Dubs at the Lake a retro success
BY KIM LANGEN
It was quite a sight on Saturday morning to witness around 80 colourful Volkswagens – of various vintage, model, and décor – gathered festively under the trees at Erin Park.
It was the Dubs at the Lake 2016 event, held on August 20, and organizer Ryan Smith says it just keeps getting bigger each summer, after he was floored by a terrific turnout of cars, vans, visitors, and goodwill.
“It was fantastic,” said Smith. “I couldn’t have asked for a better day – I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout. And this was a great new location. This is our third year, and we’ve always called the show Dubs at the Lake – and we finally made it to the lake. I think we have found a location for years to come. We keep growing each year, and here at the lake we have room to expand. We figure we could probably get just over 100 cars in there.”
The People’s Choice Award went to Jayson Ackerson, of Fargo, North Dakota, for his metallic orange 1970 Beetle. With a great paint job, the ‘lowered’ Bug was a dazzling addition to the line-up, said Smith.
And then a pirate turned up, just to add to the party.
“On Saturday night, due to the lack of a movie, Shaun Tripp turned up to take around 15 people around the lake on his pontoon boat,” said Smith. “He was dressed as a pirate. They cruised around the lake for around an hour and a half, including the sunset, and with each song on his iPod, Shaun changed character, and his hat. It was the highlight of the weekend for a lot of people.”
Vehicles rolled in from as far away as Calgary, Toronto, Minnesota, and Dauphin, he said.
“We had one guy who was passing through from Toronto, and he dropped in with his Vanagen,” said Smith. “People I know from Minnesota say they wouldn’t miss it for the world. They brought up four vehicles. And I got a message on Facebook from a gentleman from Winnipeg who’s originally from the U.K., and he told me that he’s been to a pile of these shows over there, and this one rates right up there with those big shows. We had 80 vehicles here, and they get hundreds at those big shows. He and his family have had a very rough couple of months, and he said this was exactly the thing that they needed – it was a Godsend for them to come here this weekend.”
Winner of the raffled 1950s drive-in theatre speakers was Rob Browne of Brandon, who was thrilled to snag them, said Smith.
“He was excited, because they will be perfect for his rec-room project,” he said.
CTV News Winnipeg was also on hand, and cameraman Glenn Pismenny, an avid Volkswagen fan, spent the day filming for a special online web extra report of the event. It can be seen by visiting: CTV News – Lovers of all things Volkswagen.
Money was also raised during the fun event through a barbeque meal supplied by the KPAC (Killarney Parent Advisory Council) crew for their ongoing playground project, and a 50:50 draw, which garnered just under $1,000.
And over at the Shamrock Drive-In, where the Dubs convened after their cruise around town, $1,800 was raised through food sales, the speaker raffle, donations, and a car smashing opportunity.
The money will help owners Joanne and Darren Struss to replace their storm-destroyed drive-in screen.
And lastly, the Westman Specialty Contracting sponsored Sunday morning send-off breakfast, served up by the Killarney Fire Department, raised $250 for the fire crew.
“It’s all about hanging out,” said Smith. “It’s about having fun, and getting together with like-minded people.”
