6th Annual VWs Over Memphis

- By Bill C.

Lakeland Factory Outlet Mall, Lakeland, TN, SEP 25, 2004 – We survived again! Another successful show! As you know, we experimented with a different date. So our show was almost a month earlier than normal. There were some stressful times, not having set the date until last spring; then we ended up with a month less time to put everything together. But, somehow, we made it.

What can I say about show day? Gosh… was it beautiful or what? We were a little worried about rain. But, instead, we were blessed with some cloud cover in the morning, which kept the temperatures pleasant; and there was a nice northerly breeze all day long. I LOVE the fall!

In setting our date, we were unaware that the Tulsa club was also planning a show on the same date. We may have lost a few of the Missouri and Arkansas contestants to Tulsa; either that or the date caught them by surprise. So, we missed seeing a few “regulars.” But we had some new contestants that made up for it. I think we beat last year’s count by half a dozen, nearly 80 VWs. And thanks to the local water-cooled club for a big part of that.

We got a shipment of new (WHITE) show shirts in that morning. They have the club logo on the front and a special tri-color “Volkswagens Over Memphis” graphic on the back. They do not have a date on them, so they will be good for a long time. You now have an additional “fashion choice”. Ha

Of course, I was sort of tied to the Membership Tent for most of the day, selling shirts, signing up new members, renewing others. However, I did get to sneak off for a few minutes to snap a bunch of pictures and talk to a few old and new friends.

Mid-America Motorworks brought Shaky Herbie and had a booth set up. They also donated a really cool VW bar stool, which was won by Tim K. (& Martin… woof-woof!). Perhaps some of us can motor up to Mid-America’s Funfest next June. Hmm?

We could not get connected with our poster photographer this year. However, we did have a “roaming” photographer selling individual 8x10 glossies. I bought a couple of Lightning, suitable for framing.

A special note on our Best of Show winner, Jeff S. If you have your copy of the November 2004 Hot VWs magazine, you will find his show winner on page 85-87. Wow, what timing!

Speaking of pictures, I hope you enjoy browsing a sample of those that will be available on our web site in the future. Also, the various class winners are listed in the table that follows. I hope I have them all correct.