On the Road Again

Arts & Autos, Denton, TX, Sept. 10, 2022

Last weekend was the annual outdoor event around the Historic Courthouse Square in Denton - Arts & Autos. This year saw a record number of vehicle entries and the crowd of attendees was estimated to be the largest as well. I have been a vendor at this event in years past, but my wife and I have decided not to do outdoor venues anymore. But I did enter my 1995 Honda Prelude Si. I had it detailed and waxed earlier in the week (its first wax since being repainted four years ago). I did not win any awards, but that was not why I entered. I just enjoy sitting around all day, chatting with people and seeing the other cars.

There were lots of rat-rods present. One in particular caught my eye: a wildly customized 1932 Ford Tudor. First off, it isn't all that "ratty." It has a fine two-tone paint job with pinstripes and the V8 engine is immaculate. But it is fenderless, windowless and roofless. The rooftop that should have a wooden frame with canvass covering has a welded steel grate on it. The aluminum bucket seats have cowhide upholstery on the cushions. Note the very basic door latch is a lever-activated slide-bolt on the interior - no door handles. The steering wheel is fabricated with three piston rods. The one luxury accessory is a bottle opener mounted on the inside above the windshield on the passenger side so you can open your Coca-Cola or Budweiser. The radiator cap ornament is another piston rod with a horse-head sculpture attached. A skull with a cowboy hat sits on the cowl. Wide whitewalls. A very nice ride.

There were many notable vehicles, including a vintage riding lawnmower, several farm tractors, two VW Things (each won an award), and many examples of antique cars, muscle cars, sports cars, imports and motorcycles. There were two examples of Chevy Nomads, a'55 and a '56. In 1956, Chevy put the gas filler cap behind the left taillight; the '55 Nomad had this feature added via customization (it won 3 trophies). And there was a 1970s Mako Shark with custom bodywork. There were several classes for Corvettes, "original" and "modified" for early 'Vettes (C1-C3), middle era 'Vettes (C4-C5) and late models (C6-C8).

This was my second year with the Prelude entered. I still have a list of needed repairs and upgrades to be accomplished before next year. Although I was not a vendor with my craft goodies, I did have some woodwork present. The sponsors of the event had asked The Denton Senior Center if their woodshop could make some specialty awards for this show. I had the privilege of making four awards shown on the left. Someone else made the all-metal awards shown in the photo on the right.

San Antonio, TX, March 19, 2022

I have not been to any craft fairs since the Funky Finds last November, but last weekend we were near San Antonio, TX and I noted that there was a classic car show in the parking lot of a Shriners Hall. So, we stopped by just to look. They had 1,043 entrants on display, from vintage and modified Model Ts to muscle cars and late model sports cars. One guy had a modified ’57 Chevy tricked out with a fiberglass bed, ala the El Camino, with tie-downs in back to haul his motorcycle around. There was a vintage 1943 Willys Jeep outfitted with all the necessary WWII equipment. A ’67 Buick Wildcat convertible that was immaculate. There must have been at least half-dozen Model As, both stock and modified. As a hood ornament collector, I was interested in getting any new info on what original radiator caps and trim were on what years of the Model A. All I learned was that it is possible to switch around radiator shells and trim from one year Model A to another, so it is very difficult to tie down what was actually put on the cars by the Ford factory.

I am particularly a fan of VW, having owned many different models in my time. There was a guy there with a 1951 Microbus which he told me was manufactured in Germany, outfitted as an ambulance in Sweden and shipped to Brazil for service. He bought it in south America, brought it state-side and had it gone thorough mechanically, but left the very well-travelled body and paint as-found. 1950 was the first year of Microbus imports to the US, so this is a real veteran. It has the semaphore turn signals in the door posts (which I have my hand on in the photos - passenger-side is missing) and no air-vent in the front roof overhang. Part of the ambulance conversion was a sliding glass partition between the front seat and the main passenger compartment.

Of course, the air-cooled VW Bug is one of the most modified car models ever made (along with the Model A). Someone had an especially unique conversion: a V8 shoe-horned into the front of a Bug body. The frame was, of course, not an original VW pan and the interior/dash were totally custom. But I expect it is a serious competitor at the drag strip.

Also worth mention was a 1934 GMC rat-rod pickup truck, decked out with a longhorn skull and horns as a grill ornament. Actually, it appeared that only the sheet metal forward of the cab was vintage ‘30s. The cab looked to be from the ‘60s, and the bed custom. But it was a head-turner. I wouldn't want to see that approaching in my rearview mirror.

