October 30, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

I knew that I would be going to the last VW show of this year's season, and I was in what I call my show preparation mode. In other words........I was getting my Squareback & me ready for the event. There are certain thing's that I can always count on when going to the "Fast Times At Farmington" show's. One is the fact that it's one of the more popular VW show's for us VW driver's. Two is that there are always a certain group of GOV member's that will be there, as well as quite a few non-member's that I have met over the year's. This always makes these event's the place to be when it is held twice a year. In other word's.......it's a "fun" event! Even if you were not entering the car show with your pride & glory, you can count on having a great time at this event.

It started on Friday, when I called my buddy Stick, to see if he and Beverly would be joining the event this time. I found out that he would attend, but Beverly wasn't sure at that time. I did find out that he wouldn't be bringing his "BUG-B-QUE" grill however, which was a bummer. Susan was waiting to see if Beverly went, and when we got a call from her on Saturday saying that she would not be there, I knew that I had to find someone to ride with me to the event. It is a long trip to take by one's self, and some good conversation always make for a more enjoyable trip. So, I called Richard, a friend of mine that had been with us to the show before, and he said that he'd love to go. Richard is also a photographer, and I could count on him to take a lot of photo's that other's wouldn't take.

On early Sunday morning, my Squareback was clean and loaded with the essential's that I needed. I topped off the gas tank, packed the cooler with ice, picked Richard up, and headed toward's the show in the dark, chilly morning. My Squareback ran great, and the conversation helped to make that long trip enjoyable. But........as we pulled off I#40 on the road heading to the show, my throttle was stuck wide open, and this definitely got our attention. I pulled into the BP station as you come off the interstate to check thing's out. I had just replaced my accelerator a few month's back and was confused as to why this was happening now. After pulling all kind's of thing's out of the back of my Squareback, and checking to make sure that my cable wasn't stuck (it wasn't), I decided to go on to the show where a lot of VW minded people were and see what I could find out about the problem. Now....try to imagine pulling up to the line at the gate with your car running wide open! Then, you pull up to the gate with it running like that! Then you pull up to the registration table, and then park it in the line up like that! Yeah, I had to turn it off each time to reduce the noise level, and even then, I was getting a lot of look's. After parking, and having a couple of friend's check thing's out, it ended up being that one of my new chrome air cleaner's had twisted around on top of my carb linkage and held it open like that. I know that I felt better after finding out what the problem was.

One thing that we all noticed that morning was that it was right chilly and the wind was blowing pretty good. This made for a cold start to the show, but as the sun came out later, it warmed up to a right decent day. I even got some sun on my face & neck since I seen no need to set up my E-Z UP!

There were quite a few dealer's there in the swap meet for the masses to find that elusive part that they were searching for, and right many new dealer's as well. I couldn't find anything that I needed however. I went over to Stick's site, where Pete, Teresa, and their boy's were, along with Alan & Jimbo with their 67 Camper's. Stick had his black 67 Bug there, and I finally got to see Pete & Teresa's maroon Bug, which was really cool. They even had a big tv monitor under the hood, where we attempted to watch the football game on, but the reception wasn't quite good enough at the track. And even though Stick didn't bring his grill, they had a small grill going to cook this and that. Richard took off on his own to take some picture's, and I seen him here & there throughout the show. The other GOV member's that I seen there were Bill Hampton, Craig Walker, Steve Hunt, Bunk & David Parrish, Tommy, Annessa, & Luke Davidson, Tommy Joyce, Mickey Shaw, as well as several other's. Steve, Tommy Joyce, Bunk & David Parrish, and me were showing our VW's this time.

As usual, the drag racing started around noon, and since it was so cool, I decided to grab a bite to eat at the snack bar and then sit in the bleacher's, in the sun, and enjoy some of the racing. How do you think it would be to go down that 1/8 mile track in less than 6 second's, and faster than 128 MPH? I can't say that I know myself, but it was flat getting done that day. And then there were the wheelie's! I have always loved seeing Bug's doing wheelie's! Then it was back to check out some more of the show car's, and to see what was new. One that really stood out was the black Rat Rod with the dually rear wheel set up. Then there was the 1950 Split Window with the turbo that was really clean, which also won the Best Of Show award.

Well, after an enjoyable day of checking out all of those show car's, and then the excitement of the drag car's, it was time for some award's to be given out. the award winner's that I know of were Mickey, Bunk, David, and Bobby.

