Tonight, my mind is kinda wandering off… I’m wondering who else will make the trip? Everybody, I hope.
I’m thinking about my life list. Maybe this year, I can sneak off and learn a bit about saddles? Do I keep a list of all the hands I shake? …that seems a little weird. Can I come up with the money in the next few months for a really great camera? Should I drive up from Austin… or down from OKC? I owe Mark Candela a steak dinner… I should fix that. Maybe a live Twitter feed? Oh yeah, cricket season… ugh, cricket season. Remember the year we shared the hotel with that clown convention?
This year was extra special with two days of seminars/classes on bootmaking, clowns, and a night of karaoke (I kid you not.) Next year’s show will be October 2-3, 2009… you may need to bring your own clowns, so call ahead. See you there!
Here are the winners of this year’s boot contest…
Journeyman (built fewer than 15 pairs:)
Winner – Ephraim Glueck (Waco, TX)
Runner up – Bruce Bowers (Krum, TX)
Working Cowboy Boot:
Winner – Mike Vaughn (Bowie, TX)
Runner up – Alfred Reynolds (Wickenburg, AZ)
Artistry:
Winner — James Redman (Mertzon, TX)
Runner up – Alfred Reynolds (Wickenburg, AZ)
Dress Boot:
Winner — Alfred Reynolds (Wickenburg, AZ)
Runner up — C.E. “Cowboy” Loveless (Hugo, OK)
Master’s Class:
Winner — Carl Chappell (Saint Jo, TX)
Professional’s Choice:
Winner — Alfred Reynolds (Wickenburg, AZ)
The boots sit on the tables unmarked. Everyone who visits the show gets to vote for their favorite boots and saddles. Sometimes I can figure out which boot belongs to who, either from design features…or the sometimes the buzz in the room. This year I had a difficult time because there were so many entries.
Here’s the informal schedule…Friday morning, you get a quick nod, hug, or handshake from even your closest friends… ‘cuz everybody is staring down at the asphalt searching around for the good swapmeet stuff. After 3pm on Saturday everybody’s too busy looking for last minute deals on leather, no time for long goodbyes.
Ahhh… but in all that time in-between, there’s plenty of room for drinking coffee and catching up with all the folks you haven’t seen since last year.
Abilene bootmaker, Brian C. Thomas won the Professionals’ Choice Award on October 8th, 2005, at the 17th Annual Boot and Saddlemakers Roundup in Wichita Falls, Texas.
The award is given annually to a single bootmaker whose handmade cowboy boots exhibit the greatest artistry and craftsmanship.
Thomas’s boot was chosen from a field of approximately 30 pairs built by bootmakers from across the United States. The judges for this category are master bootmakers each with over 20 years experience. Tex Robin, one of this year’s judges, reported that the panel carefully examined each boot entry top to bottom…and then stitch by stitch.
2005 Trophy Buckle Winners
Journeyman: Larry Binford (Navasota, TX) Winner
Chuck Deats (Centennial, CO) Runner-Up
Working Cowboy Boot: Terry Young (Paducah, TX) Winner
Dew Westover (Vernon, TX) Runner-Up
Artistry: Bill Niemczyk (Granby, CT) Winner
Mike Spikes (Henrietta, TX) Runner-Up
Top Stitching: Mike Spikes (Henrietta, TX) Winner
Open: Bill Niemczyk (Granby, CT) Winner
Dew Westover (Vernon,TX) Runner-Up
Masters: Carl Chappell (Saint Jo, TX) Winner Read more about this winning boot.
Professional’s Choice: Brian Thomas (Abilene TX) Winner
Bill Niemczyk (Granby, CT) Runner-Up
For more information about this or next year’s contest, please contact Mr. Gary Cunningham at cunninghamtx@hotmail.com, or (940) 691-6750.
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