Magic Bus

HAYDEN — With a few days to the Oct. 1 deadline to buy tickets for a chance to win a 1976 Volkswagen Bus, Brenda Busch decided it was time.

She handed over $40 for four tickets.

All told, 4,000 tickets were sold in the fundraiser for the Kootenai Humane Society.

Busch won.

“I can’t even believe it,” she said Tuesday afternoon when she picked up the classic yellow and white VW that started right up.

The Coeur d’Alene woman and her partner AJ Sebek plan to detail it, shine it up even more, and display in shows like Car d’Lane.

“What’s not to like about it,” Busch said, smiling. “It’s just happy and amazing and beautiful.”

Vicky Nelson, KHS director of development, said the $40,000 the VW Bus brought in for operations at the shelter at the north end of Ramsey Road “means the world to us.”

“Since all of our fundraisers have been canceled due to COVID we didn’t know where our funds were going to come from,” she said. “This is a godsend, absolutely.”

The shelter is currently closed to public viewing of dogs and cats. Services and adoptions are by appointment only.

KHS just took in 11 dogs from California.

Jonah Namson, owner of Post Falls Volkswagen, said he took the VW Bus in on a trade about five years ago.

“It’s pure vintage Volkswagen,” his wife Jessica said.

Credit for the idea to donate it to KHS went to his daughter, Alex.

“She really appreciates the humane society,” Jonah Namson said. “She said, ‘Dad, we need to figure something out to help the humane society buy food and supplies.'"

He said the humane society did a great job promoting ticket sales.

“It went for a great cause,” he said.

They sold more tickets for the Bus than expected to buyers from many states.

“We were blown away,” Nelson said.

Busch, who owns a 1966 Volkswagen Bug, said she loves the Kootenai Humane Society and has adopted several animals there, including a rabbit.

“If I’m going to donate money to anybody, it’s the humane society,” she said.

Sebek said not long before Busch learned she won the VW Bus, she showed him a picture of another rare bus for sale, with a price tag of $68,000.

“That’s the bus I want,” she said.

“An hour later you guys called,” Sebek said. “It was fun.”

Busch was elated.

“Forty dollars for a Volkswagen. I’ll take it,” she said.

It has a clutch, with two bench seats and two bucket seats up front and rack on top. Many parts were replaced or repaired courtesy of Will Sando and his team at Silverlake Automotive.

As Jonah Namson handed the keys to Busch, he said, “Have fun with it.”

“Oh, we’re going to,” she answered.

KHS isn’t done selling tickets to vintage vehicles to raise money.

Next up is a black 1999 Pontiac Firebird, with only 72,000 miles, donated a few months ago by a volunteer there.

The drawing is set for Dec. 23 and tickets are $10.

Again, with fundraisers canceled, this comes around just in time for the holidays.

It has a V6 engine, a four-speed automatic transmission, with everything original.

“You should hear it when it turns on,” Nelson added.