- By Bill C.
OCT 2, Toad Suck Park, Conway, AR - Rain was NOT the word of the day at the Central Arkansas Volks Folks' annual fall VW show this year. This past week, as I write this, it has rained so much that I find it difficult imagining the great autumn weather that blessed us for the Bugtoberfest show. This was the final of what I was dubbing "3-in-a-Row VW Shows" for our area. It worked out great for me; clean Lightning a lot for NEAVF's show; clean him a little more for our Memphis show the following week; and now, didn't have to do much at all. I LIKE this plan... if it IS a plan.
Ricky Briggs usually accompanies me and whomever else on our Saturday morning convoy. But he was off doing camera footage for Channel 3 of a hurricane, somewhere. I guess all our other members' VWs were dead in the dirt, since I could not scare up a group. So, this year, I would cruise the super-slab, the big 4-oh, to Conway by my lonesome.
I was up at o'dark hundred again; did a couple of laps in the shower; brewed the coffee, walked the dog; loaded Lightning on my semi-new trailer (not to be confused with a semi-trailer); kissed the wife goodbye and barely woke her. I was ready to go... or WAS I? I am noted for always forgetting something on my long list of necessities ... or having some tragedy on the road; I was uncomfortable getting on the road on schedule and so easily. I even had 15 gallons of go-juice in the back; just in case. What was this feeling of joy? Would it come back to haunt me later? We will see.
It was a beautiful morning, light traffic, the sun at my back, but a considerable crosswind. No hill for a stepper, though. I had just installed a little sway controller on "Stubs the trailer" to cut down on the booty-shaking. Also, I purposely locked my road speed 10 mph slower than my normal satellite re-entry speed, to conserve on fossil fuel. With gas prices approaching that of some quality, fortified wine, this could be a soberingly, costly trip. But, I learned to enjoy the slower speed and the solitude. I did some serious thinking, for that early in the morning too; like, if a VW started up in the forest, and nobody was there to hear it, would that be magic? or a ghost of Herbie? Wow... must be a special blend of java I was drinking!
I couldn't believe it! I had arrived at the show without incident! This is a first (or third, maybe). Still waiting for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop, I gained another appreciation for my "stubby" trailer. I could clean underneath and all the low stuff while my boy was still up there in the air, saving my back and knees some grief. Hey! I like this! It wasn't long before I unloaded Lightning and noticed something. He seemed a little extra spunky, not having to sniff Arty's tailpipe for a hundred and something miles. If a bug could talk, he would have said, "Thanks, Pops. Best investment ever." You ought to call up Running Bear Trailers and get you one. And they are one of our show sponsors too.
Thankfully, the show car parking had not changed this year; just pick out a spot you liked and plant yourself. I found a nice shady spot under a big tree and spread out. I usually haul a bunch of my trophies to show off for the kids. And this time was no different; plus it is the only time they get dusted. The little ones seem to love counting them and making all sorts of judgments. Brings back a childhood memory when I use to think that racecars with the biggest numbers were the fastest and would win the race. I would even borrow some of my mom's old nail polish and paint "100" on my toy cars and tell my little brother that was how fast it would go. Those were the days. Things were a lot simpler then. Ha! I was much older before I learned to cheer on the ones with single digit numbers.
This would turn out to be one of the best days in a long time for me. I bought a fist full of raffle tickets and every one was a winner, except for one; and I sure didn't complain about that. I tried to apply my laws of luck and "you're really on a roll." So I bought some 50-50 tickets too. Maybe I could pay for some of the gas to get back to the Ponderosa. So, while I was waiting, I purchased a scrumptious CAVF Cheeseburger and leaned back in the camping chair for a little post-car cleaning rest and lunch.
I had already made the rounds and taken my normal batch of show pictures. Now it was time to check out the vendors and swappers. Jason was a swapper this year, and I ended up buying an old dash clock out of something... maybe a Ghia. He was not sure if it worked, or even if it would be accurate if it did work. But, I couldn't resist the price and the challenge of the whole thing. I love clocks and this was a cool clock. Gosh, which VW would I put it in? I even found a Karmann badge for the naked side of Verty. It was a Good day.
I touched base with some old friends, talked to a lot of spectators, answered a lot of questions about Lightning before the day started winding down. It was already time for the Award Ceremony. I took my pencil and scrap paper to take notes on the winners, knowing that I would need to somehow identify them in the newsletter and our web site. My GOOD Day, to this moment, wouldn't hold a candle to what was coming. No, I didn't win the 50-50 pot. I'm actually thankful that I didn't, because it would be too embarrassing as it was. I was afraid that some of the folks might want to "do me in." Here goes... more on my good day...
I won 1st in my class. It was a beautiful plaque, larger than last year, with more "shinies" on it. Me like! After getting through the class awards, I got another surprise. I was taking home the plaque for Best Engine of Show. And it was cool too! The plaque had the top of a PICT carburetor, shellacked, added to accent the "shinies." Way cool, Lightning. Pretty soon, I was surprised to receive the "Participants' Choice" award; a beautiful plaque that had Lightning's pretty face smiling back at me in a picture. Don't ask me how that happened. I was the only soul there from our club or Memphis. Go figure... I felt highly honored. I was overcome with joy and... disbelief, I guess.
Then it happened, the thing that I had never planned on. There was no way a Vdubber can prepare himself for this. A pin falling out of your tow bar, on I-40, doing 75 mph is NOTHING compared to this. My heart stopped.... I had won ... Best of Show! I am SO unworthy! But, I didn't give it back; a beautiful 4-plus feet tall, humonginoid of a trophy. Lightning... you made your daddy proud. You can mark my garage floor ANY time! So embarrassing, though; I had to get some help from some Texans to carry the awards back over to Lightning. I think I heard him singing a little "told you so" song as we approached. Wow, that big trophy would barely fit in the door at an angle. I had to poke the top in first, then set it on the front floor and lean it back against the head rest, as it almost touched the headliner. Wow.... but then, we eventually had to pack up and head back to Tennessee.
Before leaving, I stopped and talked to a fellow Vdubber who thought he had "toasted" the engine in his red and white split window bus. He did not want to get stranded out on the highway, somewhere. He won the Hard Luck Award at the Jonesboro show a couple weeks' earlier when he encountered fan belt problems on the road. He felt that episode had probably done more damage than he originally suspected. He was from Cave City (75-80 miles the other way) and couldn't reach his wife to come with some help. I couldn't think of anything I could do to help and he felt quite comfortable sitting next to his camper bus, in a campground. He did manage to reach a friend with a wrecker who would come later in the evening if all else failed. I regretted leaving, but did ask the CAVF folks to check on him before they left for the day, just in case.
After that, I felt a little guilty, enjoying a REALLY pleasant ride back home; the sun on the other horizon this time, but still at my back; shielded by what seemed to be a smiling Lightning Bug in my rear view mirror. It was a ... GOOD day.
Air Bill
