Jingle Bugs Rock 2013...

[drluv]

One of the fastest growing charity shows in the Southeast is Jingle Bugs Rock,http://jinglebugsrock.com, which is held at Old Town in Kissimmee Florida, http://myoldtownusa.com/, each year to help aid the US Marine Corps. in collecting toys for needy children. What is so appealing about this show, unlike most car shows we go to, is that the car show itself along with Old Town offers all types of entertainment for adults and children alike, plenty of places to eat and shop, thousands of dollars worth of give-a-ways, an opportunity to dress up your car for the holidays, and of course the cruise down the streets of Old Town at the end of the show.

One of the issues that have kept some from attending was that the show has been held on Sundays from 11 to 5 which has made it hard for those coming from out of town or even out of state to drive home for work on Monday. For this reason, we are considering making it a two day show that would take advantage of Old Town’s regular activities and their world famous Saturday night cruise that they hold every week.

The show would begin at 1:00 on Saturday and you could come at anytime up to 8:00pm just before the cruise. There would be plenty to do all day Saturday including special performances held live on stage, special appearances, etc., and then on Sunday we would run from 9am to 3 pm with an additional cruise at 2 pm. The difference between the two cruises would be that the one on Saturday is known around the world and has thousands of visitors from around the globe who line up along the brick streets to watch. And being at 8:30pm, those cars that choose to light them up with Christmas decorations will stand out even more!

This year we have been promised a turn-key engine to be given away as well as the other prizes that we normally have. In addition we are thinking of asking for a $10 pre-registration fee that would be used to purchase new bikes for the children with a portion of the proceeds going back to the participants as cash give-a-ways and one new unwrapped toy at the gate. Otherwise, the fee at the gate would be a minimum of two new unwrapped toys worth at least $10 each or $20. Again, this is a totally non-profit show with all proceeds going to the US Marine Corps.

Anyway, the reason to start this thread is to see what the level of interest might be from around the Southeast. It would be a great opportunity to visit Central Florida, the weather is great, and we have unheard of low rates offered by several of the surrounding hotels for those families who want to stay over for Sunday. If you are a club member we would love to hear from you regarding the possibility of forming the longest V-dub caravan from the furthest distance away (just think of a caravan of hundreds of cars all coming down I-75 at the same time) and how your club might be interested in helping promote the show.

drluv

[bugger101]

honestly this just sounds like a advertizement . Instead of a show fee, how about everyone brings a gift?. I have been to the jingle bugs rock and the one year i went it was uneventful. It's just to dang expansive down there, maybe discounts for car owners, not to mention free parking. the main reason i stopped bring my classic's to old town, was that you need more security personal there to protect the cars.
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75 west deluxe http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5270450#5270450

2010 ford focus

[Mr. Unpopular]

We went to the first show, but haven't been able to make it back for various reasons (this last one was because we were in the hospital with a new baby).

We definitely want to attend in the future, and making it on a saturday would surely help with that. I think 2 days is pushing it though. Even the biggest shows are only one day, they just have several events making up a weekend.

Maybe you could get with the guys at Lo Cash Racing out of St. Augustine and have them put on a navigation rally on Sunday. Those are lots of fun!
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"In any racing engine, the nearer you are to it disintegrating, the better it's performance will be"
-Keith Duckworth, creator of the Ford/Cosworth DFV

[drluv]

Well, it looks as though we will not be having a two day show. Turns out that the Marines are in the process of distributing the toys that weekend and since we cannot get the previous Saturday, we will simply go with our regularly scheduled date of sunday, December 8th.

Now that is not to say that we could not still have a great trunout and some fun on Saturday, December 7th. The issue is that Old Town has another toy drive for another charity on that Saturday (there is still no charge and I do not believe you have to bring any toys unless you want to) so for us to bring toys would be counter productive. However, we have been having some great turnouts by the local VW clubs on Saturdays and it's a great place to hang out. We've been going to Old Town on a regular basis for over 15 years and have never been disappointed. There is plenty to do and there are people from around the world, many V-dubbers themselves, who will come to Old Town whenever they are in the area.

