Welcome Back Beetle Buddies!

Today is the annual "Volks in the Village" VW Show at Houston's Traders Village.  This event, like so many others staged here, is more than a display of hardware or talent.  It's a gathering of friends.

Traders Village has hosted the North Houston Volkswagen Club for 12 years.  Some years the number of Bugs and Beetles on display has been massive, while in other years participation has been a disappointment. But, no matter what the final number, it has always been a treat to spend a few hours with long time friends and their classic buggies from my youth.

The "ragtops" are always a favorite among Traders Village guests, while kids seem to enjoy the iconic "Herbie" the Love Bug most of all.  My personal all time favorites have been the "Orange Crush" beach buggie surrounded by a sandy scene of  fake palms and beach chairs, and the VW "Thing" converted to look like a World War II German command car complete with uniformed driver and machine gun. 

Then there was the tricked out Karman Ghia with a drive-in food tray of sweet treats clipped on the driver's side window.  It's a flashback to the days before Sonic when roller-skating car hops took your post-prom order for a chocolate malt topped with real whipped cream and a cherry, and a side of onion rings.

New Bugs, old Bug, restored Bugs, clunker Bugs . . . they're all here along with one of the most interesting group of people that you would ever want to meet.  No one ever said that they are perfectly normal, but then who is?

I've never owned a VW, but over the years I've learned to respect the little car with the trunk in the front. Its drivers are a rare breed of fun-loving guys and gals who have chosen to share their passion for the Volkswagen with our shoppers if only for one Sunday afternoon a year. For that we say thanks and welcome back Beetle buddies! 

Corny Family Business Stirs Up 14-Years Of Fun

November 2010 will mark a 14th anniversary for Chris and Mandy Haman . . . not their 14th wedding anniversary, but 14 years of selling kettle corn from their sweet smelling concession stand on 7th Street and Avenue B at Houston's Traders Village.

Seeing kettle corn as their cornerstone money-maker in the early years, the young couple began selling the glazed popcorn treat exclusively, but later expanded their operation to include fried pork skins, cotton candy and other popular finger foods.  Toting the giant blackened corn kettle from event to event, the Hamans also have their own catering business that targets churches, schools and festivals with sweets and other state fair-style munchies.

Mandy says that after all these years their sales are still mainly kettle corn, but on Sundays with a higher number of Hispanic shoppers to serve, pork skins doused in hot sauce are now a real contender for the top spot. 

The money made each weekend is a great incentive for selling at Traders Village, but Chris and Mandy agree that they continue to work the market for other reasons - the festivals and live music, the family atmosphere, and their vendor friends and regular customers who come back week after week to chat and take home a bag or two of goodies.

For information about becoming a vendor at Traders Village, please call 281-890-5500 in Houston, 972-647-2331 in Grand Prairie, or 210-623-8383 in San Antonio, or visit tradersvillage.com.