and the first Bug Out VW Show was held. Fast-forward twenty-three years and Harrison Ford is still making movies, Mr. King is pumping out more best sellers, and people are still attending the 24th Annual Bug Out held in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario Canada.

The KW Bug Club (http://kwbugclub.brinkster.net) is a great organization of VW enthusiasts that put on one of the nicest VW events in Southern Ontario. This year's event brought in 106 show cars and drew about 400 spectators. Once again, the show maintained its tradition of participant judging. Participant judging means that all show car entrants are eligible to vote for their favorite VW in each class. The Kitchener-Waterloo and Area Bug Club believes that this method of judging is consistent with the Club's belief that driving and showing your beloved Volkswagen is about fun and social interaction.

Known for their unique awards, the crew at the KW Bug Club outdid themselves this year. The trophies featured a gold metal Beetle perched on top of a glistening base that had a plate with the class engraved attached to it. Anxious owners could hardly wait until the end of the day to see if one of these beauties would be added to the mantel at home.

As usual the day was picture perfect with the sun shinning and a gentle breeze helping to keep everyone cool. There was an especially large turnout of Buses this year, with the Type 2's almost outnumbering the Bugs. Ghia's, Trike's, Kit Cars, Dune Buggies, Sand Rails, Baja's, Things, and Type 3's rounded out the show, with almost every Volkswagen represented at the 24th Annual Bug Out.

As for next year, the club will be celebrating 25 years and have some special plans in store. I've heard that the Bug Out may be expanded to a two-day event, with a cruise and overnight camping. So get out your camping gear and plan to head to Kitchener Ontario next summer, because this VW bash is going to be a big one!