Vanning For Animal Rescue, Southington, June 5th, 2010

After some much-needed refreshments Kathy and I drove from Xavier High School in Middletown to the grounds of Ideal Furniture and Custom Coach in Southington to take in the Vanning For Animal Rescue event.

My memories of vanning are from my native England. They consist of Ford Transits and Bedford vans with jacked-up back ends, poorly fitted porthole windows and disco ball interiors! Having previously seen “Vanformer” with its hydraulic suspension, Lamborghini-style doors and superb Explicit Airbrush (http://www.explicitairbrush.com/) applied paint job I knew that, thankfully, I wouldn’t be reliving such bad memories.

Our friends Todd Vaillancourt and his wife Mary, owners of the previously mentioned Chevy Astro “Vanformer”, warmly greeted us upon our arrival. Around 20 vans were in attendance at the time of our visit. Todd was keen to point out that the vans were not just used as show vehicles. Many of the vans are used as accommodation for family weekends away by their owners. This event was to be held over two days and most of the visitor would be sleeping in them at night.

One van that really caught our eye was “Little Dreamer” – a 1979 Dodge. The van carried a superb paint scheme that featured flames (always a winner with Cruisin’), etched windows and a plush interior complete with wine rack (another winner!). The features that really attracted attention though were the grille, door mirrors, headlamp surrounds, dashboard, running boards and bumpers all made from hand-carved light oak. Superb workmanship.

Some of the vans carried traditional hot rod accents such as colorful graphic paint schemes, alloy wheels and custom interiors. One even had a roof chop! The age range of the vans wasn’t just confined to modern-day vehicles. Also in attendance was a fabulous Volkswagen Westfalia camper.

Todd is a van promoter and representative of the New England Van Council (NEVC) (http://www.newenglandvancouncil.com/) and tells us that the vanning community is a close-knit one that’s always on the lookout for new members.

The NEVC was first formed in 1975, as a means to promote and preserve interest in vanning. It served as an informational exchange, a forum where vanners could discuss issues of importance or concern to individuals or member clubs, and a neutral ground where clubs could air grievances and resolve disputes on scheduling and other matters. Today it represents over 30 clubs, with the sport of vanning still going strong. Besides holding bi-monthly meetings, it also sends representatives to the yearly international meeting of van councils, known as the Council of Councils.