Then, it was back to the BP station to top off the gas tank, and head back home. Richard was still taking picture's as we headed back to Danville, and he made me a DVD with all of those picture's that he had taken that day. OK........the final event for the year will be the Greensboro Parade which will be held on Saturday December 6,2008, and it's a good way to help represent the Good Ole Volks. Plus, you will get to see yourself & your VW on TV! Till later.....................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

October 15, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

It's always therapeutic to take a vacation off from work, and I started it off in style! As soon as Susan got home from work, I had the car loaded, and was anxious to hit the road. Due to certain reasons, we drove the Pontiac for this trip. It was washed, gassed up, and ready for a road trip. After making one last stop to pick up some ice for the cooler, we were heading to Conover, NC to meet up with our friend's Stick & Beverly.

We arrived at the Wal-Mart in Conover, where Stick met us in his 1970 Fastback, and led us to his house to get everyone else that would be going with us. While there, Stick got to show off his newest project, a Meyers Manx dune buggy with a pick up bed to it. I have never seen one of these kit's before. It looked like the actual kit, but with a pick up bed, and it didn't look to be a make shift setup at all. He has it running, but he has a few more things to take care of before putting it on the road. After the visiting and all, Stick, Beverly, Cory, and Dillon climbed in Beverly's Jetta, and we climbed into my Grand Prix, and went to the BP station to top off the gas tank. Then we road off into the sunset heading to Sevierville, TN. It sure was a different trip to be heading out this late in the day, driving into the bright setting sun as we drove through the mountain's. Let me just say that the sun sure was rough on the eye's!

We did stop up the road a ways to grab us a bite to eat, and then it was nonstop till we got to the Mountain Airy Inn in Sevierville, TN around 10:20PM. Just in time for some catching up chatter before getting us some well deserved rest.

Before I knew it, Stick was knocking at our door early Saturday morning, ready to head to the Circle Yer Wagens #28 to see what early morning find's we could turn up at the swap meet. I don't believe that I have ever seen so many swap meet dealer's at this show. I mean they were everywhere! And that was before we even decided to check out the new dealer's setup's. We went to the campsite where Alan, Jimbo, and Carl had set up their 1967 VW camper's. Yeah, all 3 of them had a 67 camper set up wagon train style, and they had their breakfast cooking on the grill as we arrived. Man, it sure smelled good, and we hadn't even had our breakfast yet. Alan had his camper in good shape.......Jimbo had been working on his for week's to have his ready for this show, and Carl had just got his awhile back, but it was running good. It was an interesting sight. There were camper's everywhere along the Little Pigeon River, and most of them had a grill going with great smelling food. Man, I was hungry!

After our visit, we decided to check out the swap meet to see what deal's we could find, and it didn't take long at all before we seen Bill Hampton & Chan Cassell doing the exact same thing. We did find a few thing's here or there, but then my stomach went to growling, and it was about time to pick up the rest of our group for a well deserved breakfast. We went to a place called Flapjacks and got totally refueled. Another thing that I really liked about our trip this time was that we had Dillon with us. Dillon is Cory's son, and Stick & Beverly's grandson. It just seemed to make this trip more like a family vacation, with us having a 6 year old with us. This is something that I haven't experienced in quite a few year's, since my daughter is grown and now expecting her own baby boy. It was really nice!

Then it was back to the show with everyone else to let them enjoy their selves too. We looked some more, and we were there when Tommy & Debbie Fletcher pulled in with their group of sand rail's. They had some new East Coast Sand Rail's t-shirt's, and we had to get us one of those. Then we visited with them as they told us about their trip out west in their sand rail. They really made it sound so cool, to be going cross country in an open sand rail like that, and the situation's that they ran into along the way. It made me want to go do the same thing.

After leaving again for some running around, lunch, and some site seeing, we decided to head back to the show, just in time to see Bill & Chan closing up their trailer, which was loaded to the top with the goodies that they found at the swap meet. Then we checked out the show car's to see what new and interesting VW's we could see this year. Some of the one's that stood out was the "push me pull you" style Super Beetle, which was 2 front end's seamed together from behind the front seat's. The fellow had painted it orange and had a huge white T in the middle to represent the Tennessee Volunteer's college football team. Another was this yellow Ghia with a Porsche front end on it. I swear it looked original. I didn't see as many GOV Unlimited member's during this show however. There were some there, but nowhere as many as there were on the last trip we made out to this show, when they won the Best Club Award. After seeing and talking to a few other friend's, we decided to grab us a bite to eat for supper, so Cracker Barrel, here we come. After a great supper, we retired back to the room to have a few beer's and talk about all kind's of thing's, and then crash for the night.

