Summer Volksfest 5

This past weekend I found myself deep within what the VW community offers our scene. Put on by the South Eastern VW Association, Summer Volksfest was held as an indoor show and swap. And while these were all VW’s, the diversity of build types stretched as far as possible. I saw it all. The off-road baja bug, the patina chop top cruiser, the drag ready frame cut, an F1 style race car, and cross country camper van: all under one center. The diversity didn’t stop there though. The demographic of attendees and owners stretched just as far. Owners who have well retired an still found themselves turning wrenches under their first ever car. Kids falling in love with the culture next to their parents.  I ran into my friends band instructor along with a tons of lovely pups. It was a family affair type of show that would make anyone feel welcome.

Mr. Hardrick and his son both attended, as it seemed they were regular members of the vast community. They each brought their bugs to the show and parked right next to one another. Papa Hardrick with his full, drag built Beetle. Boosted, bottled, and built for business, this thing was no joke. Which I’m sure you don’t see much of, but it’s impressive to see some of these track ready builds come from the unexpected.

Just down the corner were the guys from Hilltop Motors with a chop top they called Chop Suey. The entire vehicle was under 4ft with about a foot of window space all the way around. As small as it seemed, sitting inside was surprisingly spacious. Buddy, the owner, is over 6ft himself. So, making it comfortable to drive was important. The visibly from inside was also a surprise. While the height of the windows are about a foot tall, the pillars between them are slim, giving you an unobstructed 360° view of your surroundings. Beyond the Chop, they brought a few other custom rat style bugs with some badass fabrications.

I’m not gonna lie. I hear a lot of shit about VW owners these days. How a lot are just parking lot princes  who bag their new GTI, throw some BBS spokes and call it a full build behind their vape clouds. And while this may pertain to someone in the scene, it applies to every corner of this community. And just like every part of the culture has that, it still holds communities like SEVWA who are just here to share what they love and inspire others around them. I feel like the only reason it may seem more prominent in the VW community is because they celebrate it with one another. They join and organize to share what they love in the most altruistic manner. And that’s pretty cool if you ask me.