The New Michigan Vintage Festival

There's no mistake about it, the event seemed new, different, updated and fresh...good VW shows shouldn't be in parking lots to begin with, but because of its size, the organizers decided to relocate the show from its former home at the VWoA headquarters to its new location on the banks of the Huron River at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The site is surrounded by some of Motor City area's best car museums, home of the Tucker, the last Hudson dealership (now museum) and the site of one of Detroit's first VW dealerships, not to mention a quant downtown and an extensive fire equipment museum. Though it was their 16th running, the venue, the organizers, the hospitality and the turnout lent itself to be considered, in this editor's opinion, the best show of the year, and we weren't the only ones to think so. Volkswagen of America, instead of the MVVC coming to them for the show, came to support the MVVC by being one of the major sponsors, donating the life-sized clay prototype model of the New Beetle (for all to share in a piece) and setting up a tent to display the VWoA's museum collection.

Centered in the heart of Ypsilanti is an area known as Depot Town, a downtown strip of boulevard that connects Riverside Park with several other show-related activities (see sidebars).

The weather for the show could not have been better, though a touch cold for us California folks, and we were told that it was spot-on excellent. Of course, we didn't hear any complaints from the several thousand spectators and the 275 car owners that showed up, not to mention several dozen sponsor booths and swappers. Located on the banks of the Huron River, the park itself was made for cars shows, one end is the spectator entrance the other is for swap areas... the middle was nothing but VWs as far as you can see. The true beauty of the event is there are no categories, no trophies (you could buy yourself a first place plaque of course), meaning that nobody won and nobody lost.

Although some shows can take care of their spectators in only one day, there was so much to be had at this event, it really incompassed a weekend. Hospitality, and there was plenty of it, was in the form of food and drink (and there are some excellent local beers) at the SideTrack Bar and Grill, where the parking lot was for "VWs Only" on both days.

The day before the actual VW event was filled with visits to the Michigan Antique Fire Museum, where Joe Mond of Dubuque, Iowa, displayed his 1959 VW fire truck that we featured on the cover of our Feburary 2002 issue, Also on display was his 1960 Ambulance and a morbidly well-used 1964 Hearse trailer and Ed Conery's 1956 Ambulance. At Miller Motors, the home of the last Hudson dealership (and an amazing collection of early American cars), we met Jack Miller, son of the original owner of the dealership. Down the street is the RM Classic Car collection, home of one of the best restorers in the U.S. That night, the Michigan Vintage VW Club held their annual dinner for a little over 100 people in the brand new basement of the Fire Museum. Guest to the show were officially welcomed by club president Ron Wenger and festival chairman Ernie Otter. Besides my speech, other guest speakers included Greg Rogers from VWoA who spoke about the Tourag, VW's newest SUV, and invited everyone to take a peek inside the example he brought with him.

The next day, bright and early, the members of the MVVC had set up the venue, opened the gates and let the masses flood in. By the time we dragged ourselves out of bed, the show was in full swing. On the river's edge, pass and reviews happened hourly, the VWoA tent buzzed with activity and spectators rolled in throughout the day. The best thing about Michigan in general is that it is a car state. You don't live in Michigan without having some degree of appreciation for cars. For example, a Harley-Davidson group and a Ford Model T club showed up to see Germany's finest... imagine that! Should we now call Detroit the home of the Big Four?

All in all, this is a show not to miss. I know we say that a lot at this magazine, but this time we mean it. The Michigan Vintage Festival rivals that of any show on either coast, and if you missed it for one reason or another, watch out for next year's event. We'll be there for sure.