Susan & me were up early on Sunday to check out some of the outlet's that are everywhere in Pigeon Forge, and then we met back up with everyone else for breakfast at McDonald's. After gassing up our ride's, it was back on the road heading home. We did stop at a couple of the rest center's along the way back, and we waved at Stick, Beverly, Cory,& Dillon as they turned off the highway in Conover. We did stop at the Cracker Barrel in Winston Salem to grab us something to eat, before heading on home to Danville. I will admit that this was somewhat different than driving our VW's to the show, but it was still an enjoyable event, and anyone that was there enjoyed it I'm sure. I'm here to tell you........this is one great VW show! If you ever get the chance to go to the Circle Yer Wagens show, go, and they have 2 show's each year. One in the Spring, and one in the Fall.

Now for something else.......Susan's Squareback is gone! We are no longer a 2 Squareback couple. We're back to just my Squareback for now. Her's will be missed, but it is someone else's baby now!

And.......this coming Sunday, October 19,2008, the Fast Times At Farmington is being held at the Farmington Dragway. I hope to see all of you there to help us represent the Good Ole Volks!
Till then...............................................................................................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

August 14, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

How about our annual Break The Record Night! Were you there to help represent our effort to break last year's record? I hope so, because we had quite a crowd of VW's at our Thursday night gathering at Herbie's Place, and the main thing on our mind's was to break that record, and to enjoy ourselves while doing it.

To tell you the truth about the matter, Susan & me already had our Squareback's ready for our trip to the event, and were chomping at the bit for the cruise. I actually received a call on Wednesday evening from a local VW driver that I have talked to a few times, and he had heard about this event. He wanted to know if I was going and if he could follow me to the event. So, we made some plan's to meet at my office after I got off work.

Now I'll have to admit something to you! When I seen that dark cloud moving into Danville yesterday, and then heard the boom of some thunder, I got to wondering if there would be an event, or if it would have to be rescheduled due to the rain. As it turned out, the rain actually made things better. It cooled everything around here off for awhile. You couldn't have asked for a better day to have our Break The Record Night. I was met by Jeff in his gray Bug as I was leaving the office. then we met up with Susan at home, and then the 3 of us headed south to Greensboro for the event. There was still some wet spot's on the highway, which ended up getting slung onto our VW's somewhat, but the rain had been stopped, the sun was out with a few cloud's, and it was so much cooler. The cruise down was really enjoyable, the car's ran great, and when we pulled into the parking lot at Herbie's Place, we had a big crowd of shiny VW's of all sorts that filled the main parking lot, and extended to the lower lot. There were Bug's.....there were Bus's.....there were Ghia's....there were Thing's.....there were Sandrail's.....there were Dune Buggies.....there were Squareback's, and that was just the air cooled VW's. There were some of the water cooled one's there too.

I will say this about the event........I had a great time! Just as I expected I would, when I got to see some friend's that I haven't seen since last year's event. I found out some thing's as well. I found out that Bill Hampton had went out and bought him a red 1966 Ghia that was gorgeous, and he hasn't driven many of his other VW's since he got it. When I seen Sheari, I found out that Lee had to work and wouldn't be able to attend, and then Lee did get to join us before the event ended. I found out that Steve Hunt is still selling GOV t-shirt's, GOV cap's, and decal's as well, so I had to pick up a decal for Susan and me. I found out that the turkey club is still the sandwich to get at Herbie's Place when I sat down to eat with my buddy's Stick & Pete. I found out that I am still proud to be a member of the Good Ole Volks, and to have so many great friend's doing what we like to do, drive VW's!

We got to talk to quite a bunch of the member's and caught up on the latest happening's about a lot of thing's. Did you know that Billy Dye has another Thing? Yeah, he came in driving a white 1973 with most of the fender's and a broken windshield, but it wont be long before he has this one right too. I had quite a few member's buying either one or the other GOV decal's that I have at the time, and I'm looking for another supplier that will give me the style that I'm looking for. I would like to apologize to the member's that wanted the past style decal's that I was having made before. That supplier decided to go mobile, and even though I had those 2 style's with me, they aren't what I wanted. Check me out later!

After getting us a bite to eat, and enjoying the "free" drink's that Herbie's was offering to our member's, we headed on outside to check out the crowd, and see what was happening lately. We caught up with a bunch of our friend's, and just really had fun. Now.......onto our goal of breaking last year's record of 98 VW's! We had a total of 93 VW's that joined us for this year's event. I realize that we didn't beat the record, but I've actually been to quite a few VW show's that didn't have that many VW's in the show. So all & all, I don't think that it turned out bad! I know that we enjoyed ourselves, and am a little disappointed that we didn't break the record this year, but that just gives us something to look forward to next year.

