Indiana, a Hotbed of Showing: More Ideas & a Story

I received a couple more thoughts on why Region 8 has the most NAMHSA members yesterday and wanted to share them with you. Both make very valid points. (I did not give names on anyone, yesterday or today, as all comments but one were emailed to me privately.)

Here is the first one:

Can't forget that Indiana in particular has Stone, which has/had considerable reach. 4-H programs often have model horse shows and seminars, and 4-H is strongest in R8. Trade and industry is also pretty large in the Midwest; there's a reason Indiana is known as "the Crossroads." Perhaps there is just more exposure in local tack shops as it's easier to get models there than California, per say.

Good points! And in retrospect, I'm surprised Stone models was not on yesterday's list. (This is a reason why sharing ideas is important!)

And then this one:

Here's my take on it: Most people don't bother with a NAMHSA membership unless they're holding a show or entering NAN. The only NANs in recent memory were held in Kentucky, which is an easy drive from Region 8. No surprise, Region 8 has a higher membership than far flung areas like California or New York.

That is true. I was a NAMHSA member when Allison Pareis and I held the first FAMulous, and then she was the member for the next. Most likely we will continue alternating moving forward. And I agree about the Kentucky connection and influence.

On a little bit of a different track here is a story that Kathy Bateman shared. With her permission, I share that.

We lived a couple of blocks from a Texaco service station (remember when that was what they were ?) I was maybe 6, 7. The station was holding some type of promo. Giving out red plastic fireman hats and, gasp, they had a gray Shetland pony tied up in the grass that they were going to give away in a drawing ! Dad, Dad, puleeze put your name in !!!! We came home and he told Mom about the pony drawing and that he had entered. She was shocked. What if she wins ? What will we do then ? Of course I would keep it in the backyard and the garage, what's the problem. Anyway, did not win the pony but that small gesture made my Dad the best man in the whole world.

Kathy and me at a show in Indianapolis in the 1990s.

Several years later my buddy and I were digging in the dirt around the garage. I found an odd tooth, large with surface ripples. Mom took me and the tooth to the museum at the U of I where I was told that it was a horse molar. We found out that our garage was where the barn sat on the original farm. The farmhouse sits catty corner across the street having been moved from the corner. So see, I could have kept that pony in the garage.

A pony up for a drawing? Back in the 1960s that happened. And in the years before that, you could buy horses, ponies, and other livestock through catalogs. Hard to imagine now.

I'm going to wait until the end of today for that show information I am hoping to get. (No criticism from me - I know people get busy and life happens.) We will go with what I have received or know about those shows if I don't starting tomorrow.

Stay 'tooned!

BreyerFest Week - My First Trip to Kentucky

Kentucky borders Indiana to the south separated by the Ohio River which runs between them. I have been to Kentucky many times -we travel through it to visit Music City Son in Nashville, BreyerFest is held in Kentucky, and I have been there to tour Thoroughbred farms and visit Kentucky Horse Park.

The very first time I went to the bluegrass state, our family was heading to the Smokey Mountains for a vacation. My parents made sure we stopped at a couple of Thoroughbred farms for a tour.

It's been a LONG time, but I think we went to Calumet, Claiborne, and Spendthrift Farms. 

 Me, Leslie, my little sister Jennifer (kneeling), my mother, and my brother, Steve.

This trip was before I had my own horses, and it was also the first time I had ever been up close to a Thoroughbred. I was in fifth or sixth grade and absolutely enthralled to be so close to those beautiful animals.

Even though BreyerFest is being held virtually this year and I won't be heading south this week, I am lucky to live "next door" to Kentucky. It's my favorite state and I love being able to visit it frequently. 

BreyerFest Week!

It's BreyerFest week! The model horse hobby's biggest, most anticipated event of the year and held annually at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

It's a virtual event this year due to the pandemic, and I am okay with that. I won't miss the heat or the crowds, and I think I will actually be able to participate in more activities than usual because I won't be trying to hoof it across the park to get to a seminar or having to decide between two things I'd like to do but which are offered at the same time. Everything is online, and as I understand it, I can access them on my own time schedule this weekend.

What I will miss is a biggie - meeting up with my hobby friends. Beth Dickinson and I have been friends since 1970 - fifty years this year - and we always see each other at BreyerFest.

Stephanie Clift, Kathy Bateman, and Beth Dickinson at BreyerFest, 1997.

But she is staying in Pennsylvania and I will be in Indiana. My Great Lakes Congress friends, the Happy Trails folks, the Indiana collectors, Nancy Falzone, and others... sadly, not this year. 

 Nancy Falzone and me, BreyerFest 2019.

Susan Bensema Young and Kistisan Beverly, BreyerFest 2019

Jennifer Buxton and me, BreyerFest 2017.

Still, I'll be wearing my model horse tees all week and have budgeted some spending money beyond the tent and store specials so that I can so a little extra shopping. 

I have my fingers crossed that the Slainte Surprise model (my number one pick) will be a vintage mold.  (These photos taken from Breyer's web site.)

After the Slainte Surprise model for my tent special items, I put Lugh next in priority

and then Thorn, both vintage molds that I collect.

