Wednesday, August 10, 2011

August Meeting. And, Oh Yeah, The Classic!

Where to start? How about: It's Club Night! No? You're right. I should have typed this up a week ago, maybe posted it over the weekend. Sorry. Went to the bustling metropolis of Hurricane last weekend for my niece's baptism. The drive was fine, the service was swell, the visit was great, but I missed driving my car. If only I could convince my wife that a lack of air conditioning on a 100-plus degree day isn't such a bad thing. That and her Jetta has a bigger trunk than my Beetle. Oh, well.

So, I guess the first order of business would be last month's club meeting on the 13th. July 2011 was one of those "low numbers but we had fun anyway, so there" months. At least the regular meeting was. We missed a few of our regulars, but got to meet some new friends (Hey, Buddy, Jenny and Charles!) Just to shake things up, it was decided to cruise south, last month, to the La Casita Restaurant in Springville. There we enjoyed some dang good eats and a chance to ooh and aah a little early over Tony's freshly minted 15-window. Charles brought along a photo album of all the work he's doing on his Bug, since he couldn't bring the actual car (can't wait to see that!). And Buddy and Jenny amazed us with their 1971 Autostick Super Beetle.

Three days later, on the 16th, we hosted the 13th annual Wasatch Classic VW Show. Can I just tell you how great you people are, driving so much farther out of the way, dodging so many traffic cones to get to the park and make this year's Classic the biggest one on record? The number of registered cars this year was a good 30% more than either of the two previous shows. Special thanks go out to Kranky Franks and Frosty Frog, who kept us all from starving or frying. Both proprietors said they enjoyed the experience and would be happy to come back next year, and I must say it wouldn't hurt my feelings to have them back! I'm sure you noticed the Channel 5 truck that showed up. Also, I want to thank all of our sponsors, new and old. Local businesses like Parts For Imports and Ken Garff Porsche Audi VW take up a lot of slack that the clubs can't carry on their own. Of course, if it wasn't for the awesome people who come out and participate, there wouldn't be anything to sponsor, now would there? So, thank you, too! If you missed the report on the news (the next day, tacked on after a bit about the Keep On Rollin' Charity Show), I've got it saved on my DVR and just need to get it transferred to where I can post it. There are a bunch of photos uploaded to the WVVW Facebook page. Check'em out!



A lot of people have asked why this year's Classic wasn't in the same park as it's always been, and there's no short answer. The Farmers Market, most of you know, contracted with the Mayor to have Pioneer Park all to themselves. North Park, which is just north of Pioneer Park, was reserved in February but was denied us by the Parks Department because of changes in the rules for special events in Provo. Specifically, Provo will no longer allow cars to park on the grass. Between that and some other events that were going on at North Park on that date, our Special Use Form was denied. Other venues were suggested, and I'm sorry that none of the ones outside Provo were given greater consideration. In visiting locations that the Parks Department suggested, I quickly discovered a sharp contrast between what one hears about a venue at the Parks Office and what one finds when he visits that venue in person. So the need to inspect the venue directly and the dwindling availability of what locations there were left me picking the best place I knew we could get without moving the date. I think it's safe to say, the hunt for a 2012 venue is already on.

Ours wasn't the only event of July to feature our favorite cars: The Volkswagen Enthusiasts of Southeast Idaho hosted the inaugural VW Invasion at Wackerli VW in Idaho Falls on the 30th. Those of you who couldn't make it to Idaho for the Invasion missed a great start to what should make for a killer annual trip. Kudos to our southeast Idaho brothers for a show well done!

Lastly, but certainly not least, remember to mark your calendars for the 20th (if you haven't already). This is the 6th year of the NO Show (Not your Ordinary Show), and the Ogden guys always do an awesome job. Make sure you can attend!