One of the topic's of discussion at the event was the upcoming show at Piedmont Dragstrip in Greensboro. The SEVWA is having their Big Bug Shootout #4 on Sunday August 24,2008. I talked to quite a few member's that were talking about checking this show out, and I hope to see quite a few more there as well. Also, The BUGOUT #64 will be held 1 week later in Manassas, VA on August 31,2008. I'm not sure as to who or how many GOV member's will be attending this show, but as soon as I find out, I will post a message about it for you. Till then....................................................................................................................................................................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

July 21, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

I hope that all of our GOV member's are enjoying what appears to be another hot summer season. After Susan & I debated all week about whether to drive both of our Squareback's to the upcoming show in Roxboro, it was finally decided at the last minute that she wanted to drive her's to the show as well. I had just finished detailing mine around 5:00PM on Saturday evening when she got home from work with the announcement. So off to the carwash we went for a quick wash job & vacuuming on her Squareback. There's nothing like having a couple of clean VW's parked in front of the house to pick one's spirit's up, wouldn't you agree?

We were up bright and early on Sunday morning to get ourselves ready for the trip to what was the 3rd Annual BUGWILD to be held at Roxboro Motorsports Dragway in Timberlake, NC. After filling our gas tank's and grabbing a bite to eat, it was off to the show. It has always been a great cruise to this particular show, with the 2 lane highway and the country scenery that goes along with it. Even Susan made the remark about how pleasant of a ride that it was. I did have a situation with my accelerator wanting to hang up some about halfway to the track, but that worked itself out by the time we arrived. After we arrived at the show, I noticed the same thing that I always noticed at the previous BUGWILD show's. The show was going to be a small one as usual. I found Warren Hill there, who was the person responsible for the previous 2 event's, and found out that he wasn't the party responsible for this year's event. He was only there for assistance, and the owner's of the Roxboro Motorsports Dragway were the one's holding this event.

After arriving at our setup spot and getting our car's and shelter set up, we grabbed us a seat in the shade of our shelter, and enjoyed the breeze that was blowing pretty much all day. If it hadn't been for this breeze, it would have been a quite miserable day with the heat & humidity. By the time that all of the VW's that would be participating in the car show had arrived, we had a total of 25 show car's. There were probably around the same number of drag car's, and only 3 dealer's present. One of those dealer's left before the show even started. And there were only 2 member's representing our GOV club, which was Susan & me. This was, like I said, a small show as usual. Most of the people wanted to stay out of the sun during the show, but most of us did venture out to check each other's VW out every so often, and I did get Susan a neat t-shirt that she liked. There wasn't hardly any part's to check out at all, which was a disappointment, since I needed to restock some item's for my kit.

We brought our own food and drink's, so we got to enjoy that in the shade of our shelter for lunch, and we did get to meet some new VW people while at the show, but we were hoping that some more of our GOV member's would have showed up. I know that it was hot & humid outdoors', and some people don't like sitting around in those condition's while showing their VW, but we didn't even see any other member's as spectator's either. It sure would have been nice to see some of our member's there, but I do understand how thing's happen sometime.

After the judging was taken care of, and we had already had enough of the heat & humidity, they decided to hand out the award's. Susan & me both got 1st Place award plaque's in our class, and then we were in the car and out the gate without even checking the award plaque's out. We had had enough of the heat & humidity for the day. On the road again, heading towards home, with my Squareback running exceptionally great, I had the feeling..........my car is running too good! We were about 3 miles out of Roxboro, and as I said, my car was running great, and then my accelerator pedal went to the floor and didn't return. Yeah, my accelerator cable had snapped, and guess who had to pull to the side of the road? Well, it just so happened that my car stopped at the entrance to a nice housing community, which worked out for us, and Susan just drove on up to the first house, while I waited with the car, and got the person to tell AAA how to get to our location to tow us home. Thank goodness for AAA! By the time that Susan got back to me, one of my cousin's & his wife had seen my VW on the side of the road, knew that it was me, and had stopped to see if they could be of some assistance. So, there we were, standing on the side of the road, having us a family reunion in the sun. Fun...fun...fun! By the time the tow truck got there, we had gotten our chair's out of the car and found us a shady spot. The first reply out of the tow truck driver's mouth was, "well, you're making the best out of it huh!" With that, he hooked up my Squareback, and off to Danville we went.

