By Bill C.
"2001 – A Volkswagen Odyssey"
Springfield, MO – If you are one of the few who have not yet heard my ramblings; I LOVED this show and swap meet. Not too big; not too small. Like Goldie-Locks said, "Just right!"
The show & swap meet was held Saturday, June 9th. So, after staying up until 3:30 a.m., Connie & I followed Dee & Linda for the 300+ mile trip on Friday. Lots of coffee to keep me awake equals lots of stops for, well, you know. The weather for the whole weekend was great; mild temperatures, clear skies, cool breezes.
The GROOVE club, of Springfield, hosted their 7th annual show in beautiful Chesterfield Village, on the south side of Springfield, not far from the famous Bass Pro Shop. There are lots of "eateries" & a Malco Cinema within the grounds. The host hotel, Country Hearth Inn, is also in the Village, just about 100 yards from the show site. I highly recommend it. It has an indoor pool, nice continental breakfast included, excellent rates, and (the part I really like) recliners in the King rooms. Ahhhh!
So after tucking the "Lightning Bug" and the Fosters’ Ghia in, we all headed over to Cheddars, on Glenstone, for some totally excellent dining. They have an onion appetizer ("Onion Straws"? or something) that you need to try. Don’t let the $2.99 price fool you. It is big enough for 4. Too much good food.
Okay, back to the VW stuff. Well, my bug wasn’t in the best of shape. It had seen at least 3, 50-mile trips to work & back every week. Plus, it sat outside in the mess, while the garage addition was being built. So, it was less than "detailed." But a couple of hours of sweat & tears on Saturday morning I had Lightning Bug looking.. well, almost acceptable.
Finally a chance to tour the show; check out the V’dubs. Most all of the VWs were lined up along the center boulevard on the main street in the Village. With the professional landscaping for a background, the "rides" were looking fine. I’ve led a sheltered life, but I have never seen so many busses in one place; stock, custom, slammed, "lived-in"; all beautiful. We passed out about 60 flyers for our October Show (3rd Annual VWs Over Memphis – Belz Bug-In). Talked to some really nice fellow V’dubbers. There was a good number of sand rails & buggies. Even a riding mower, converted for "pulling", running off the #3 & 4 cylinders of a bug engine with a 2-barrel carb and grandma gearing. This thing CRAWLED in the slow drags.
Which brings me to the Slow Drag competition. I had not one of these "races" before (sheltered life). Basically, it works like a drag race, except the SLOWEST vehicle wins. When the flag drops, you better get going. But once rolling, don’t stall, touch the clutch, or hit the brakes. If you do, you are disqualified. Busses are good at crawl speeds. The winner was a type-2 crew cab, loaded with junk to slow it down. The bus with the "drag umbrella" came close, but stalled off the line in the final round. The only thing slower was the pulling mower.
There were some good deals to be had in the vendor area. After spending all my allowance, I headed over for the awards ceremony. The club members lined up and took turns presenting the trophies. That was cool. Anyway, we didn’t do too bad. Dee got a 1st place in his modified Ghia class. I got a 2nd in late bug modified.
So, how about NEXT year? Uh….. YEH!?! I’m th-AIR!
Keep your belts on!
