Many things differ by geographic location. If you live in Wisconsin, and haven’t left the state, chances are you haven’t had Brisket. There’s also a chance you haven’t had grits. I can almost guarantee that you have never had to choose your own electricity providers.
Every region has it’s own specialities. When we lived in Wisconsin we often went to “Supper Clubs”. In Texas, that concept doesn’t really mean anything, and you would be hard pressed to find one (although we did find a restaurant that was extremely close).
We also had multiple taverns in Wisconsin. I used to joke that there was one on almost every corner. When we moved to Texas, we found a definite lack in that area. In fact there are five dry counties in Texas, and a lot of partially dry counties.
So there are many things that are different depending on where you live.
My personal feeling is that it is the same when it comes to car shows. In the northern states, there are a lot of VW car shows with folks that have a great understanding about the car, and what is truly original. Also, there are quite a few that take place every year. An owner would not need to drive a very long distance to be a part of one.
Texas, and I’m certain, some other states don’t really cater to vintage import cars. In fact, one person announcing the awards at a local car show actually rolled his eyes and said “What’s an import?!”. What was more frustrating is that the import category was just tailored to every import regardless of age. A brand new porsche took that trophy.
I attended another car show not long after and it was the same. In fact, I was placed in a “Miscellaneous” Class. When they got to that class, they began giving awards to more Trucks, most of them heavily modified.
I know this sounds like a complaint, but I understand there are regional differences. Texas is “truck country“. I have owned pickups since 1992, and currently have a Ram 2500 Diesel. I love it. However, I’m really only interested in showing the beetle.
Another thing that makes judging hard down here for a VW competing at events like this (non VW exclusively), is that the folks judging have little to no experience with the make and model. If you don’t even know the basics, it’s impossible to really judge the car. In fact at one car show, our entire street was never visited by the show judges (which wore attire so you knew who they were). That was disappointing for everyone in our area.
To be fair there are some exclusive VW shows here in Texas. However, they are not close for me. I can’t just put Eva in her kennel for an entire day as Tammy and I drive at least 4 hours to a show, and 4 hours back after the show. Taking her is out of the question as it wouldn’t be safe in a bug for her, and I don’t think she would appreciate other dogs coming near us.
I also don’t want to drive my air cooled engine in the 90 plus degree heat for four plus hours. So it makes things difficult, but not impossible. Just a couple examples:
Nacogdoches, Texas has a 3 hour drive each way.
Fredericksburg, Texas has a 4.5 hour drive each way
San Antonio, Texas has a 4.5 hour drive each way
I’m going to keep my eyes open closer to home, I’m sure a few will pop up in 2024.
On the positive side of the equation is that regardless of the shows we attend, the nicest people live in Texas. Let’s face it, there is more to a car show than just displaying your car. It’s about the people you meet, and the memories you share. If I had a dollar for every person that approached us with a VW beetle story at one of the car shows this year, I’d have a couple hundred dollars.
Regardless of the show, I’m looking forward to meeting more folks in 2024.
