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Colin Carney

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KW Bug Out

The region of Kitchener and Waterloo in Ontariohas historically been related to a German ancestrysince it's inception in 1854. Though no longerreferred to as the Town of Berlin, KW retainssome of its previous identity in various festivalsand cultural events.

One such event is the KW Bug Out, held everyyear on the northern outskirts of town atHeidelberg. This weekend long Volkswagengathering and competition, in its 27th year, is thelongest running Canadian VW event of its kind.

A great gathering of well-loved and well-shinedBugs, Ghias, Things and Busses occurs eachsummer at the Optimists Club grounds. It hasbeen organized by the Kitchener Waterloo AreaBug Club since 1981 and continues to grow ininterest.

The culture of people which surrounds VWair-cooled classic cars and vans is a particularlydedicated crowd. In these festival circumstances,the iconic symbol of the VW emblem suggestsbelonging and community.

Over the festival weekend, enthusiasts trade usedand new parts, share stories, camp out and catchup. The event is family friendly, drawing interestfrom a vast array of ages. The festivities carry oninto the dark and commence early the next day.The weekend ends with a judging of restoredvehicles in various classes and models.

The Bug Out relates well to the regionalrelationship with Germany. Kitchener Waterlooretains a connection to a Germanic heritage eventhough its name was changed from Berlin duringthe political climate of World War I.

Similarly, air-cooled Volkswagens are celebratedas a triumph in German engineering and a symbolof Bohemian lifestyle, despite being a vehicularlegacy of Hitler. It was actually Hitler's influencethat made it possible for VW to be a householdname.

The contemporary culture surrounding the classicair cooled Volkswagen distances itself from thediscomfort of this history. Similarly, KitchenerWaterloo has a diluted relationship with its historyas the Town of Berlin and the identity crisis duringthe first World War.

This complicated relationship is one of many richcultural tapestries which help make up KitchenerWaterloo. Be it at Octoberfest celebrations or theKW Bug Out, a German heritage survives in thisregion.

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KW Bug OutColin Carneycreated on: Wed Apr 9 15:18:10 2008

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KW Bug Out

The region of Kitchener and Waterloo in Ontariohas historically been related to a German ancestrysince it's inception in 1854. Though no longerreferred to as the Town of Berlin, KW retainssome of its previous identity in various festivalsand cultural events.

One such event is the KW Bug Out, held everyyear on the northern outskirts of town atHeidelberg. This weekend long Volkswagengathering and competition, in its 27th year, is thelongest running Canadian VW event of its kind.

A great gathering of well-loved and well-shinedBugs, Ghias, Things and Busses occurs eachsummer at the Optimists Club grounds. It hasbeen organized by the Kitchener Waterloo AreaBug Club since 1981 and continues to grow ininterest.

The culture of people which surrounds VWair-cooled classic cars and vans is a particularlydedicated crowd. In these festival circumstances,the iconic symbol of the VW emblem suggestsbelonging and community.

Over the festival weekend, enthusiasts trade usedand new parts, share stories, camp out and catchup. The event is family friendly, drawing interestfrom a vast array of ages. The festivities carry oninto the dark and commence early the next day.The weekend ends with a judging of restoredvehicles in various classes and models.

The Bug Out relates well to the regionalrelationship with Germany. Kitchener Waterlooretains a connection to a Germanic heritage eventhough its name was changed from Berlin duringthe political climate of World War I.

Similarly, air-cooled Volkswagens are celebratedas a triumph in German engineering and a symbolof Bohemian lifestyle, despite being a vehicularlegacy of Hitler. It was actually Hitler's influencethat made it possible for VW to be a householdname.

The contemporary culture surrounding the classicair cooled Volkswagen distances itself from thediscomfort of this history. Similarly, KitchenerWaterloo has a diluted relationship with its historyas the Town of Berlin and the identity crisis duringthe first World War.

This complicated relationship is one of many richcultural tapestries which help make up KitchenerWaterloo. Be it at Octoberfest celebrations or theKW Bug Out, a German heritage survives in thisregion.

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KW Bug Out

The region of Kitchener and Waterloo in Ontariohas historically been related to a German ancestrysince it's inception in 1854. Though no longerreferred to as the Town of Berlin, KW retainssome of its previous identity in various festivalsand cultural events.

One such event is the KW Bug Out, held everyyear on the northern outskirts of town atHeidelberg. This weekend long Volkswagengathering and competition, in its 27th year, is thelongest running Canadian VW event of its kind.

A great gathering of well-loved and well-shinedBugs, Ghias, Things and Busses occurs eachsummer at the Optimists Club grounds. It hasbeen organized by the Kitchener Waterloo AreaBug Club since 1981 and continues to grow ininterest.

The culture of people which surrounds VWair-cooled classic cars and vans is a particularlydedicated crowd. In these festival circumstances,the iconic symbol of the VW emblem suggestsbelonging and community.

Over the festival weekend, enthusiasts trade usedand new parts, share stories, camp out and catchup. The event is family friendly, drawing interestfrom a vast array of ages. The festivities carry oninto the dark and commence early the next day.The weekend ends with a judging of restoredvehicles in various classes and models.

The Bug Out relates well to the regionalrelationship with Germany. Kitchener Waterlooretains a connection to a Germanic heritage eventhough its name was changed from Berlin duringthe political climate of World War I.

Similarly, air-cooled Volkswagens are celebratedas a triumph in German engineering and a symbolof Bohemian lifestyle, despite being a vehicularlegacy of Hitler. It was actually Hitler's influencethat made it possible for VW to be a householdname.

The contemporary culture surrounding the classicair cooled Volkswagen distances itself from thediscomfort of this history. Similarly, KitchenerWaterloo has a diluted relationship with its historyas the Town of Berlin and the identity crisis duringthe first World War.

This complicated relationship is one of many richcultural tapestries which help make up KitchenerWaterloo. Be it at Octoberfest celebrations or theKW Bug Out, a German heritage survives in thisregion.