And I am hoping to get Kelpie, the crystal Bouncer, to add to my collection of crystal horses. (They are beautiful.)

I can't wait to attend Liz Cory's three different seminars on collecting, Jamie Rott's discussions on cataloging your collection and writing up documentation for live showing, and Robin Briscoe's talk about keeping track of models that you have stored as well as out on display.

I think Breyer has gone above and beyond in making Virtual BreyerFest to be a fun event for collectors. And I will be hanging out here in the air conditioned comfort of my home 

 or out at the barn with my Pony Pals and Cowpokes enjoying a very different but still exciting BreyerFest. (Lukie, Mila, Susie, Julie, Kate, and Ian)

BreyerFest - Thursday's Activities

Craig and I left for Kentucky and BreyerFest at 11:30 Thursday morning. We are fortunate that it's only a four hour drive to Lexington so we had no need to rush through packing and preparations.

Our own game of Car Jenga went well, although we are certainly not on the same scale as the Car Jenga master, Nancy Kelly.

Craig and me, BreyerFest bound!

Crossing the Ohio River from Indiana into Kentucky.

Rain set in near Frankfort, Kentucky.

Even with storms brewing, Kentucky is beautiful.

A sign of good things to come. (And the rain did stop.)

The Clarion, host hotel of BreyerFest. (Although the event is so big now that there are satellite hotels with shuttle buses running between them, the Clarion, and the Kentucky Horse Park.)

Craig and I checked into our hotel and then went and grabbed some dinner before hitting up the halls of the Clarion.

This item on the menu was SO TEMPTING, but... no. I have lost 70 lbs. since January and am working hard to eat foods that are good for me. But, oh, did this call my name!

Then, it was off to the Clarion for a fun evening of friends and shopping.

So. Many. Horses. (Accidental selfie but it does capture that feeling of awe!)

And people! This is the Artisans Gallery, and while it was crowded, it was not packed and you could still walk through it fairly easily.

Kylee Parks has knocked it out of the park again this year. These horses looked to me like they were 1:6 scale (maybe the horses are Foalzillas that she customized?) and were on a turntable that slowly spun so you could see the entry from all angles. The circus pony lover in me was awestruck.

After chatting with Teresa Rogers and Jennifer Buxton in the Artisan's Gallery and then popping into the Breakables show to trade tent tickets with Heather McCurdy, I headed away from the ballrooms and down the hallway to room sales.

The Clarion hotel folks love hosting BreyerFest and allow participants to put signs up all over the hallways, doors, stairwells, and just about any open space that can be found.

I was specifically looking for two things this BreyerFest - an alabaster Running Mare in really good shape, and an alabaster 5-Gaiter with black eyes. (I already have the red eye variation.) The Clarion is always a good place to look. I didn't find either of them Thursday night, but I did find something else that I had been looking for for a while.

 A bay Balking Mule! I have had the seal brown one since childhood but had never found the bay version for a price I was willing to pay. This piece was in Heather Well's room and was quite reasonable. (It was also a treat to get to chat again with Paul Francis who was helping Heather and Mike with their room sales.)

While finding the mule was a fun surprise, the best part of BreyerFest is getting to see hobby friends and catch up a bit. And lots of good friends were there. Like most BreyerFest attendees, I had a list of which rooms my friends were in so that I could pop in and say hello.

Brenda Metcalf is one of the nicest, kindest hobbyists I know. She also has a killer Stone collection.

Nancy Falzone, the queen of Hagen Renakers! I am driving to her home in Illinois this fall as she would like me to write down some of her hobby stories for her.  Nancy just celebrated her 80th birthday and is a real classy lady who can tell you anything you want to know about Hagen Renakers.

Susan Bensema Young and Kristian Beverly. Two master tack makers, one with forty years of experience, the other with less than that but producing incredibly beautiful work. Kristian is in the book industry and she and I had a wonderful conversation about literature. Thanks to her, I have some new titles to acquire and read.

My dear friend and fellow Hoosier, Allison Pareis. She was putting up flyers for our September all-collectibility show.

I left the Clarion at 9:30 after having gotten a little shopping done and even more chatting with friends. Time for a good night's sleep so that I am ready for a busy day at Kentucky Horse Park!

Kentucky Again!

I'm on the road again. This time I am heading to Florida with Craig to visit Kyle and his family. Addie is being baptized on Saturday and we want to be there for that.

I always ask my kids if I can bring them anything. Kyle asked for a cherry pie.

 So, I made two.

I don't think he really expected me to do so, but I know he loves pie and so he got some!

We started the day already tired. Tuesday night we always serve in the Indianapolis temple, and we'd driven the hour home after that and gotten to bed around midnight. Then, we were up at 5:30 to pack the car and start the long drive. We got away at 6:50 AM, a little later than we had hoped.

For the third time this summer, I  was in my favorite state!

Kentucky!!

We had to pass through it again as we drove down 65. We were not in a horsey part of the state (although we did pass Churchill Downs), but I was still happy to be back in Kentucky again.

Our trip took us through Nashville, Tennessee, and by Murfreesboro where Cole and Emily live.

