Breyer Happenings

Second Post of the Day

There is a lot going on right now connected to Breyer and BreyerFest, so I thought I'd post a couple of updates for ya'll just in case you've missed something.

First, if you are planning to show in one of the BreyerFest shows this summer, then heads up. Registration opens today!

Those shows sell out quickly, so be ready to register today at 1:00 PM EDT if you want to participate. 

A few days ago, Breyer opened a new site on its web site, the Collector Club Store.

I think it is a great idea. Now Collector Club members in one club have the opportunity to buy remaining models from clubs they aren't members of. For example, I only join the Vintage Club, but available yesterday were two Premier Club offerings, Troubadour and Firefly & Hawkeye.

Breyer advises folks to check back frequently as they will be adding merchandise throughout the year. Count me in!

The Isenbarger family loves tournaments and brackets, be it the Super Bowl, Fantasy Football, The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and more. So, as you might imagine, I'm all in for the Mares in Black April Anxiety Tournament!

Designed by hobbyist Amanda Reed, the first round is in progress and if you participate, currently you will be voting on the first round pairings for who will be the BreyerFest 2025 Mystery Horse.

Go here to vote: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1u39PQ2_IsgO0JjaZPxS6fn0GcU5R4ZLFGZKAPkun9fc/edit

If that link doesn't work, go here.

I don't know when the first round finishes, but I plan to participate to the end and will do my best to post updated links. Should be fun!

Finally, I received several emails yesterday from Breyer about a survey they were taking and asking me to participate.

That ten minute survey took me just a minute or two. It asked my age and who I buy for, how much I spend per year on Breyer products, and not much more. I did not see anything about those new ideas they are working on, let alone offer any thoughts on them. (I tried to go back and check, but once you've taken the survey, you are blocked from seeing it again.)

As for the info I did give them, well, an IT professional should be able to write a program that pulls almost all that info from customer accounts. So why the survey?

I'm puzzled, but it's not really a big deal.

The results of the second April Give Away will be announced tomorrow. We do have some correct guesses!

Stay 'tooned!

Mares in Black Podcast has Dropped!

It's dropped! Come take a listen. And thanks, Heather and Jackie - it was fun chatting with you!

https://mares-in-black.simplecast.com/episodes/mares-in-black-bonus-episode-allison-pareis-and-lynn-isenbarger

The FAMulous Collectibility Show

The Mares in Black podcast that Allison and I are on has not yet dropped (except to patreon listeners.) I am checking several times a day and will put a notice here when it is available.

In the meantime, thinking about that made me check the calendar and good night!! The FAMulous Collectibility Show is only six weeks away! Suddenly I feel the need to go through tubs and double check to make sure all is ready.

We have a stellar slate of judges: Kelly Weimer, Liz Cory, Liz LaRose, Jamie Rott, and Steff Bodamer. They are some of the top judges in the hobby! 

In the podcast we talk about a prank Allison pulled on Liz when she posted Liz's bio. 

See that tee shirt Liz is holding? It's not actually a Purdue tee - Liz is an Iowa alumnus and it's actually an Iowa tee. She was at my home for Happy Trails and Purdue and Iowa were playing each other in football that day so Liz and I bantered throughout the show as to which team would win. Using her media skills, Allison changed the tee's logo from Iowa to Purdue on the FAMulous web site.

Allison makes medallions and other prizes for our show and I order the ribbons. 

We are upgrading our photo booth, too. Action Stan will still be there, of course,

but I am working on show drapes using a customized FAMulous fabric.

I am super excited about this fabric and have several ideas as to how to use it for other things as well.

We are accepting raffle donations - if you'd like to donate something, contact me at horsiemama8@gmail.com. (And thank you!)

Six weeks?? Yikes! Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick!

Hello, Mares in Black!

Recently the Mares in Black, Jackie Rossi and Heather Malone, contacted Allison Pareis and me and invited us to join them on a Mares in Black podcast.

They wanted to chat with us about our show, The FAMulous Collectibility Show, that is being held August 6 in Muncie, Indiana.

Allison and I were all in and so last weekend the four of us got online and chatted for almost two hours. 

The first hour or so we were recording; the last hour we were just hanging out and talking about model horse stuff - no one seemed to want to hang up and go.

I'm not sure when the podcast will be available but I think it will be the next one they post. I'm looking forward to listening to it!

Mares in Black Spooktacular Show

The resurgence of photo showing during the pandemic has been fun and has allowed me to interact with hobby friends without leaving home. I am entering three or four shows a month, and enjoy adding my models to their classes and then waiting for the judges to announce the placings for each class.

The Mares in Black held a photo show with a lot of creative classes - Stock Market, Feathers, Old But Still LIT, Wildin' Out... The possibilities were endless! And needless to say, hobbyists had a fun time creating entries for those classes.

I loved watching the classes load and seeing all the ideas that hobbyists had for these classes. There were so many entries and such creativity that I did not expect to win anything but that was okay - I was having fun.

Yesterday I got a notice that Jacki Rossi had commented on one of my photos. My first thought was that they were stewarding the show and that I needed to move a model into a different class.

I did not expect to see that I'd won the Just Dance - Specialist class with my Flamingo Pond entry with Mr. Nedz and Circus Girl Lynn, the doll Anne Field made me! 

Two more placings rolled in during the afternoon. Apple Jack (my Dad's nickname) placed fourth in the Working class.

And Windsong Sherif won 6th place in Baybees.

The judging continues and is not yet over. Class winners will be announced on a special Mares in Black Halloween Live Stream Party. I've got plans to trick or treat with a couple of Cowpokes and Pony Pals that day, but maybe the Mares will record it and I will still be able to catch it.

Thank you, Mares in Black, for hosting such a fun show. And congratulations to all the other winners and entrants. 

Today is the last day to enter to win an embroidered blanket for your model. Comment to enter! 

A Nod from the Mares in Black

A while ago, Allison Pareis sent me a message saying that I'd been mentioned in an interview with Tiffany Purdy on the Mares in Black podcast. I am glad she told me - I am behind on listening and might even have missed it.

Since the podcast was more than four hours long, it took me a bit to find the interview. (Go to Episode 15, 2:16:58 to listen.)

But I had a pretty good idea as to why Tiffany had mentioned me. In the early 1990s, I put on a live show in Champaign, Illinois for several years. (Lincoln Land Live.) It was Tiffany's very first live show, and according to the interview, introduced her to the hobby.

Tiffany and me at a 2017 GLC show. Go here to read more.

It was fun to listen to Tiffany reminisce and brought back some very fond memories. Thank you, Tiffany and Mares in Black, for the mention!