2010 Recap
Events
Road Tour & Cruise-In
VW fans started their Funfest weekend early and joined us for the annual Funfest Road Tour and Cruise-In. They enjoyed a cruise through the beautiful Effingham countryside with fellow VW enthusiasts. The party was just beginning as the Road Tour ended and the Cruise-In began with a Downtown Street Party around the courthouse square in Effingham. The 100+ participants on both Friday and Saturday evening, enjoyed an evening of activities, music, and prizes. Food and drinks were available on-site, as well as local downtown restaurants. A good time was had by all!
Swap Meet
The 2010 swap meet was a HUGE success. We are excited to announce that it was record-breaking, bringing in the largest amount of swappers that VW Funfest has ever seen! So, a big thank you goes out to all of those who participated. The swap meet offered a wide variety of anything and everything a VW enthusiast could want. Don’t miss out on next year’s swap meet where you can turn your VW stuff into someone else’s treasure!
Auction
Mid America Motorworks hosted its 2nd Annual For Sale Car Corral and Auction for Air-Cooled Volkswagens. This was VW enthusiasts’ opportunity to join the fun, whether they were in the market to buy or had the need to sell! The auction included everything from a rolling chassis to a totally restored car and everything in between. We had a great turn out this year, as 21 cars rolled across the auction block. There was a lot of interest by both spectators and bidders. We had a heck of a crowd, so we’d like to thank everyone for their participation.
Register your car now and take advantage of the pre-event advertising available. Submit up to 4 photos (jpegs) and a written description of your car, along with the seller information to funfest@mamotorworks.com. Your car will be posted and advertised on the Funfest website for potential bidders/buyers to view as well as advertised to all past and present registered attendees.
Saturday Evening Entertainment
Funfest is all about enjoying your Volkswagen and relaxing with family, friends, and fellow enthusiasts. Saturday evening, we kicked off the night with the “Volkswagen Fun Run,” taking participants on a scenic country drive around Lake Sara. The run ended with an old fashioned Country Buffet and a concert in our Field of Dreams. This year, we proudly welcomed ZoSo, “The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience.” The band entertained our enthusiasts to great music from the 70’s. They filled the air with incrediable tunes, and if you closed your eyes, it made you feel as though you were hearing the real thing. 2011 is sure to bring you the same energy, fun, and memories as this year’s entertainment!
Awards
Platinum Bug Awards
Bruce Simurda: Associate Publisher at Hot VWs for 32+ years
Bruce has contributed to the VW industry since the 1970’s—before Hot VW’s, he worked for Crawford Engineering in which they built high performance VW engines, raced at the Bug In, and he and Dean Kirsten started a magazine called 3 Wheeling in 1980 that later became known as ATV Sports.
Bruce has always strived to keep the “spark” going through his articles, and over the last 2 years, his “mileage motor series” has kept readers on their toes and anxious to find out what the next article will feature.
Over the years, he has written several new product and tech articles that have helped several businesses continue to grow.
He loves the outdoors, skiing, and spending time with his family (wife Diana and daughter Robin). While he likes to play hard, we hear that he works hard too. As a matter of fact, he put the pedal to the metal on Thursday (6/3/10) in order to get the August issue to print in time!
Bruce was nominated by his brother Marty, and when we spoke to him over the phone he said, “Bruce is a TRUE supporter of the VW industry and I am so proud of where you are in the world today. You are a great big brother to the entire family and that has made a huge impact on my life, thank you. Plus, you’re not so bad of a boss either!”
So, from our entire Mid America Motorworks, we’d like to congratulate Bruce on his time, hard work, and dedication to this industry. We need more people like you around!
Nick Little: Peoria, IL
To date, Nick has 3 beetles that he works on non-stop with the goal of restoring them to their original state. The first Bug he bought was a 1968 Beetle at an auction and afterwards, he had other bidders tell him that they were going to use the car to cut or sell it as scrap metal. It upset him so much that he took the car and gave it a great home.
He is always willing to lend a hand to help out other VW enthusiasts and talks about VWs non-stop!
He started a VW Club in the Peoria area and is working hard to get more members and plan events.
Nick is an avid fan on our Facebook VW Fan page. You can learn more about Nick’s VW Club on his Facebook group, “Central Illinois Volkswagen Association.”
Nick was nominated by his friend, Cody Baker, and we would all like to congratulate you on this award. It is great to see young men like you striving towards goals, and making them your lifestyle. We look forward to seeing you again!
Passing On The Passion
Scott & Stefanie Wilson: Father & Daughter from Ogden, IL
Scott and Stefanie have truly become a part of our Mid America Motorworks family, attending our VW Funfest every year since 1999! The two of them are also the 2010 Ultimate Package Couple.
Stefanie first purchased a 1974 Super Beetle on Ebay for $120.00 in Dallas, TX. 6 1/2 years later the two of them completed the restoration and showed it off for the first time.
Over the years, they have had great bonding times together and their passion is shared through traveling as they visit multiple states for VW shows.
Stefanie is getting married this October and she nominated her father, because she wants him to know that although she’s committing to a husband, she loves her father very much and VW time will always be their time!
A big congrats to you both! Your passion and dedication to VWs and our show has been seen throughout the years. Passing on the passion is a true sign of VW love! We look forward to seeing you next year, and we’d like to wish Stefanie the best of luck on her upcoming marriage.
Celebrity Choice Awards
This year, the judges were wowed by the many outstanding vehicles displayed in our show field. They had so many to choose from, that it came down to the wire in making those final decisions! Congratulations to all of our winners! From color to personality, you truly gave those judges just what they were looking for.
