BREYERWEST 2000

finally scribbled two years later on November 5, 2002

I remember being edgy with excitement that spring - I was finally going to BreyerWest! I had wanted to go for some time, but couldn't afford it - I was working menial jobs when the first show was held in 1998 and the entry fee was a little high for me. That and I had no hope in heck of getting out to Spruce Meadows from where I live in Calgary Northeast.

It was at Castle Toys' Breyer night that I was convinced to enter, and suddenly I realized how ill prepared I was - I didn't have any tack, all the props I had made before college had been sold or dismantled or packed away - and darnit - what models was I going to take anyway? I was buoyed by the fact that my friend, Mel, was coming. I first met Mel and her cousin Brooke at the CMC&R show and we had kept up through email ever since.

As it happened, I barely managed to get the Friday off to go. Spring and summer used to be a gauntlet at work with the new models rollout for Mercedes-Benz USA. Vacations had to be taken in the fall. I was lucky though - the day that BreyerWest started was also Stampede Parade day.

The Calgary Stampede is an annual 10 days of whooping it up, drinking, rodeos, chucks, fireworks and fake cowboys that goes on every year. I don't enjoy Stampede all that much - and a lot of Calgarians flee the city for the duration of the Stampede. I'll never forget that morning - mostly because of all the people who were on the LRT. The Stampede Parade started around 9am - and at 9am there were still people trying to cram children, strollers and lawn chairs onto the packed train. The car was so full that it was actually tilting as it went over the 4th Avenue flyover. I was lucky to have gotten a seat. I transferred to a southbound train and relaxed in the near empty car. What joy! What heaven! No more stench of people and suntan lotion.

I took a cab to Spruce Meadows. Worst cab ride ever. Two years later, I think of that ride and I have vowed to never ever utter an unnecesary word to a cab driver again. Destination, payment, thank you and goodbye.

One would think that all of this had spoiled my mood. Not a wit! The late morning air was crisp as I walked along the asphalt path. I had my few horses in my backpack and couldn't wait to set up! I found the show tent out on the plaza easily enough. I picked a table next to Nicole Bremner. We were both early and decided to take a walk around the tents. We couldn't wait for the Breyer tent to open - it was adjacent to the show tent. I thought that was a pretty cool set up - the public could watch and buy Breyers at the same time.

There were several judges that year - Twyla helped Debbie Gamble-Arsenault and Andrea Dyck judge. Now that I think about it, I'm glad I went that year - I met several people I hadn't seen in ages and probably won't see again for a long time, such as Andrea Jackson and Nicole MacPherson. I was looking forward to seeing my friend Melissa again, but unfortunately she couldn't make it. Her cousin Brooke came in her place - what a blast Brooke was :-)

My horses did very well. I was also proxy showing for Heather Tarr. Several of the customs that she sent did not make it back home, including ES Poker Face and ES Zeus Lord :-D I remember being thrilled about Ocean Pearl taking second in Hunter/Jumper.

My mother came out and helped the second and third day. She went around chatting with other women's mothers and discovered that Laureen and Agnes were from Edmonton. And had lived in the same area as we had. And eventually I discovered that my brother and I had gone to school with Laureen's boyfriend.

I ended up spending too much in the Breyer tent. I bought two extra Advantage Chryslers and Stablemates galore. Such a buying opportunity was rare and I just had to make the most of the situation :-)

There were some really cool collector's classes - including a Marguerite Henry collection and Stablemate keychain collection.

At the dinner, we were treated to a fabulous talk by Sheryl Leisure. One of the things that I really like about Breyer is how enthusiastic everyone is. She gave a quiz and prizes for the most correct answers, then a slideshow on her own collection and determining collectibility.

BreyerWest 2000 holds the most memories for me. I'm not sure why - I think about that show and I think it was the best show in terms of atmosphere and seeing so many hobbiests together in harmony and happiness :-).

The Calgary Sun wrote a nice article about BreyerWest with Sheryl Leisure. The Sun is a major supporter of Spruce Meadows. Although it was a good article, it would have been nice if they had given the address for the CMC&R.

More live shows...