by Shannon Lee Mannion
The sound of a Volkswagen engine is inimitable and nowhere in North America will you hear more in one place than this weekend in Almonte at the North Lanark Agricultural fairgrounds. Upwards of 250 Westfalias, Microbuses, Vanagons, EuroVans and a smattering of newer VW camper vans have been arriving since Thursday from all over Ontario, Québec, and the States, including Indiana, Maine, New York, Vermont and at least one van from Florida. They are here to participate in the 23rd annual BusFusion, bringing colour, peace and love to Almonte.
Ryan Campbell and his team from Eurotek Motors have taken over organizing this extraordinary event from Frank Condelli who started BusFusion in conjunction with Art Fusion as a fund-raising idea when he was a member of the Heritage Advisory Committee, “We brought people together to help the town rebuild the fairgrounds by coming up with the idea to rent out the space and put the earnings towards upgrades.” Other events have come and gone over the years but BusFusion keeps on and has helped put Almonte on the map as a destination location in June, swelling the town with hundreds of former flower children who come with their own children, ex-hippies, peaceniks and people who yearn for the open road and answer the call of the wild.
Residents are welcome to stroll the grounds on Saturday where a VW Flea Market and Swap will start at 9:00 a.m, with a Puppy Parade at 10:00 a.m. where several best-dressed pooches will be awarded a bandana fashioned by BanDanyas. Later, at 1:00 p.m. there will be a Tye-Dye Workshop in front of the Agricultural Hall, followed by a competition at 3:00 p.m, descriptively named, Chris’s Alternator Toss. There are vendors onsite selling VW jewellery, toys and memorabilia.
The good vibes, however, are free.
