In the summer of 1999, Mike Yager and the team at Mid America Motorworks hosted a laid-back Volkswagen show in appreciation of their VW customers. A few hundred VWs and their enthusiastic owners came to the event in Effingham, Illinois to celebrate the hobby.
By the early 2000s, Funfest for Air-Cooled VW had grown to welcome thousands of VWs over the course of the weekend. This casual event as grown to become one of the must-attend VW shows of the year in the Midwest, welcoming guests from across the United States and around the world.
While Funfest does put special focus on classic Volkswagens, we know that the VW passion spans generations and we welcome all models of Volkswagens to the show. Over the years, we have also welcomed a number of noteworthy guests, including Bruce Meyers, the creator of the Meyers Manx Dune Buggy; Joaquin Garay III, star of Herbie Goes Bananas; and Damon Ristau, filmmaker of “The Bus Movie” and “The Bug Movie.”
According to Mike Yager, "It has been especially gratifying for us to be able to host Funfest for Air-Cooled VW on our campus and meet our customers face-to-face. It’s one of the few times a year when we get to connect with everyone, hear their stories, see their cars and enjoy the hobby! Once you attend Funfest, you usually make a point of attending every year."
Today Funfest for Air-Cooled VW continues to grow with thousands of Volkswagens, new and old, along with their owners converging on the Funfest grounds.