Club History
In 1987, Rich Meyer and Rick Geisinger met through Rich’s Volkswagen parts ad in the Star and Tribune. After the two talked shop for a few hours and found a shared interest in putting on a show similar to the southern California Bug-Ins, Rich inquired at Westside Volkswagen and the first Twin Cities Bug-In was on the books.
On Saturday, June 13, 1987, the first annual car show and swap meet drew dozens of show cars and spectators, with about 50 people interested in forming a club, and the Twin Cities Volkswagen Club was born. Due to challenges with the dealership attempting to sell cars at the same time as the show, Bug-Ins were moved to Sundays in 1987 and have stayed there ever since.
In 2011, Luther Westside began emptying their showroom for that year’s highlighted class and that tradition has continued each year. Bug-Ins have become the largest annual event for the Club and bring in hundreds of show cars and spectators.
About
The Twin Cities VW Club is Minnesota’s largest Volkswagen club. We are a registered non-profit organization, run voluntarily by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts. We’re a fun, enthusiast base group. We don’t have any membership requirements and welcome both fans of water cooled and air cooled Volkswagens.
Mission
The Twin Cities VW Club’s mission is to provide a fun and informal place to share your Volkswagen enthusiasm. Because we all have busy lives, we strive to have our events in typically “lower priority” times (meetings and events are normally 6:30 Wednesdays and Bug-Ins are on Sundays). This allows you to have your hobby and a home life too. We welcome all interested to join, even if you don’t own a Volkswagen.
What we do
The Twin Cities VW Club meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month. Our club co-sponsors the annual Bug-In with Westside Volkswagen. Various members host local activities such as swap meets, dinner cruises, tours and holiday parties.
Who can join
We invite everyone to join our club. Your Volkswagen doesn’t have to be a bone-stock original model, nor does it have to be a show-winner. You don’t even have to own a Volkswagen to be a member! The majority of our members are simply in the Twin Cities VW Club for fun and educational purposes.
Club Dues
Membership in the Twin Cities VW Club is $20.00 annually for an individual membership. Our fiscal year goes from January to December. For this, you’ll receive our newsletter, regular Club communications including early-access info on events, and many other benefits.