BreyerFest Week: BreyerFest Opens

The first day of BreyerFest is in the books! 

I jumped on the computer a bit before the 9:00 AM opening time - social media had been showing people in line at the park, some of whom had been there since 5:30 that morning. (And most likely even earlier than that.)

But I was a little disappointed. While the virtual site had opened,

that was about it. The live feed wasn't running (I heard later that they'd had tech issues) and opening exercises in the covered arena did not begin until later.

The on-line shopping sites did not open until 11:00, so I browsed through the program waiting for things to start. (Fun to see Liz in the program!)

And really fun to see myself in the online store (bottom left.)

I took some screen shots and sent them to our family chat feed. 

Both Jessica and Cole attended live shows with me when they were kids, so they had some understanding about how much it meant to me to be a presenter.

Word got out almost immediately about the Rotating Draft Surprise model - the Cleveland Bay!

I'm not a fan of the mold so I will pass. (Photo by eBay seller alexe24e30.)

Friends at BreyerFest texted throughout the day - Liz sent me photos from both her seminars. 

Checking the condition of a model by using a flashlight. (The flashlight shows dust and dirt as well as flaws on the model.) 

Her other seminar was about photo showing model horses. You can see now why Blue was packed to the roof when Liz and I met at Wendy's last Monday! Look at all the things she had to bring for her seminars!

I also heard from Allison. She texted me later in the day with an intriguing, "Oh my gosh... Today was INSANE. NEVER had a day like this."

Wowza!! Not only did she win a slew of ribbons at the Breyer Open Show,

She took Overall Reserve Grand Champion of Show! Way to go, Allison!

Of course, like all the other BreyerFestees, I went out to the "horse park." There is a special section that few know about - Hobby Friends Hill.

Kelsey is at BreyerFest and Tim is traveling, so I am in charge of Hobby Friends Hill.

Which I don't mind a bit.

I ended the day by watching the Celebration of Horses show from the comfort of my couch. Overall, I enjoyed the day's experience. 

Today's plans are to watch the live feed more and to see if Breyer has restocked anything in the virtual shop. Oh, and visit the "horse park" again.

Looking forward to another good day at virtual BreyerFest!

BreyerFest Week - Friday's Activities

Friday's BreyerFest was a wild ride. What a day! I feel badly for Breyer and for those who had difficulty logging in or getting store specials. The frustration level is sky high according to accounts on social media.

Having said that, I still had fun despite the issues I had. Early Friday morning I gathered my Breyer Tervis cup, my Breyer notebook, donned my 70th Anniversary tee shirt, and made sure my list of things that I wanted to see and do was ready.

I tried to get on at 9:00 AM on the dot, but there was a delay - my first indication that something might be awry with the BreyerFest web site.

After about ten minutes I was able to access it, and I headed immediately to the Pop Up and Fling shops. To my surprise, I found all the items available. I put a Kelpie in my cart (the only thing I really wanted) and went to check out. Only, for some reason, it asked me to login again. Hmmmm, I was already logged in, but I complied. The login box appeared again. I logged in five more times before I gave up and figured I'd try again later.

I decided to watch my number one seminar/workshop - Liz Cory's Hobby History. Forty-five minutes later, I was smiling and processing new tidbits of information that I had not known. 

And then, to my surprise, I saw myself listed on the last slide. (Thanks, Liz!) That was a nice thing for her to do!

Back I went to the Pop Up and Fling stores. I could see the merchandise, but when I tried to buy something, I got into the login loop again. I checked model horse Facebook sites and saw that I was not the only one experiencing this issue - everyone was having trouble.

And that became the big story of the day - most people could not order anything or were caught in the login loop. When the hourly tent specials started at 10:00, those would not work, either. Breyer began posting notes on social media sites as well as their own web site that they were having technical difficulties.

 I decided that it was time for me to go to the "horse park," always a big part of BreyerFest.

 My girl was glad to see me and we had a lovely visit.

And looks who's back! Sultanna came home this week - we all hope she is in foal again!

After my visit to the "horse park," I came home, grabbed some lunch and tried again to see if I could get into the Pop Up and Fling stores. No such luck.

So, I did what many other hobbyists were doing - I pulled out another project (sewing pony pouches), set my laptop up where I could reach it, and began periodically refreshing the screen to see if I could get in (I did eventually) and then see if I could order.

Today's pony pouches in various stages of progress.

 I also got a shipping notice for my Ballynoe model. But I noticed a problem right away.

Who is Stephanie? And why is her name on my order? The address was correct, and when I checked tracking, it was on its way here, but I don't understand why someone else's name is also on my order.

Refresh. Stitch and clip. Refresh. Stitch and clip. Refresh. Stitch and clip. Refresh...

I was scheduled to buy the Tent special runs at 3:00 but that was delayed by two hours. Even after waiting until 5:00 I couldn't get in, but about an hour later that changed and I was able to get the Slainte Surprise and Lugh - my two most wanted pieces. (A friend also got me a Lugh, so I have two! Score!)

Around the same time I was able to access the Pop Up and Fling shops, and I got Kelpie, a tee shirt, and the Stablemate set. (I don't really collect Stablemates, but I love the new Lippizaner mold and it's in the set. Couldn't resist!)

I wound up the day by watching the Celebration of Horses evening show and chatting with hobby friends. 

What a day! It looks as though the glitches in the web site have been fixed and BreyerFest will run more smoothly Saturday. I still have plenty  of things on my list to do - seminars to watch, workshops to attend, more shopping, and videos to watch.

I can't wait!