Weather was perfect that day, so we spent a pleasant hour kicking tires and chatting with some of the car owners.

Funky Finds, Nov. 20-21, 2021

It had been twenty-four months since we had done a craft fair. In fact, the last one was the Fall Funky Finds in 2019. That last show was the most successful we had ever done. This time was about 10% better. We like this show because: 1) it is indoors, 2) it is a month before Christmas and people are looking for gifts, 3) It is a two-day event with the Friday before for set-up, so we don't have to set-up and tear-down on the same day, and 4) it is less than an hour from our house. The other vendors have always been friendly and the public always seem to be in a good mood, whether buying or not.

Here's a panorama shot of our booth. (I got a new phone since the previous show and it does panoramas with the same lens; some sort of stitching software. The table is actually straight. The software has to "bend" it for it to fit into the picture. I think that if I walk instead of rotate it might fix that) Weather was pleasant, sunny, dry and calm, so attendance was good both days. We had a pleasant time and wish we could find other fairs as well planned and executed as Fort Worth's Funky Finds.

September 8, 2021

My lovely spouse and I took the latter half of August to vacation in Oregon - the trip we had scheduled for last August but had to cancel due to You-Know-What. It was a relaxed rental car trip around the state to visit friends & family and enjoy cooler weather. It was not an automotive or craft related trip. However, while visiting Newport, OR, we came upon some public sculptures on the city sidewalk along the waterfront. I am guessing that they were commissioned by the city.

I didn't see anything explaining the statues or saying who created them, only the signs saying "PLEASE STAY OFF." (Of course there was a mother taking pictures of her three kids taking turns sitting on the lion's back) After returning home, I tried to learn more through Google, but no luck, so I called Newport, OR city hall. The Senior Exec. Ass't was not aware of the tire sculptures and the Spcl Projects Dir. is on vacation this week. So I don't know anything about them, other than that they are very well proportioned and life-like. An excellent use of worn out tires! This was the closest I got to crafts or automobilia on our trip. I will try calling the projects director next week.

August 5, 2021

Here it is August. I have done no shows in over a year and a half. I have applied for the November Funky Finds show in Ft. Worth the weekend before Turkey Day. Above is the display window at the Denton Senior Center where this month they are displaying woodworking projects completed by members of the Wood Shop. My contributions are (left to right) the '56 Chevy bird-plane hood ornament mounted on a wide pedestal with the Chevy flag logo, the mantle clock with rounded top below it and slightly right. and the light colored bowl with lid and dark knob to far-right next to a cutting board. The Center uses the dis[lay window to show the various activities that are sponsored by the city-run facility.

June 20, 2021

Summer Solstice was yesterday. Today is Fathers Day. Today's daylight will be shorter than yesterday's. So the year is half over from my point of view, in that the new year begins with the first day after the shortest day of the year. Official New Years begin at random times around the globe, but the shortest day of the year is the last day of the year to me. Today the days start getting shorter and the year begins to wind down, or wind up or run out - however you like to view it. But more importantly, indications are that COVID19 is on the decline. Even California declared the state "open" again. Here, Texas did that a month or so ago. The result is that craft shows/fairs are gearing up. I have applied to show my Dad's 1995 Honda Prelude Si in the Denton Arts & Autos event on the Square in Denton on Sept. 11th. I have also submitted my app to the Ft. Worth Funky Finds craft fair on Nov. 20 & 21 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center to show and sell my woodwork and automobilia. We have decided not to do outdoor venues again, so that limits my opportunities, hence I don't know if I will participate in any other craft events this calendar year.
Links:
Arts and Autos – Denton Main Street Association
Funky Finds | Handmade + Vintage Events
If you have the opportunity to visit either event, please look for me.

2020 - The Year that Wasn't

It is apparent that there will be no "On the Road" this year due to Corona Virus. The March 2020 "Funky Finds" in Fort Worth was postponed and finally took place the last weekend of July. We elected not to participate. There will apparently be a November 2020 "FF", but we will sit this out as well. The September 2020 Denton "Arts and Autos" fair and show is effectively cancelled, but they will have multi-weekend events in September and October. I had planned to enter my Dad's '95 Honda Prelude, but the car show is apparently off the schedule. Local high schools have traditionally had craft fairs for pre-Christmas gift buying, but I suspect that these will not occur due to the virus limitations on public gatherings. I feel sorry for those vendors who make a living or supplement their retirement income from these craft fairs. I do it as an outlet for duplicate or overstock items and because it is fun. I hope that things will be better in 2021 and that Suzanne and I can return to the craft fair circuit.

