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!

BreyerFest Bound!

Yeeha! I am heading down to BreyerFest today. I only live four hours from Lexington, so I can have a leisurely morning and do last minute things without rushing. I still need to check the water in the aquarium, finish packing my suitcase,  and that's it.

Moment, my former classroom pet who was a two inch baby when I bought her for my classroom four years ago and is now nine inches and still growing! I'll put a weekend feeder into the water for her, change out her filter, and top off the water in her tank.

It will be a "relaxed whirlwind" of a trip - I am not selling anything or showing, taking any seminars, or participating in any of the activities that require you be someplace at a certain time. (Aside from using my tent tickets to pick up my models.)

I plan to shop tonight at the Clarion and visit with friends, wander and shop the horse park tomorrow, and then return to the Clarion Friday night. Saturday I will head on down to Tennessee as it is my youngest son's birthday and I would like to spend it with him.

In the meantime, here are a couple of photos from past BreyerFests that I have attended.

Have we come a long way, or what? The BreyerFest Open Show in 1995 back when it was held in the covered arena. I remember slogging through that arena dirt in order to show my models. By the end of the show, I was dirty and so were my models. Thankfully Breyer no longer uses the covered arena for its shows.

BreyerFest 1997 - Stephanie Clift, Kathy Bateman, and Beth Dickinson with some of the trolley horses. We all sported fanny packs which were trendy back then. They may no longer be in style, but they are useful and I am bringing mine along with me this year.

Not sure of the year on this one, maybe 1999? Beth Dickinson, me, and Stephanie Clift. I wish I could remember what happened to my tee shirt - I'd love to pull it out and wear it this year around the horse park.

Pictures from 2019 BreyerFest coming soon!

BreyerFest - Playing Car Jenga

BreyerFest is upon us! Folks were posting on social media as early as last Sunday that they were already on the road to Kentucky. It may not officially begin until this coming Friday, but many of us arrive early so that we can visit with each other, set up room sales, shop, and chat, chat, chat.

BreyerFest is THE social event of the year for model horse hobbyists. Many of us stuff our cars full of tack, dolls, models, and other things to sell, with suitcases almost an afterthought as we seek to cram it all in.

My friend, Nancy Kelly, is an absolute master at the Car Jenga game. She gave me permission to share some photos she'd sent me of her car after she finished packing for her drive to Kentucky. Can you guess how many boxes she was able to stuff into her Ford Fusion? Here are some pictures to help you make your guess. I'll post the total along with the other items she was able to jimmy into her car at the end of this blog entry.

Beginning to load the trunk. The boxes each contain twenty copies of her latest book, Exploring the Model Horse Hobby.

The trunk midway through the loading process.

The back seat viewed from the driver's side of the car.

The back seat from the passenger's side of the car.

Wait, is that what I think it is? I see a suitcase - Nancy will be able to change her clothes on her trip!(Well, it's actually a duffle bag, but no doubt it is for clothes and personal items.)

The finished trunk, all ready to hit the road.

Considering that I, too, drive a Ford Fusion, I was pretty stunned at these photos, and even more so when Nancy gave me the final tally of what she was able to get into her car. Just take a look at this tally:

30 boxes of books (a total of 600 books), 7 boxes of horses for sale, a 6' tall plastic shelf, a 5' long table, an easel, another smaller shelf, a utility cart, a box of 12 Schiffer books (Nancy has written five books about Hagen Renakers which were published by Schiffer), a suitcase, and a few other miscellaneous things. She added that an additional challenge was to be sure that she kept the windows clear for visibility - looks to me like she achieved that.

The secret of Nancy winning the Car Jenga game? She attributed her skills to having moved her daughters in and out of college dorm rooms multiple times over the years.

And to think I was worried about packing my small load of things into the car for my own trip to Kentucky. Nancy, you are the master!

Haying Time

A sign of high summer is when the hayfields are ready for their first cutting.

We are a little late this year because of all the rain that Indiana has had. (Farmers are in serious trouble - some could not get their fields planted at all due to the soggy soil.)