Now, here's where the crap really started, but first, let me recap the 1st & 2nd BUGWILD show's just a little bit. I have been to all 3 of these BUGWILD show's, and the award's given out went like this. The 1st Annual BUGWILD award was a plaque with "1st Annual BUGWILD" on the plaque and a picture of one of the drag Bug's. The 2nd Annual BUGWILD award was a plaque with "2nd Annual BUGWILD" on the plaque, and a picture of the same drag Bug. Since we were sitting there with nothing better to do while waiting on the tow truck, Susan suggested that we check out our award's, and this is what we had. Our 1st Place plaque's for the 3rd Annual BUGWILD show had on it.........are you ready for this........... 1st Place - 2nd Annual BUGWILD, and there wasn't even a picture of the drag Bug this time around. This didn't make happy camper's out of us at all. I have called up the track and spoke to a woman about this, and she said that she would bring it to the owner's attention, and he would get us a replacement for this mistake. I can only hope at this point that thing's will be taken care of. Let's hope so anyway! Without stating what we'll do if this isn't taken care of, it will be in their best interest to take care of it. Wouldn't you agree?

So in the meantime, I'm having an accelerator cable put on my Squareback, along with a few other thing's that needs to be addressed, and all of this should be done before we head to Herbie's Place on August 14,2008 for our GOV Break The Record Night! Till then.....................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

July 9, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

Well, here it is, July 4th weekend, and what a busy weekend it has been. We just had to put another starter on Susan's Squareback. We had just put one on her car less than a year ago, and it up and went bad on us. I'm glad that it carried a lifetime warranty on it. The Squareback was working fine one moment, and then it wouldn't crank up the next. In addition to that, my Dad has finally gotten back home after spending the last 3 week's being in & out of the hospital. We've been right busy having to deal with that and it's a relief to have him back home.

Susan & me just went out yesterday and bought us a new computer, so we're in the process of trying to get thing's organized enough to try and get this report out to our good ole volks. I hope that each and everyone of our member's is enjoying the start to summertime. I have heard from quite a few member's lately about various subject's, and it still seems that our love for all thing's VW is still going on. There have been some to sell there VW's, only to go out and buy themselves another one to fix up. Other's seem to be interested in getting into drag racing. Then there is the one's that are in the process of getting their pride & joy repainted or even restored. One of our member's has even suggested that we start a "In The Works" feature for the website. There's a lot of good ole volks VW's that are being worked on, restored, or in the work's, and those type picture's and report's would be interesting to see, don't you think!

Let's not forget that one of our GOV favorite event's is going to take place on August 14, 2008 at Herbie's Place on Battleground Ave. in Greensboro, NC. This event has been reported on television, newspaper's, and even on our own GOV website. It's our Annual GOV Break The Record Night. We have consistently broke our record each year, so this year let's get the word out to all of the VW driver's out there, and ask them to show their VW pride, and help us break last years record total of 98 VW's. The only effort that has to be done is to drive your VW, and see how many other's you can invite to join in the fun. You can count on me being there.....that's for sure!

There's also been some chatter lately about scheduling another one of the GOV favorite cruise's, which is our Parkway Cruise. This has usually been set around late September/early October, and I see no need to break from tradition. These Parkway Cruise's have had us having breakfast at Mabry Mill, a large group picnic and picture taking event on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a "all you can eat" pancake breakfast in Meadows Of Dan, VA, and a winery tour at Chateau Morrisette. Let us hear some input about this event.

Alright.........the next VW show is set for this coming Sunday, July 13, 2008. It's the BUGWILD show, and it's being held at the Roxboro Motorsports Park in Roxboro, NC. I hope to see a lot of our member's there. In the meantime................................................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

June 22, 2008 

FREE DRINKS...

Herbie's will now give you a free drink, IF:

     1) you arrive between 5:30PM and 9:30PM

     2) you arrive on a Thursday night

     3) you have a GoodOleVolks logo, or a VW logo on your shirt or cap

     4) and you order food.

Make sure you tell your waitress, 'Thank You'.

May 12, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

I hope that all of you are enjoying this springtime weather, and getting outside to drive your favorite VW's. I just love this time of year. But, the bad thing about this is that the gas companies do not know when enough is enough. The price of gas, locally, went up over 10 cents just last week alone. Even though our little VW's get good gas mileage, I think that the country is trying to convert all of us to driving those electric car's. Needless to say, it's making things rough on everyone & everything, including us. This is the main reason for us having to miss so many of our Thursday gathering's at Herbie's Place, and it's really disappointing. It doesn't seem to be getting any better either. I don't think that it will stop till it hits $5.00 per gallon, and it's already right at $4.00! Now, I'm starting to get irritated! But......do you think that the gas companies care? I didn't think so!