Saturday nights are special in that everyone knows that the car cruise will be first class and contains all types and models 1973 and older. That brings up another good point. We were there this past Saturday and a local VW group tried to sneak a 1977 bus into the mix. They absolutely knew better but tried to explain it away in that they said they saw somewhere on Samba where the last Saturday of each month was a special night for V-dubs and that they could bring anything they wanted. Let me just say that Old Town has been doing this for over 25 years and has been very sucessful in reserving Saturday nights for the older cars and trucks only. It's nothing persoanl, but if they started to let newer cars in, there would be no end to it. Most people come that night for one thing and that is the classics. How that is defined is up to Old Town.

Now with that being said, Old Town has agreed to let us bring in our cars, no matter what make, model or year for a special event such as Jingle Bugs. The stipulation however is that any cars, trucks, etc., newer than 1973 will have to park in designated parking on the West side of the complex and will not, that is will not be allowed to cruise. However, after the cruise which is held at 8:30pm, any and all cars that care to move to the East side and hang around till 1-2 in the morning are more than welcome to do so. Of course I would want all of us to park together on the West side and they have agreed to do everything they can to make it a speical night for everyone.

I would think that we might consider having our best decorated car contest that Saturday night and those cars that are 1973 and older can all cruise together with all their decorations. Of course the giant Christmas tree will be all lit up, there will be plenty going on such as entertainment, and let me tell you, there were probably several thousand people there this past Saturday to watch the cruise. There's absolutely nothing like it...

Now this might ruffle some feathers with those who have newer cars and simply cannot get past the rules at Old Town and that is simply too bad. But of course everyone is welcome on Sunday no matter what. Please plan on coming this year. I know you won't be disappointed...

drluv
Jingle Bugs Rock

P.S. If you have any questions and/or suggestions, please let me know and I will try to answer them as quickly as possible. You can always us the Jingle Bugs site for correspondance regarding the show, www.jinglebugsrock.com.

[Mr. Unpopular]

I will NEVER set foot in Old Town again if they feel they have to adhere to some arbitrary rule about year of car. To 99% of the world, a 79 bus is indistinguishable from a 72 bus, so for me to have to park in another lot and be told I can't cruise (no big deal to me, but it's the principle) while I'm there to support THEM. No thanks, I'll go to one of the hundred other cruise nights or VW shows that are closer to me, where it's just people enjoying cars, no matter what year they may choose to own.
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"In any racing engine, the nearer you are to it disintegrating, the better it's performance will be"
-Keith Duckworth, creator of the Ford/Cosworth DFV

[skidmarksgarage.com]

This past year was our first at JBR, we have been to the Sat. night cruise once before.
We went on Saturday and hung with all the "other" cars and had a good time and then hung out with the VW's on Sun. JBR was a good time!
We stayed at
http://www.tropicalpalmsresortfl.com/
which is right down the side street from Old Town.
We partied and had a grand old time and were a block from our camp site. ( they have rental cabins pretty cheap too for those who are R.V. challenged )
Do what you like with the show but we'll be back regardless, we'll be there on Sat. afternoon and we'll pull out Sunday late or Mon. Morning and thanks for not having any awards to have to wait for
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Mark

[skidmarksgarage.com]

So, What's going on guys, the time is near and we all need to know what's up...............
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Mark

[Ladybea]

i will NOT attend this year. and the reason is that It is my understanding that this show was supposed to be a charity event to collect toys for kids. And was made by a car club by the name of Volks Family Car Club. This year VFCC has stepped out of this event after the club have worked all year for this event a month before the event another club was added to this event , only a month before. And why this was done I was told that the club noticed that things were being done on their back that they did not agreed with and they were not even considered for opinions and when something was said , the club that had run this event for years were not taken into any consideration all the ppl running this was thinking was about themself and the $$$$ and not the kids or the event and a new club was given the role.

[wide5guy]

[skidmarksgarage.com]

Yeah, and somebody needs to post up soon or there may be a VERY bad turnout !
I enjoyed the show and would like to return but not if it's going to be all screwed up.
Someone in charge post up or we're out............
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Mark

[Ladybea]

This was always done by Volk's Family Car Club of Kissimmee, with the help of Gail (Old Town Manager). Now, VFCC will organize the activity BUT Gail would collect all monies and would put the rules of the activity. At last minute when everything was only one month away another club that are just starting less than a year old were also added as part of this show and VFCC were not even told this was going to be done VFCC worked hard to make this show possible but things ate not correct and they are stepping out .