Tim's hay field is west of the south pasture with a creek and line of trees defining its western border. He gets several cuttings from it every year.

I love that Tim grows his own hay for the horses - we know where it is from, how it was cut and stored, and that it is clean hay and not not full of thistles or weeds.

The rains held off after the hay was cut and so Tim and crew were able to get it baled and ready to stack for the winter.

He'll use a forklift to haul it over to the northwest pasture or to the paddock by the new barn where it will be put on wooden pallets to keep it off the ground and dry. (Judging by the growth I see in this picture, the northwest pasture is about ready to have the horses rotated back into it - that grass is nice and tall.)

The first cutting is done, and this girl and her friends will have plenty to eat again during the coming winter.

Blast from the Past - 2014 NAN

(In 2014 I attended NAN in Lexington, Kentucky. Here is a post about it from my old family blog.)

Wednesday Craig and I drove to Lexington, Kentucky for the 19th North American Nationals (NAN). 

Kentucky - a place after my own heart. Where else can I get my favorite drink out of a vending machine with a horse on it??

We ate a late dinner in The Horseshoe, the restaurant next to the motel. Only one other table had customers, and as I glanced over at it, one of the women sitting there looked up and our eyes met. It was Karen Beeson, a long time hobby friend who had attended the University of Illinois! And with her was Chris Wallbruch, another U of I alum, hobby friend, and fellow teacher! I hadn't seen either gal in at least ten years - who'd have thought??

We had a nice chat, and they gave me some tips for showing at NAN the next day. I was disappointed that they would not be there, but they'd shown on the previous two days of the show and needed to get back to Chicago and their families. (The third day of NAN was for china, resin, and collectibility classes.)

The next morning we drove to Heritage Hall/Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington and got in line to be admitted to the show.

I'd shown at the inaugural NAN in 1995 and the third one in 1997, so I was a bit rusty at showing on the national level. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous, although I did not have high expectations of winning much - 212 people were entered along with 5,600+ pieces over the three days of the show.

The show hall was massive and sprawling, with 23 tables (rings) for exhibiting.

It was a very well-run and organized show and a volunteer manned a whiteboard where classes that had been called were posted, their status as to whether entries were being loaded or if the class was closed, and which ring the class was in. I took my clipboard and entry list up there more than once just to keep track of where my pieces were going.

My show string for this year's NAN.

That's Kristina Lucas Francis in the green, a friend from Tennessee and a sculptor for Breyer and Disney (she did some of the The Nightmare before Christmas Christmas ornaments), and other commercial companies as well as her own sculpting. (She specializes in horses and dinosaurs.) It was fun having her nearby and getting to chat throughout the show.

Another good friend, Beth Dickinson, who I have known since we became pen pals in 1971, was also in attendance. She works for Hershey and brought me some special chocolates to try. Thanks, Beth!

Classes started being called at 8:00 AM.

My Breyer Icelandic and my HR Misty.

My North Light Welsh Pony.

My Lakeshore Belgian Warmblood and my Cheval Friesian (he won two Top Tens, one for Breed and one for Collectibility.)

My HR Sherif, a piece that usually does very well at shows. I found it for $4 at an auction in Fairbury, Illinois in the early 1990s. It's from the 1950s and has exceptionally nice detail which is why it often wins the classes in which it is entered.

I thought it might Top Ten, but to my surprise it was Reserve National Champion in Breed!

And my other surprise was when my HR donkey foal, Harry Potter, also was Reserve National Champion in its Breed class!

The show wrapped up in the early afternoon, and so we were home by 7:30. I came home tired but happy, and still more than a bit surprised that I had had such a successful day.

Blast from the Past - BreyerFest 2012 Saturday

(The last post about the 2012 BreyerFest.)

My last day at BreyerFest! (Even though it continues through Sunday, I don't go that day.)

Like yesterday, I spent much of it in the covered arena watching the live horse demonstrations. I did shop the concourse again, but did not find anything to buy. Correction, I found a LOT of things, but nothing I felt I wanted to purchase. The woodgrain Brahma Bull was still there - what a gorgeous piece! Until you saw his tail where there were four tiny teeth marks, two on top and two on the bottom. I'd say a chihuahua or some other small pooch grabbed him once. What a shame!

