I live in the north Bay Area town of Santa Rosa, and on Saturday, April 16,  I fired up my 1957 36 horse powered sunroof oval and headed south to the Santa Clara County town of Morgan Hill. The event begins with a banquet in the Golden Oaks Restaurant at 7 pm. Most people from out of town stay at the adjacent Best Western Country Inn since we have a large parking area, and people attending the Volkswagen festivities need a good night’ sleep for the show on the following morning.

I usually allow myself 3 hours, since it can take a while to get through San Francisco heading south. Not a worry though, the little 36 hp motor was purring all the way. This year the weather was absolutely gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky, and temperatures were in the 70s.  This is the kind of weather when we VW enthusiasts love to open the sunroof and just smile. After checking in to our motel room, we relaxed in our rooms a while, and got ready for Saturday evening’s banquet. 

The Saturday evening banquet as always is fantastic to see old VW friends and have friendly discussions about our cars. We even had St. Louis ’ Bill Bowman in attendance this year. Great to see you Bill! After a buffet banquet, we were treated to an audio-video treat by Ray Schubert of "VolksAuthority" in San Jose . The entertainment was probably made sometime in the early 70s, extolling the virtues of the Volkswagen Beetle over an American Motors Gremlin. Remember those little ugly cars?  It wouldn’t take much convincing for me to see the value of a Volkswagen Beetle over that little ugly box. Ray also does a parts quiz every year, placing various parts of different Volkswagen products on a board, then having us guess what they are. I’ve got to admit, Ray certainly knows how to stump the novice! Ray was awarded with a savings bond for his young son from the Golden Gate Chapter for all the work he’s done over the years. Finally it was time to go back to our rooms and get some well needed sleep. The show can start very early on Sunday morning.

I was up at 5 am , and ready to go by 5:45 . It’s not a long drive to Kelley Park from Morgan Hill , and in fact, quite an adventure using headlights and arriving at the gate by 6 am . It was a little over-cast, as Bay Area weather can be this time of year, but by 10 am , the sun came out and was shining brightly the whole day.

Members of the chapter who volunteer are let in first, and then the long line that snakes down Phelan Avenue in San Jose starts filling the park. A San Jose Mercury columnist was quoted as saying there were over 1,900 participants and 315 vehicles in Kelley Park.  Wow, it sure seemed like more to me! There were separate parking spaces for different categories of the different Volkswagen models. Every type of air-cooled Volkswagen car ever made was in the park by 10 am . There are always particular cars that stick in your mind. This year was no exception. Ray Schubert’s 1949 roll-back sunroof split era car was there, and Rick Clark’s right hand drive panel Type II, were two of my favorites. I’ve always been particularly fond of oval window Type 1 cars, but when I see some of the early split windowed 25 hp cars, the gears start turning in my head. Right, another Volkswagen in the garage. Just what I need, but wouldn’t it be nice?

This year we had a special treat with music provided by DJ Jeff Gilliland from the podium in Kelley Park. It was just right, not over-whelming, but lent itself to a pleasant mood.

The swappers were busy doing a brisk business selling all kinds of speed equipment, parts from all types of Volkswagen cars, and of course, T-shirts and ball caps. There was even a back lot full of swappers selling anything and every thing relating to Volkswagens. A very enthusiastic crowd surrounded the swap meet.

Around 3 pm , the awards were announced and presented by Rick Spohn, president of the Golden Gate Chapter. As always, there were some very stunning and rare cars on display. If you’re a Volkswagen addict like me, there’s no better place to be than Kelley Park on a warm Sunday afternoon in April.

I had a three hour drive ahead of me, so I left shortly after the awards presentation. North on Highway 101 cruising between 60 and 65 miles per hour, trying to avoid all the ‘Yank Tank’ SUVs that seem to come out of nowhere. Near San Francisco International Airport , I drove over to the 19^th Avenue route that traverses through Golden Gate Park , and on to the Golden Gate Bridge . Yes, I did have to shift down in to third gear for a few of those long hills, but the little 36 hp never failed me. Through Marin County and on in to Sonoma County , I arrived home about 5:30 . A little wind-blown, and a lot of sunburn, but memories of a great day in a special place for Volkswagen enthusiasts was running through my mind. Am I ready for another Kelley Park? You Bet! Special thanks to Golden Gate Chapter President Rick Spohn and his wife Joy, and to the many members of the chapter who make this a special event.

See you there next year!

Gary Feikert
Golden Gate Chapter Member
Santa Rosa , CA

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