See: Jingle Bugs Rock is made possible by
The Volksfamily Car Club and the Koqui Volky Club...

Koqui Club is just a new Club with less than 13 members have not done anything for this show but Gail needs a club to be there as he knows VFCC will not be there that day to help in any way.

I will not go due this was not right.

Soon VFCC I heard will be doing a new show in benefit of childrens with special needs.

[Ladybea]

[drluv]

I won't use any names, but the one club everyone here seems to be talking about (I'm sure they are all part of the same small group) quit right after Bug Jam leaving us wondering how we would restructure so soon before the show. The Koqui Volky Club of Kissimmee jumped in immediately when we called them and turned out in numbers to make sure the show ran smoothly. Anyway, I won't waste anymore time on the group who tried their best to sabotage the show. If you want to here how it turned out, read the following taken directly from our website. And by the way, the show is a all VW show and is open to all types and years, even those that are VW powered. Anyone who has read our website would already know this.

Sunday, December 08, 2013 -  Oh what a beautiful day we had! First of all I would like to thank all of those who turned out today to help the Marines Toys for Tots. We had 187 (give or take 2 or 3) cars, collected over 1000 toys which filled the Marines truck and was one of the best drives yet this year, and had a wonderful group of people performing on stage throughout the day. Second of all, I would like to personally thank the Koqui Volky Car Club for all their help in keeping the show running extremely smoothly. What a professional group of people! They arrived before we did, made sure they were there whenever we needed them and worked like a team. Thanks to the team...

Everything else seemed to go extremely well including the Fast and Furious Matchbox races which we gave away 5 trophies to the children plus the cars, Tony Soto Studio's Zumba (who brought a large box full of toys) live on stage, Archie Pyles and The Dukes playing our favorite music, The Costumers With A Cause, Channel 9 and the Marines who worked so hard collecting the toys, the prize give-a-ways including the motor, and so much more. It's going to take me days to get all the pictures together but I will, I promise. Oh by the way, you should have seen the Best Decorated Cars this year. What a great effort by so many families to bring a smile to our faces. A very special thanks to everyone who participated!

One last thing I would like to address before I turn in for the night. I would like to take just a few moments to talk about a certain group who tried their best to sabotage the show today. They did their best by boycotting the show themselves (maybe 10-12 cars), but also encouraged other clubs in the area to do the same plus they went around to our sponsors to try and discourage them from coming and supporting the show. Well, I'm sorry. They came anyway! And I heard from other people they tried their best to trash us on the internet (mostly in Spanish) telling others how we were somehow taking money from the show for ourselves. That's really good for a laugh. We not only collected the toys, gave away a great engine and basically everything else for free, we also raised over $400 for the Marines who were greatly appreciative. All I can say is that you only hurt yourselves and your community. I wish you the best in your new ventures whatever they be, but I'm sure people will remember you .

[Ladybea]

Just would like to make clear I am Not part of any Club. and will not go into details but VFCC ( I do say names)dont hide it... Did not sabotage in any way this activity that was already organized. The president of this club is a honest, straight person. The reason he did not participate was he did not like that another club was added a couple of weeks before the show and before the club had stepped out. The club did not find that it was a right thing to do to add a club that last year was part of their club and split and right now is just trying to make VFCC look bad. It was impossible to have both clubs working together . Another thing ... They did not find correct to start selling tickets 2 months before the show for an engine that was donated. Upss when that was asked they said its to buy a new engine for next year. The facilities of Old Town are donated and where does all the money from the sponsors go towards? Why the checks are made to your name (you know who) when is a sponsor making a donation? Yes those questions and others where not clear and yes I am very happy for the kids but lets not say VFCC sabotage or quit at last minute, you know the truth and know more than what you are saying and your team to , specially that guy with the Herbie that is very unprofessional loud mouth. But VFCC does not sabotage or spoke to any sponsor in any way as they know this event was for kids in need. If any person sabotage the event ... Was the same ppl that are running this event. But we can go on and on with the you said I sad. I am glad the event went well , that hopefully next year it will go better with the new team you have . There is a God, he sees and knows everything. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year .