I think I mentioned that two horse shows were taking place simultaneously with BreyerFest in the Kentucky Horse Park. Trailers and vans shared the parking lot with the BreyerFest attendees.

 Yeesh! These horses really ride in style! I wonder how much this rig costs?

 It is popular for the kids who attend to decorate their cars as they prepare to come to Kentucky.

 This is the approach to the covered arena where the live demonstrations happen along with the concourse shops. The arena inside is HUGE. 

The miniature horses were being shown when I arrived. 

 This little grey guy was beautifully groomed. Loved his dark eyes!

 And this boy's mom dressed him as a knight with his steed in keeping with the British Invasion theme for BreyerFest.

 A team of "draft miniature horses" pulling a western wagon. (This group is from Indiana.)

 This cutie was entered in the jumping competition and decorated like the union jack!

 Another driving team and a single in harness.

For some reason the Gypsy Vanner/Drum Horses came in again despite not being on the schedule, but I didn't mind as they had some new animals that were not in yesterday's show.

 What a gorgeous horse and beautifully behaved. Again the announcer talked about how gentle these animals are, but just like yesterday, some of the horses' actions belied his words at times. There was a 16.2 hand 3 year old stallion who kept rearing. 

 This Gypsy Vanner's tail was so long that its owner tied it under the carriage to keep it from dragging in the dirt! I can only imagine what it must take to keep that horse and his pretty tail clean.

Breyer has a large following (obviously, given the size and scope of BreyerFest) and thus some influence in the horse world. They have used that in the past in bringing attention to issues by using their models. For example, they had a Mustang series which raised awareness of the vanishing Kiger Mustangs and helped preserve them. (Proceeds were also donated.) Currently they are doing a breast cancer awareness series - unusually painted models with the pink awareness ribbon on them.

 And Breyer has brought attention to the Cleveland Bay, a British breed of carriage horse that is nearly extinct - only a few hundred are left. One was at BreyerFest for us to ogle - she was massive! (She reminded me of Trouble, or perhaps Trouble reminds me of the Cleveland Bay.) Breyer also has done a Cleveland Bay model.

The last demo I watched was of Pony Club/Gymkhana and Gaming. Small horses work best for this as they have to be fast and handy at turning. I especially like that crops, bats, spurs, etc. are not allowed - only vocal encouragement can be used to get the horse to run.

Four teams were in attendance, and the riders ranged in age from youth to adult. The horses sported colorful leg wraps and skid boots, and a few were actually decorated with handprints, circles around their eyes, etc.

 This group is lined up ready to sprint when the flag drops!

 Several teams at the end of the arena, waiting their turn to run.

 Gold, the palomino, is 29 years old and loves competing. (You can barely see the green circle around the eye on the left. He also had a green handprint on his hip.) He's so gentle, he doesn't even need a bit - she's riding him in a hackamore! Contrast that to most of the other competitors' horses who were rearing and plunging in anticipation of the flag signal.

 But not just shopping on the concourse and demos in the arena are taking place in the Covered Arena -  see those glass windows on the second story? Those are rooms where seminars are taking place - painting model horses, miniature tack making, lectures on breeds of horses... all kinds of things. And, the participants can watch the action down below while they work!

This rider is the announcer for the Gaming demonstration, explaining to the audience the rules of the games, sharing about the participants (who were from all over the world), etc. She kept to the perimeter of the arena to stay out of the way of the galloping racers while keeping up an informative running commentary.

I love this picture of a dad holding up his little girl so she can pat the announcer's horse. The horse is standing there calmly, but you can tell by his cocked ear that he is also paying attention to the baby patting him. Often horses sense when someone is young, inexperienced, timid, etc., and become very, very gentle while that person is with them. This photo is a beautiful case in point.

I made one more tour of the concourse before saying good-bye to BreyerFest 2012 , hopping in the car, and heading home. BreyerFest certainly was a fun and relaxing "mini" (haha) vacation for me.