There is the North VS South Shootout #17 scheduled for this coming Sunday at Rockingham Dragway, and then the BUGOUT #63 is scheduled the weekend after that for the Memorial Day weekend. It looks as if we will miss both of these show's due to some pressing family matter's that just can't be ignored. I hope that any of our member's that gets the chance to attend either of these show's has a great time and sends Lee a short report on how much you enjoyed the show. I just found out last week that my Dad has some health issue's that we're having to deal with, and on top of that, my brother was riding his motorcycle home from work on Wednesday, when somebody that wasn't paying attention decided to pull their pickup truck in front of him. His Harley Davidson was totaled, and he's still in the hospital due to his injuries. Yeah, there's a lot going on in our household these day's. We're still around however, so don't give up on us yet. We miss seeing y'all, and I'm sure that we'll see you again soon. Till later.......................................................................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

April 9, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

It's your roving reporter with the info on the "Fast Times AT Farmington # 9" this past Sunday. As most to us know, this past weekend wasn't the greatest of times to be cleaning on your pride & joy. It just didn't seem that the rain and overcast skies would ever leave us. But, the weather guy said that Sunday was supposed to be sunny, with temps in the mid to high 60's! Well.......we got up at 6:00 AM on Sunday with it still raining in Danville, VA! Yeah, the day was getting off to a good start already. I did make a call to Kathy with the SEVWA, and found out that the rain had stopped sometime back at the track, and the show was still on. Now, on top of that, Susan wanted to take her Squareback to this show also, and I had taken the time on Saturday to wash it up for her while she was at work. This was between one of those times when it temporarily stopped raining long enough to make a mad dash to the carwash to put a quick washing to it. After loading up our Squareback's with all of the essential's, we decided to crank them, so they could be warming up for that trip during the cool weather. Mine fired right up without any problem! Then Susan came to me with the news that her Squareback wouldn't crank, and she wasn't too happy about this at all. After finding that her ignition coil had came loose from the bracket, and grounded it out, I knew that we wouldn't be able to take her Squareback anywhere that morning. The card's were just staked against us on Sunday morning! So we piled everything into my Squareback and headed out. After a bite to eat, and getting the gas tank filled, we headed towards the show.

For something on a more positive note......I sure did enjoy the scenery along the way. You can tell that Spring is in the air! I sure did enjoy seeing all of the redbud tree's in bloom this time of year, and there were plenty of them to see as we made our way to the show. We didn't run into anymore rain to the show, but there was plenty of it left on the road to be slung onto my car as we headed south. After a great cruise in my Squareback down the wet interstate, with an overcast sky, and right chilly temperature's, we pulled into Farmington Dragway, paid our admission, and joined in the fun that was to be, "Fast Times At Farmington # 9"!

It didn't take long for me to notice that the weather had given some people the chance to stay home. But there was still plenty to do. There was 108 show car's, 50 drag car's, and over 50 new & used part's dealer's. The GOV member's that I know were showing their car's were Jeremy & Jonathan Coble with their Bug's, Bunk Parrish with his Bug, Carl & Mark Holt with their Bug's, Tommy Joyce with his Bug, and me in my Squareback. If there were any other member's there that I didn't mention, I just didn't get to see you and I apologize. There were however, quite a few other member's that was there looking for something to ad to their favorite VW, or to just check out what was happening with all of these people outside on a day like this. The one's that I seen was Stick, Pete, Teresa,& boy's, Bill, Tony, Bobby, Alan, Chan, Jack & Debbie, Betty, and a few more whose name's always eludes me.

We did get us quite a few part's that we needed from quite a large group of dealer's that was there, and we got to see quite a few VW's that I hadn't seen before. Then there was something that you don't see to often. A Bug on a rotisserie! Bill Ridgeway of Northside Automotive and Custom had his blue 1963 Ragtop Bug on this rotisserie, and it was turning all during the show for people to check out this really clean and restored beauty. He ended up winning Best of Show, Best Paint, & Best Interior! The next best place to be at this show was at Stick's BUG-B-QUE grill. Susan took one of her casserole dishes with some of her baked spaghetti especially to cook in his grill for the member's that was lucky enough to get some of it. It did get eaten right quickly! But, if you didn't get there quick enough, there was the hot dogs, hamburger's, or steak's. Then Betty brought along some of her great tasting cookies for desert. We really enjoyed this particular show in spite of the weather. Sometimes it is a matter of what's going on, and who's there, that makes some great memories, and we flat out had a blast during this show. Yeah......it was a cloudy and overcast all day, water and mud was everywhere, and that breeze that was blowing all day made you bundle up and stick your hands in your pocket's, but man, what a great event it was. There was some member's that I haven't seen in going on 2 year's that I had the pleasure to catch up with, and there was a whole bunch of new VW's that were either hood ride's or in the under construction class that gave us plenty to look at. And let's nor forget all of the drag car's that was blasting down the drag strip all day long......VW's & V8's as well. I wish that every VW show could be as much fun as this one was, and the one's that missed it really missed a good one.