[Benny Vw]

187 cars ? $400 only? Really is sad they use a charity to fill their own pockets , so many major sponsor$$$ and only $400 donated ? Why mr. Gail don't say that because his company is not a non profit organization mayor sponsors decide not to do it this year instead of blaming VFCC , nobody is sabotaging your show Mr. Gail just your greed , I feel sorry for Coqui vw club hopefully they see thru a lot sooner than VFCC. But there is a God and the true always sooner or later will come out. Really professional from Mr. Gail to post gossip , why u defending urself if u doing it right ? If u don't have nothing to hide ?

[sunshine100]

I am saddened by the animosity and misinformation that is being printed about this worthy event and the cause (Toys for Tots) that is represents.

The money given to the Marines was in addition to toys that were donated. It represented money paid at the entrance by those who did not bring toys (and as you can see more gave toys than paid an entrance fee) and it also included total monies collected from vendors who participated, They were also given the choice to donate toys or pay a fee and more toys were donated than money collected. They also included the money from the 1/2 and 1/2 drawing. None of this money was kept by Gail Love or his family (also he is not a representative of Old Town).

The reason that all monies go through a company and businesses who donate write checks to that company is to keep the show legitimate and give it accountability. Remember also that because this company is not a tax exempt company the owners must pay all taxes on monies that go through their accounts and no one helps with that.

Before you make statements please check your facts!

[drluv]

First of all, you have been involved for over two years and yet you still have no clue as to what the show is all about. We have always told all of our sponsors that our records are open to them at any time regarding what we receive and what we give away. For instance, the cash money sponsors this year have given (we do not even request the money up front) totals $1000.

The expenses just to advertise and to buy those items necessary to put on the show equals $1064.36. On top of that, my family and I put out an additional $1090 and that does not include everything we purchased for the show, our time and the expense of going all over the state trying to organize sponsors, etc.. The $420 that we gave the Marines was made up of $125 from the 50/50 drawing, $65 from vendors, and the rest collected at the front entrance from those cars who brought no toys. Now let's see, we are hiding something or making money some how off this show? That's a really good laugh!

And I might go on to add that everything, and yes, that means everything, donated by our sponsors are given away at the stage or for this year in our hospitality center. Not everyone can give cash or even that big of a gift but we try to treat all of our sponsors the same, even giving the plaque given to me by the Marines last year to the VF club so that they would have something to hang on their wall. Let me just say one more time, it was they that didn't want anything to do with the engine, by the way we collected around $1200 from ticket sales, and when confronted at the Bug Jam after it ended why they avoided us all day long, the President (and yes he is a fine man) got upset and told us that he would not be there and neither the club. I sent him a text message after I got home that night asking him if he was serious and it took I think 3 days before I got a response. I had to make a decision and I did so. A let me tell everyone out there, the Koqui Volky VW club did an absolutely great job and I didn't have to ask them a thing. They continually came to me or my wife asking what they could do to help. Their hearts were in the right place and they were a joy to work with...

All I can say is that those who are responding negatively to this show and what we accomplish each year should really be ashamed of yourselves. And yes, individuals that were associated with the club who quit did visit or at least made some contact with Triangle Auto Parts, Sundance Bug and Buggy and even Tony Soto Studious trying to discourage them or confuse them regarding the show. If you don't believe this, go talk to the owners themselves. I did...

I'm not going to respond anymore to the negativity of a few people who are for whatever reason upset over what went on this year. It is over, the show was a great success and next year will be bigger and better than ever. And by the way, the $500 plus that my family and I put into fixing the engine up to make it a great gift, we are donating as well. All of the money collected from the engine tickets will go into an even better give-a-way next year...

[drluv]

I want to be the first to apologize to everyone who is associated with The Samba regarding the negative remarks and attacks that have been made here regarding this show or my family. First of all it does nothing to promote one of the most fun shows around but it turns people off from even wanting to be involved with VW owners and the events. I take full responsibility for any negative comments made here and I for one will not be saying another word on this subject. If there is anything I or my family can do to make this better, please let us know.

Thank you for all The Samba does for the VW community.

My God bless and may you and your families have a beautiful Christmas and a Happy New Year!