The annual Jerome Jamboree celebrated the community of Volkswagen enthusiasts from Sept. 21 to 24 at the Gold King Mine in Jerome, Arizona for the 32nd year in a row.
Transporter buses, Vanagons, Westfalias, Karmann Ghias, Beetles, Eurovans, Things, rabbit pickups, utility pickups, squarebacks and fastbacks filed into town before forming a caravan at the mine.
The air-cooled models lined the dusty lot, with many drivers selling spare parts and handmade wares. Some vehicles were for sale, others were available for trade and still others were serving as long term residences. An array of colored tents were tucked between vehicles or atop them, making for a serene campout beneath the crumbling hillside of mining tailings.
Row upon row of eclectic vehicles in every color from a factory-mint cream to a rust-pocked mustard yellow filled the dirt lot. Some were decorated with tassels, others had costumed skeletons taking the wheel and a few flaunted stickers like “Slow [expletive] bus,” “I CAN go slower” and “Just go around.”
This year’s event included childrens’ activities, cornhole, slow drags, a beer stein-holding contest, live music and a raffle for a restored 1976 Campmobile bus. The winner of the bus was a 22-year-old teacher, who later could be heard uttering a timid yet proud honk as she drove her new bus through the camp.
Mike Baleda, vice president of the Arizona Bus Club, said that this year’s event had the best level of community involvement they’ve seen in several years.
Baleda’s involvement in the Volkswagen community began when he was about 14 and bought a squareback station wagon while living in Michigan. He said that he’s had a VW in his life since then. In part, Baleda is attracted to the nostalgia of the vehicle, sharing memories of driving from Arizona to Michigan and meeting over 100 people along the road who had owned or driven a VW at one time.
“It’s what you call a multi-generational vehicle,” Baleda added.
The Jerome Jamboree is the main event that the club puts on each year and their primary fundraiser, which raises money for several smaller local charities. They also donate to the auxiliary at the Jerome Fire Department, which has always supported the festival.
The raffled bus was purchased from a local club member and restored with the help of around 100 people who worked on it during the past year.
“We have a lot of community support throughout the Volkswagen community,” Baleda said. “It’s a bigger community than you’d imagine. We have probably 30 clubs that will all be represented at our campout.” Some campers hailed from Colorado and California; one drove his vehicle all the way from Oregon.
One couple talked about their experiences with no fewer than 22 Beetles over the past 25 years. The husband, with a VW tattoo aflame on his bicep, shared stories of stealing an engine out of another Beetle in a grocery store parking lot as a kid. All it takes to remove the engine is unscrewing four bolts.
Walking past the sportier Karmann Ghia, one attendee joked, “It looks a lot nicer than a Porsche, they’re just a hell of a lot slower.”