The award winner's this time were Bunk Parrish, Carl Holt, Mark Holt, and Bobby McDowell! Make sure to congratulate these member's for the award's!

I also got some sad news from Sheari yesterday morning! She informed me that Jan Tickle's daughter was killed in a car crash just the other day. Let's remember her in our prayer's and help her however we can!

The next upcoming event this month is the BUG-A-PULUZA # 10 is on April 19-20,2008 in Chattanooga, TN! For the month of May it looks as if everyone want to have their event on the same weekend. On May 17,2008 we have the Bicentennial Parade in Greensboro, NC, and the Charlotte Transporter Show in Charlotte, NC. Then on May 18,2008 there is the North VS South Shootout # 17 At Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, NC. Till later.....................................................................................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

February 6, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

Well, it's official! The 2008 VW show season got started on Sunday February 3, 2008 with the "2nd Annual Shriners Winter Volksfest" put on by the SEVWA and the Shriners at the Greensboro Coliseum. My morning got started early, and after seeing Susan off to work (yeah, once again I'm traveling solo without my better half), and stopping at the Sheetz station for gas and ice, I was heading to Greensboro in the dark. I had the road pretty much all to myself due to the light traffic at the time. I did get to see a real pretty sunrise, while listening to the stereo, and enjoying cruising in my Squareback to the show. We were told that the set up time was 8:00 - 10:00 AM, and as I pulled into the Coliseum parking lot at 8:00AM, I pulled up behind a row of around 20 VW's that were already there waiting to head indoors. Even though it was right chilly outside, we just stuck our hand's in our pocket's and had some conversation's with the other participant's till they started allowing us in around 8:35AM. After getting indoors and being directed where to park, I watched as quite a few more VW's made their way inside. One after another they came for some time, till the room was filled with the sound of VW's and excited conversation's. There were all kinds of great looking VW's in attendance.........Bug's, Buses, Ghia's, Squareback's, Notchback's, Thing's, Dune Buggy's, Baha's, etc, as well as quite a few more dealer's, and a better swap meet than they had last year. Once the gate was opened, and the VW's were parked, the crowd's started coming in to check thing's out as we put the final touch's to our car's. It has always amazed me how the spectator's will come up to certain VW's with their own stories of how they used to have one or the other of our beloved car's, and tell their stories with a smile on their face. Once again, there was plenty to keep you occupied as you made your way through the row after row of VW's, to check out what the owner's had done to their ride's, or to carry on a conversation with a friend that you had not seen in awhile, or go through the swap meet to find that elusive part that you've been searching for, before heading over to the new parts dealer's to pick up something extra for their favorite VW.

And how about our Good Ole Volks member's that were there to represent us. There was Tommy Davidson with his green Thing, Gary Glass with his red Beetle, Dean Underwood with his orange Dune Buggy, Steve Hunt with his blue Beetle, Jonathan Schoor with his blue Convertible Ghia, Alan Tickle with his orange Baha Bug, Carl Bowman with his red Convertible Beetle, Bunk & David Parrish had their Beetle's, and Bobby McDowell with his blue Squareback. Then there were the other's........Annessa, Luke, Mickey, Stick, Pete, Teresa, Bobby, Steve, Alex, Jan, Craig, Jeremy, Chan, and some other member's that were there for support. This made for another great indoor VW show in the middle of winter time. Even the kid's got into the spirit of VW happening's, when a large group of them found an area that wasn't occupied by a VW or dealer, and they had their little remote controlled VW's racing & spinning across the floor with a smile on their faces. All in keeping with the theme of VW's!

Once again, there was another car show going on in the other area on the other side of the wall with those Euro type car's, and we got to check them out as we walked over to the food court. There were quite a few of these car's over there as well, but once again, I had too many better thing's to see on our side of the wall. One of the main attraction's in the other show, was in the middle of both show's, just inside the main entrance to the show's! There was a green 80's something Impala with about all of the audio/video item's that you could imagine inside, and the car was resting on a set of 30 inch spinner rim's. To this day, I have never seen a car that was that high off of the road. But......back to the VW's!

Well, the day went along smoothly for most of us. Some of us found that elusive part, or that new piece that we've been wanting for awhile, or maybe even a new toy, or decal that caught our eye. After several hour's, and with some of the crowd clearing out, most of us found our own little group's to sit around with to chat and pass the time. It wasn't too much longer till the they held the 50/50 drawing, where one lucky fellow won $207.00, and the raffle drawing's, where quite a few of us won a cap, t-shirt, or a VW "Street Beat" CD. And then the award's were given out! Our GOV winner's were Tommy Davidson, Gary Glass, Dean Underwood, Jonathan Schoor, Alan Tickle, Carl Bowman, Bunk Parrish, David Parrish, & Bobby McDowell! Make sure to congratulate them when you get the chance!

