Volkswagen lovers from all over Ontario converged on downtown Goderich for Volkfest, a celebration of everything Volkswagen (VW). “I’ve been into them for 35 years. I’ve owned over a dozen of them. The community of people that you meet, all walks of life, and friendships that have lasted a lifetime,” said Darrell Beaton, a lifelong VW fan. VW buses, campers, and Beetles filled Goderich’s Courthouse Square for the one-day festival, which those in attendance concede is a collection of atypical car lovers. “There seems to be a different kind of breed that own Volkswagens. They have like a love-hate relationship, because they’re constantly being fixed and need this, and need that,” said Les and Linda Brittan from Peterborough, who are on their second VW Eurovan. “Oh, my God, how can you not love this? Look at the community around us. Right? Like it’s so much support. I caravan here with other vans, so that if anybody breaks down, we’re here for one another. It’s a lot of fun. People love the scene,” said Sarah Harrison, who owns a VW camper with her father. This is the 11th edition of Volkfest. The first 10 were spent in Bayfield, but organizers moved the VW showcase to Goderich for the first time this year. “They’re like a work of passion and really just like an art form. When you’re sitting underneath it for half your day trying to make it run and you’re trying to get to the festival, and it breaks down and you have some tears. But the guy behind you is a mechanic, like, it’s a passion, for sure,” said Harrison, who hails from Collingwood. “Well, there’s a guy we were talking to earlier said, yeah, you might be home. He was talking to someone who was driving a fast car, and he said, you’ll be home before I am, but I’m already home. I like that,” said Win Braunsch, of Komoka, who’s on her third VW camper. “It’s got a bit of a hippie spirit to it. It’s just good vibes, really,” said Beaton from Ancaster, talking about the Volkfest show. “It’s like a special club we all joined. For instance, where we were last night, the chap had trouble with his transmission. Three guys got together, took the transmission apart, fixed whatever rings needed to be fixed, put it back together, and he drove away to dinner. That’s pretty awesome,” said the Brittans, who are on their second VW Eurovan. You can learn more by searching Bayfield Volkfest on Facebook or Instagram.