Winter-Spring, 2020

The recently & rapidly spreading Coronavirus pandemic has sent the world scrambling for cover.. Public places and events from schools to restaurants to public gatherings like craft shows are being closed and cancelled. The Spring Funky Finds in Ft. Worth (see below) was cancelled. My wife and I have plans for attending Denton's Arts and Autos this summer as well as a couple week vacation on the Oregon coast - this may not happen. It just depends on how long this virus hangs around. It is hoped it will be over by sometime this summer, but that is just educated guessing. So, no road trips are counted on at this time.

Welcome to 2020 and the corona virus. I had already decided not to be a vendor at the spring Funky Finds event in Fort Worth, for which I am very grateful because I would no doubt have been a no-show given the current state of the corona virus "pandemic." I hope to participate in the fall Funky Finds in November, subject to whether there are any humans left on earth to attend. I expect there will be, but since I am by definition in the high risk category. I will take no chances. So I currently have no craft fairs scheduled.

Funky Finds, Ft. Worth, 2019

Funky Finds, Ft. Worth, November 2019

The weekend before Thanksgiving, 2019, was a two-day craft fair at Will Rogers Memorial Center in downtown Fort Worth. All vendors at Funky Finds must create or modify their wares themselves. No imported goods from China. I had had mixed results at past F.F. events, so we decided that we would go all out this time, I rented two adjacent spaces . . . on a corner location, not mid-row. And we brought non-automotive goods as well - tables, lamps cutting boards. bird feeders, knick-knack boxes and vintage school desks that I have been dragging around in a cardboard box for 50 years. We had the best show ever, not just with F. F.

The top, solo photo is of our entire booth (two spaces) open at both ends so that visitors could walk through the booth, not just into a dead end. Our tables were set out in an L with an additional table as an island. People would come through a doorway to the right and could turn directly into our display and continue on out the other side. It worked very well. We had lots of traffic. Lots of conversations. And lots of sales. On Sunday I put up signs indicating 20% off all items. We had steady sales on both days. A lot of the items you see in the photos taken Saturday morning were gone by Sunday afternoon. Of the two cedar-round tables shown at the top, the large one sold and the small one broke in half when we packed up. Luckily it did not sell - I have the chance to repair the weak point. The school desks are still with us. I have them listed on-line in the local Neighborhood social media site.

We are going to skip the spring Funky Finds, March 2020. But we will do the November show again. Otherwise, I hope to do the spring Good Guys car show at Texas Motor Speedway. the last two events were cancelled because someone else rented our space. The organizer tells me he plans to have the space back this spring. I am not going to be a vendor at the Denton Arts & Autos in September, but I will enter the Honda Prelude since it is now officially an antique at 25 years old. Not sure what else, but we plan to avoid outdoor venues. All too often it is too hot, too windy or too rainy. Not worth it. I may do a couple local school pre-Christmas gift fairs. Past results have been positive but underwhelming.
Buck Breedlove

FUNKY FINDS - March 2019

Upcoming Craft Fairs

Besides my online store, built with Ecwid, I do several road shows in North Texas each year. I enjoy meeting people with similar interests, talking about classic cars and woodworking, swapping stories and sometimes swapping automotive ornaments. I have over 100 items for sale at any given time and am always looking for items to complete my personals collection.

My next live fair will be at Funky Finds in Fort Worth on Saturday and Sunday, November 23 and 24, at Will Rodgers Memorial Stadium. The event occupies two buildings and consists of hand-made crafts only - no manufactured products. It is a great opportunity to find gifts that are not available in brick and mortar stores or on chain websites. Admission is free, but the City of Ft Worth collects $10/day for parking.. Food & drink items are available at the in-house café..
Get more info at:: https://10times.com/funky-finds.

The event also benefits The Humane Society of North Texas. Adoptable pets will be available throughout the weekend. This last Spring we adopted the sweetest Dachshund-Chihuahua

This Fall I will have an expanded booth which will feature home décor items in addition to the automobilia that I have concentrated on for the past several years.