Back in the early 2010s when I was around 16 or 17 and just beginning to really become more interested in European cars, I remember stumbling upon videos for the event SOWO, held in Helen Georgia. SOWO was a VAG (Volkswagen Audi group) vehicle specific event that also hosted plenty of other European car and generally unique builds for across the country and Central America , but mainly the south east. Helen being a German themed town with architecture and culinary to match, it is the perfect setting for such an event. Being only a teen, and owning my second car, a 1990 Volkswagen Jetta GLI in Alpine White, the idea of SOWO excited and inspired me to begin photography and learning more about my car, Volkswagen, and its amazing community. Unfortunately, 2015 was SOWO’s last year in Helen Georgia. From what research I’ve done it seems and from what I have seen in the various YouTube videos covering the event, you can guess, people became a problem. 

Disregard for private property, disrespect to the Helen community and its business owners, and of course some rather illicit activities on city streets and parking lots. 

The event was moved to Savannah Georgia in 2016 as The European Experience and would not return until 2019.  Fortunately, the show would continue in Helen as Alpine Volks Fair.

See, Helen Has a bit of a storied history with the car community. Back in the years of 2012 to 2016, a different VW, Audi, Porsche specific event was hosted in Helen called SOWO (Southern Worthersee). I recall watching videos and seeing pictures from these events and thinking , “what a perfect setting for a VW meet”. As SOWO itself grew in popularity not just within the VAG car community but within the car community as a whole, some issues began to arise.

Helen is a rather small town. If you felt like it, you could walk through the entire town of Helen with 15-20 minutes. The town generates its income from tourism, mostly on weekends and during the summer. Events like AVF and SOWO can be a great catalyst for business in the small town but with too large of an influx of people and too many individuals not respecting the town, its people, or their property there can be some problems.