This year's Shriners Winter Volksfest was another success for the Shriners. The spokesman said that there would be another event next year, and that our group generated $10,000.00 for the Shriners kid's. Let's pat ourselves on the back for this accomplishment! Now, for one last piece of info! In the latest issue of "Dune Buggies, & Hot VWs" magazine, they have the event coverage for the last "North VS South Shootout", and it feature's some great picture's of some of our member's VW's that were winner's. There are Gary Glass, who won the Best of Show, Tommy Davidson, Johnnie Walker, & Dean Underwood. And in the "Winner's Box" for the Type 3/Type4 Class, there was Susan McDowell, 1970 Squareback from Danville, VA. It's finally official! As Jack Van is always saying, "hers is prettier", and it showed at this show. Make sure to congratulate our member's for their accomplishment, and know that Susan has the prettiest Squareback of our household.

The 2 closest upcoming VW show's are the SEVWA Silver Dollar Showdown #6 will be held in Reynolds, GA on March 9,2008, and the SEVWA Fast Times At Farmington #9 near Winston Salem, NC on April 6,2008. Till then.............................................................................

Have a VW day,
Bobby

February 2, 2008 

Here are some tips on pumping gas, and perhaps saving some of your money.

I don't know what you are paying for gasoline.... in California they are also paying higher, up to $3.75 per gallon. So here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon. Click here for local prices.

At the Kinder Morgan Pipeline in San Jose, CA they deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period through the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. They have 34-storage tanks there with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see t h at the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, every truck that is loaded is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder. If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some o f the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

Lee

January 6, 2008 

Hello Good Ole Volks,

Have you noticed how mild that the weekends have been these last couple of weeks? Have any of you taken your VW's out for a drive, or your own little personal cruise? I certainly have, and it was really enjoyable to be out & about on both of our VW's! As a matter of fact......I'll be cruising around Danville in my Squareback today. Enjoying the clear, sunny, 50 something degree weather. Man.....I'm getting antsy for a GOV cruise! Sure, it's great to climb in my VW and head off to a show somewhere........ to hang around with a bunch of friend's and other VW minded people......to watch some VW drag car's blast down the dragstrip trying to set some new speed record's, and seeing who all will win an award in the car show! But, it's not quite like getting together with our Good Ole Volks and hitting the road together as a group. It's nothing like going down the road with a large group of VW's, heading to a certain location, and watching the people as we pass them in our VW's. They will usually smile and wave, or point at us as we cruise on past them, and I don't know about you, but I've always liked that. We've been on quite a few of our GOV cruise's over the year's, to places like campgrounds, wineries, mountains, dairies, parades, etc..........., and we've enjoyed every one of them.

Isn't it about time that you make some of your own memories? As I'm sure that most of you know by now, Lee has sent out a message to all of our GOV member's to let your idea's be known about thing's such as this. Where would you like to cruise to? What event would you like to check out? What would be a great cause for our GOV to participate in? Lee is asking all of our member's to offer your idea's for the upcoming year. I think that if we have 206 member's on our club roster, we ought to be able to come up with quite a few idea's! Don't you? Let's see how much fun that we can have as a club this year. Let's make 2008 a year for the Good Ole Volks to remember. There's already a list of show's & other activities on our "EVENTS" section that you can check out if you would like, or you can offer some of your own idea's for something different. Here's what's happening in your neck of the woods!

On Saturday January 12, 2008, there is the "Keffer VW - V-DUB Day" happening in Huntersville, NC! This will be at Keffer VW, 13651 Statesville Rd., Huntersville, NC! According to them, the easiest way to get there is take Exit 23 off #77, and head east. Take a right at the 1st light (Old Statesville) and the dealership is less than .5 miles on the right. This is about 20-30 miles below Mooresville, NC, where they have the "VW Invasion"! And then.......something a little closer to home! The SEVWA's "2nd Annual Shriners Volksfest" is being held at the Greensboro Coliseum on February 3,2008!

Now.......congratulation's goes out to one of our Asheboro, NC member's! Johnie Walker has his Bug featured in the February issue of Dune Buggies & Hot VWs magazine. Make sure that you check out the feature, and let him know that you seen his VW in the magazine. It's a great article, and I found out some thing's about his car that I never knew!

In the meantime.....................................................................................................

Have a VW day,
Bobby