Event Recap: VAG Fair 2011

The 5th Annual VAG Fair show in York, PA was another successful outing that I was happy to be a part of. Plenty of cool cars in great variety, a larger turnout than last year, and more of the same laid back fun with friends and associates as the day went by. This was the longest scheduled day since the inception of VAG Fair, 10am-5pm, as the first show was 12pm-5pm. There is a reason for this evolution of course; this show is growing at a significant rate and it was time for VAG Fair organizers to see what was needed to address the 1300+ entrants' needs going forward. It's no surprise that next year will be VAG Fair's transition into a two-day event.

Unlike my typical sleep as late as possible modus operandi, I found myself up at 9am and enjoying some orange juice and good conversation at my buddy's parents house in York. My friend Dave and I made a two car caravan, arriving at the York Fair Grounds around quarter to 10am. Getting to places early is great sometimes; barely a line to get on the grounds and barely a line to register the car and buy a t-shirt once parked. VAG Fair's organizers and employees were in great spirits as usual and the sun was shining bright. Then the clouds rolled in ha. There was light rain for about an hour starting around 11:15am, then everyone went out to wick the rainwater off their cars. The sun peeked out here and there, but it was overcast for much of the afternoon. This wasn't all bad, as the breeze was cool and everyone was still enjoying themselves.

After drying the car off, I started making my rounds. For those of you who know me, I'm a long time VW Mk3 guy (13 years and counting). No sooner than two years ago, you could go to just about any VW/Audi show and see some prime Mk3s in a variety of configurations. Unfortunately times have changed and the good looking Mk3 population has taken a turn for the worse. Thankfully there's a new group of decent Mk3 regulars, beginning to emerge in the Mid-Atlantic, who are picking up the slack. I hope they continue to give a sht about their cars going forward. Many other VWs, Audis, BMWs and Porsche's were also in attendance. There were a couple of cherry 944s in Row 2 that were worth a third or fourth look.

The Midway Madness cars inside of the vendor area were decent, but the star of the 'High Five' was Alexi's porcelain blue four door Mk3. I've heard of the car making the rounds in the New England show circuit all spring/summer and I was eager to see what condition it was in, along with the modifications that were performed most recently. The car, while it had some pieces completed, wasn't in it's full glory and that's perfectly ok with me. It's a project car on the way towards it's next variation and I was happy to see that it made it's way down to the York Fairgrounds. The tent by his car was setup to sell Alexi themed apparel to fund completion; feel free to find out more at Foundation-Blue. Word on the street is the restoration will be picking up steam over the next year, so keep your eyes peeled around the web for news (and donate a few bucks if you're so inclined).

The afternoon came and the cigar-toting cowboy auctioneer got to work. The VAG Fair auction for children's charities has been a tradition for some time now. Vendors provide goodies from their shelves and the crowd gathers to bid on them, with all proceeds going to a good cause. While the auction was winding down, around 4pm, the clouds rolled in again...it wasn't a light rain this time. Rain started off moderately then increased, the wind picked up and next thing you know vendors were bracing for the worst. Soon afterward lightning made and appearance and a partial exodus began. I was shooting until the 8380Labs tent I was taking refuge in turned into a convertible...then my equipment had to retreat like Starscream in his late 80's prime. We worked together to get merchandise boxed up and got the hell outta dodge. Ironically by the time we made it out of the fairgrounds, due to the line, the rain had calmed down pretty significantly.

Look under the tent.

BFI hanging in there.

It was a great show, albeit a wet one, in 2011. Keep an ear to the VAG Fair fb page, but tentatively next years show will be August 11th - 12th (2012). VAG Fair is one of the can't miss shows on the East Coast. The ROTL VAG Fair 2011 album can be seen here.