Editor's Note: It's a Small Show After All
By Ryan Lee Price
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It probably comes as no surprise to you, but I'm a big fan of small VW shows, the smaller the better. I like quaint. I like cozy. I like the collection of a special handful who care enough to want to be together. If you've been reading this magazine for any length of time, you have probably noticed that we pay a great deal of attention to the smaller shows around the country, the 50-or-less-cars kind of shows that dot the map of America. As a gathering, they're great. Now, before you grab for your stationary to write me a lengthy letter about the virtues of a huge VW fest--more prizes, more cars, more variety, more people, more swappers, more of everything VW--let me first clarify the fact that big shows are great as well, they're a welcomed spectacle to bring together the far and many to one place to celebrate all things VW, but if you look at the schedule of the over-700-VWs type shows each year, there's only a dozen or so that loosely fit into that category. The rest, the vast majority by a landslide, are small shows.
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Last weekend (March 22), Sally and I drove the grueling nine miles from my house to Featherly Park in Yorba Linda, Calif., for the fourth-annual Spring Picnic put on by the Orange Empire Bus Company and local club event promoter "Corona" Ryan. For those not familiar with the show's new settings, Featherly Park is a secluded campground dominated by shading old oak trees, spacious rolling grassy slopes and quiet environs where one could so easily lose himself in thought and solve the world's problems. But that Saturday morning, the world's problems would have to wait, especially when there's 50 to 60 of Germany's finest waiting for me.
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Strange as it may sound, I wasn't there to cover the show. Sure, I brought my camera and, sure, I took a bunch of pictures (like the ones above), but I told myself a few days prior that I planned, for once, to go to a show like everyone else, as an enthusiast, something that's rare for me to get to do. I'm always the editor of VWTrends, always "on the job," always talking shop. People like to talk about the magazine and that's great. I don't mind at all, but that Saturday morning, I leisurely got out of bed, packed some water and snacks, a comfortable chair and a book and cruised to the show. I even paid for the admission! Gasp! I haven't paid an admission to a VW show in years. It was seven dollars and quite refreshing. I was Enthusiast Ryan out to have a relaxing VW show experience.
And I did too.
I found a nice shady spot to park the '67. I unfolded my chair, open a bottle of water and sat down. Birds were chirping overhead; a slight breeze filtered through the trees, sprinkling showers of dotted sunshine on my car and me. It was great. Behind me, a few other VWs arrived and found a spot like mine. They set up "camp" and began walking around. That's what I would have normally done too, but I thought it best to relax for a bit, take in the sights and sounds and smells (ah, gasoline and exhaust) of a typical VW show. It wasn't in a parking lot in blazing heat, nor was it a cruising show where you're in your car the whole time. This was a park, a beautiful setting for a small show, and I was determined to enjoy it.
The voice of the VW industry Dyno Don Chamberlin arrived in his freshly dusted off Ghia (with expired tags from the early '90s--it's been in storage) and we exchanged compliments to our respective cars. Randy Carlson of TVA and oldbugs.com stopped by for a visit on his way out. He offered a few constructive thoughts about the magazine. Tony Moore pedaled around on his beach cruiser and we discussed the best of the show, hands down Octavio Gutierrez' 23-Window (pictured below, which you will soon see in a feature). Tony's crew was on hand at the show as a main sponsor, and they are always one for a good laugh. Not to be missed was Lynn Christy's yellow buggy with one of the nicest flame jobs ever laid on a car--it has to be seen to be believed. Rafael Gutierrez (Octavio's brother), head employee at West Coast Classic Restoration, had a swap spot in the grass. He tried to sell me a Bay-Window Bus, and if I dragged home another VW, my neighbors would think I was running a used car lot. Of course, when the hunger pangs roll in, a great stop on the show tour is the barbecue of Hot Dog Fred and family.
As the morning turned into the afternoon, I had the opportunity to see every VW there and remember them. I met a lot of new people, chatted with quite a few familiar faces and I had a relaxing time, just as I planned. When I left later that afternoon, I felt good, not hot and tired like usual, but happy that the show went so well. Everyone had fun. Prizes were given out and games were played. People got to sit around and discuss their aircooled passion, and that's important at a show, that's what it is all about.
So next time you catch yourself saying, "I don't want to go to that show because it is too small," remember, every big show out there, from the Classic to the Florida BugJam to Bad Camberg, started life as a small get together with people who share a common bond, these little cars. Support your local shows.
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