My BreyerFest History: 1999 Program & a Few Pictures

First Post of the Day

I skipped BreyerFest 1998. I had spent that spring student teaching, graduated with a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois in May, and was  hired by the school where I'd student taught right after graduation. 

Yikes! I had a very short summer to prepare my first classroom and familiarize myself with the curriculum for two grades (I would be teaching a 4th/5th grade multiage class).

Reading aloud to one of my first classes. This class used to ask if they could sit close to me while I read to them. They were such a nice group of kids. (And they are all grown up and in their thirties now!)

Of course, my children were very active in the summer, too: swim team practices and meets, sports, scouts, church, and more. Craig and I divided and conquered, but it was a lot to keep up with. And so I chose to not attend BreyerFest 1998.

BreyerFest 1999

This year Kathy and I went together again, but we met up with some hobby friends, sharing a hotel room with Stephanie Clift and Jessica Swaney. (Possibly Beth Dickinson, too,  but she may have been staying in the host hotel by then.)

Beth, me, and Stephanie. (I wish I still had that tee shirt!)

Stephanie, Kathy, and Beth. (Beth is a huge draft horse lover!)

Believe it or not, that is all of the pictures I could find that I knew were from BreyerFest 1999!

Molokai, the 1999 Dinner Model Horse.

4,200 were made and value now runs $30 to $40.

I still have the program from the event tucked away in my boxes of hobby ephemera.

It is fun to compare it to the one Breyer just published for this year's event. That one is bigger and has so much packed into it.

The 1999 program is more minimal 

and easier to read as a result.

Definitely earlier BreyerFests were not as intense

or as jam packed full of things to do for attendees as they are now.

A quieter, easier to navigate BreyerFest!

And as I write that, I am thinking of a social media post I recently read where someone asked how people were feeling about the approaching BreyerFest.

More than half the responses mentioned that the person was very stressed, had a lot to do, wasn't sleeping, would not be ready in time, and more.

I felt a little sad when I read some of those responses and I sure hope things smooth out and calm down for them so that they can enjoy the biggest event in our hobby.

It was in 1999 that I got all four key chains. I wish I had gotten Oreo, too. This page indicates that the Open Show was still being held in the Covered Arena.

The Bentleys! I used to buy so many models from them back in the 1970s. Lovely people.

There were far fewer model businesses back then and the number of ads for them is much smaller as a result.

I do not know Natalie, but back then everyone knew about Puffthemagicdragon Stables. She had the coolest purple and green fabric sign.

Never heard the 1962 song Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul, and Mary? You are missing out. It's gentle and lovely, and a little sad at the end. It's the story of childhood and leaving behind our childhood toys as we grow up.

Which begs the question, do adult collectors have Puff moments? Or are we still like little Jack Paper? I prefer to think that little Jack and I have a kinship and that my Puff is still hanging around in the form of a Semi-Rearing Mustang, an Indian Pony, or a 5 Gaiter. My Breyers still bring me happiness.

I wish I'd gotten that Welsh Corgi at the time, too!

The next BreyerFest I attended was 2000. I think. All I could find was the program so I am still trying to document my attendance. 

Wait'll you see the program - it is 8 pages longer and with much more information crammed into it. Quite a change from the 1999 program!