Nashville. Cole works somewhere in that urban jungle.

We told Cole and Emily that we would stop in on our way back home for a visit. Kyle's home in St. Augustine is about ten hours beyond Cole's, and we felt it better to push on now while still relatively fresh.

Our drive down was uneventful, but the conversation and company were good! We arrived at 10:40 PM, so it took us sixteen hours. We stopped to say "hi" to Kyle and Ashley (the kids were in bed) and  have some cherry pie, and then headed to the motel. 

A shower and quick unpack, and I crawled into bed at midnight. Looking forward to seeing the kids in the morning!

Sisters' Trip/BreyerFest Day 1

When I decided to go to BreyerFest last spring, I invited my sisters to join me. I thought a sisters trip might be fun, and even though they aren't collectors, Leslie is horsey. Jenny (who isn't) would still enjoy the horse park, or shopping in Lexington, etc.

Sadly, Leslie was unable to join us at the last minute. So Jenny and I set off without her.

We had more of our unusual July rain as I left my home Thursday morning. The roads were okay despite being wet, although just south of Lafayette a semi in front of me suddenly fishtailed, jumped into the next lane (which fortunately was empty), went sidewise (I thought he might roll) and then straightened out and continued on as though nothing had happened! I offered up some prayers there and then on the spot!

Jenny and I arrived in Lexington around 2:00, checked into our motel (the Red Roof Inn on Haggard Lane), and then headed to Horseshoes, a restaurant I ate in last time I was here, down the road by the Days Inn for lunch.

 I am in my element in Kentucky - everything is horse-themed!

Jenny ordered something called "the Kentucky Hot Brown" - a slice of Texas toast with turkey, bacon, tomato, and mornay sauce. She said it was delicious. I had my favorite, country fried steak, and it was outstanding.

After that, we grabbed our map to the CHIN (Clarion/Holiday Inn North, BreyerFest's host hotel) and went to see what was happening. I had a list of which rooms my friends were in, and so we targeted those. 

 Beth Dickinson and I have been friends since 1971 - I've known her longer than my husband! She was rooming with Jenn Danza, an artist who does repairs, and they were advertising in a fun way:

Jenny got such a kick out of it that she took a photo of their sign.

I was hoping to finally meet Jennifer Buxton, and knew she would be at BreyerFest somewhere. I ran into her down near where the swap meet would be held.

We chatted for quite a while  and then took some photos. (Jennifer writes my favorite horsey blog - check it out here.) We'd talked via social media for three or four years, so getting a chance to talk in person was a treat! (She's just as nice in person as she is online!)

Jenny and I took the opportunity to sit and rest for a few minutes, and suddenly hotel employees began putting out a long table of cake.

 What a nice thing to do - it was open to anyone who wanted a slice? But why?

I peeked into a box that held an uncut cake - to celebrate the anniversary of Marguerite Henry's book,  Misty of Chincoteague.

Jenny and I traipsed around the motel, poking our heads into rooms, meeting up with friends of mine, and looking at all the beautiful things on offer.

Then, a surprise. Neither of us had spent any money, and we were just about done. We walked into one of the last rooms in the 600 hallway, and Jenny spied a stack of costumes on a bed.

 Score!! A witch's costume! Jenny is a member of Irvington's Black Hat Society, a theatrical group of women who like to dress as witches and dance in parades and festivals. For $10, she got a new outfit, and at a model horse convention, no less! (We are still giggling over that!)

I found a dear friend in the last room we visited, Susan Bensema Young. As I walked in, she looked up, her eyes widened, and she smiled and said, "Lynn!!"

Sue gave me a tour of her personal tack collection and showed me her binders (oh, those parade costumes!) and an ingenious display of her bridles from the early days until more recent in a spoon case! She is so talented.

Jenny and I were about ready to drop, and so we headed back to the Red Roof Inn to rest and discuss dinner. We got to gabbing, and soon so much time had passed, we decided to just call out for pizza. (We were already changed into our jammies and didn't want to get dressed again.

We ordered online, and then we got a kick out of watching "Marcus" online as "he" prepared our pizza.

The pizza was delicious - "Marcus" did a good job!

After that, we fell into bed. It was a super fun day - can't wait for Friday's events!

My Ol' Kentucky Home

Visiting grandkids is always a plus. But when you have to drive through Kentucky to get to them, it's a double bonus! Kentucky is my favorite state, and this past weekend I drove through it twice.

Kentucky is adjacent to Indiana, and as soon as you cross the Ohio River, you immediately see signs that you are in horse country.

 Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, is just west of I-65.

 There is a museum dedicated to the race that you can visit as well.

There is rolling countryside dotted with brown fences. (Occasionally they are painted white, but most are brown.)

 I love the old wooden barns that are everywhere in the state.

There is also this unusual sight.

 A gigantic T-Rex statue in the middle of nowhere? Go figure!

 Even the local geological features are related to equines.

And you often see horses being transported as you drive through the state.

Kentucky really is my kind of state, and it was such a treat to drive through it twice in two days.

(For those wondering, I will get back to the history of Rockwell, the Moyles horse, soon.)