Owners of Volkswagens can enter their cars in 40 categories of competition at Bug-a-Palüza, from early Beetles to the latest Passats.If you go
› What: Bug-a-Palüza 18.› When: 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17, rain or shine.› Where: Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge.› Admission: $4 ages 13 and up (good all weekend).› Website: www.bugapaluza.com.
With “an unprecedented number of registrations this year,” look for Bug-a-Palüza 18 to turn Camp Jordan into a virtual VW parking lot this weekend, April 16-17.
Sponsored by Scenic City Volks Folks, the two-day festival will include a car show, swap meet, unique vendors, contests and prizes. Proceeds go to the Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House.
Begun in 1999, Bug-a-Palüza has grown from a handful of enthusiasts spending a Sunday afternoon in the dealership parking lot to one of the largest annual VW events in the region, organizers say. Recent years have seen record-breaking turnouts. The 2015 show drew 350 show cars, more than 100 vendors and thousands of spectators.
Even the serious side of the event – the 40 classes of competition – have fun built in. Even as collectors vie for nods for an early stock Beetle or a custom Karmann Ghia, others are hoping to claim one of a dozen other titles, such as Roughest VW Running (won last year by Nathan Tritt for a 1954 black Beetle) to “You Drove That From Where? (won last year by Emily Berry for a 1973 purple Thing, lowered 8 inches with no top and no brakes and driven from Murfreesboro, Tenn.).
The full spectrum from the VW production line may be seen at the typical Bug-A-Palüza: Jettas, Golfs, Rabbits, Passats, Corrados, Things and Type II’s, III’s and IV’s, among other models. They include both air-cooled and water-cooled VWs.
World-famous pinstriper Von Hot Rod will do custom pinstriping during the weekend, as well as lead a short devotional service at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
A playground will be set up for kids with activities including the Chalk-a-Bug, a chance to cover a car in chalk doodles.
Victoria Tropiano, communications coordinator for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga, says 100 percent of admission fees and a majority of concessions will go to the local Ronald McDonald House. Established in 1990, it serves as a home away from home for families of critically injured or serious ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Some 600 families are served each year.