Breyerfest 101: The Clarion

Hey again! Today we are back with yet another Breyerfest 101 post, this time about the Clarion hotel! I got a call last week that we got a room, so Maddy and I will be selling some stuff out of it! I've been on the wait list since August, so we are really happy to be staying there.

In honor of this I thought I'd do a quick post about the Clarion. :)

First of all, the clarion can be referred to by a few names. In the very beginning, the Clarion hotel was called the Holiday Inn. Then it was bought by the Clarion hotel chain, and of course they renamed it. But us hobbyists are lazy, so it was deemed the CHIN.

Several things go on at the CHIN, but the Room Sales are the biggest by far.

(a quick not before we start: none of these photos are mine as I'm terrible at taking photos at events. I have tried to contact the owners and have received no response. If one of these is yours and you want me to the it down, just let me know! I am making no money off of this post or this blog.)

The room sales are when people open up the doors to their room and set up tables, shelves or even just lay sales items the beds or chairs.

Photo property of Golden Oak Stables.

You can find many, many things in the room sales including rare OFs, regular runs, body boxes, customs and so much more!

Photo property of 101IHeartMoondancer on Youtube.

Some people even bring airbrushes and customizing supplies and will repair models on the spot!

The next big thing that happens is the Swap Meet. This is an official Breyer event that happens Friday evening at 7:30. However, if  you want to get in early, you need to line up early! I plan to be in line by 6:00.

In the Swap Meet you can also find pretty much anything! Breyer also sets up a table that has all the Breyerfest models on it so you can see them, as well as sneak peaks at collector's club models! 

Last is the Artisans Gallery. This is where customizers, tack makers, and sculptures set up tables to sell what the make. This part of the Clarion is generally much more expensive, but it's great to look at even if you can't but things!

And that's in for the CHIN! Breyerfest is so, so close! I leave in like 18 days! Would anyone like to see specific topics? Comment below!

-Emma

Breyerfest 101: Staying Organized

Hey! It's Emma here for another Breyerfest 101 post! Today we'll be talking about staying organized before, during, and after Breyerfest. I've always been a very organized and obsessive planner, so it isn't hard for me to come up with ways to plan, but for some people it's a bit more difficult.

Today I'll provide you with some examples on staying organized. I know from stories from other people that it is very important.

The first, and most important thing, is to make your schedule ahead of time. To make mine I just create a table in Pages, but I'm sure it would be the same in any other word processor!

(I know I mentioned this in the Food And Schedules post but thought I'd go into more detail.)

First I create a table with three columns. One has the time, one has the thing I am going to do, and one has extra space to type in notes. For example, if you have a special run time, you could put the models you want to buy in the notes.

I also fill in the times at this point. I do it in advances of 15 minutes, but it really doesn't matter. My schedule is going to be pretty tight, so I wanted to have things more exact. If you aren't doing a lot, you could time slots of 30 minutes or even every hour.

Next I start to fill in all the time slots! At this point, since we don't have the official schedule, you just put in the main things you want to do. Once the program comes out you can add in any show times or events you want. Here's a portion of my Friday schedule...

(enjoy my witty comments on the NPOD...)

Basically, just do the same thing for all three days. Take the schedule for that day to the park with you so you always know where you are gonna be!

Your non-hobby traveling companions will also appreciate this. My mom likes to know what we are doing each day so she knows what's going on and when she can sit and hang out. 

It's also nice to involve non hobbyists coming with you with making your schedule. There's not much they can do about your Special Run times and whatnot, but when the program comes out let them pick a few things to do. My mom really likes meeting the real horses and watching the shows, so she gets to pick out a couple to go watch!

Overall your schedule is very, very important. If you don't plan ahead of time you might miss the things you wanted to see, and that's no fun.

The next thing isn't as important but it helps me keep track of models I've bought.

First I create another table with 4 columns as shown. Make where you would type it (pro table terminology here) larger then you normally would, as you'll be writing in this by hand as you buy things, and you'll need room. Especially if your handwriting is messy like mine!

Next, just add the amount of slots you think you will need.

I did a total of twenty slots. I probably won't need that many, but just in case!

The last thing is to make a wish list! This is very self explanatory. One one side of my wishlist I have the random models I want. On the other I have the official Breyerfest models I want. I also have the max price I will pay for it. Of course I'll try and haggle down a bit, but I wouldn't be upset paying these prices!

For the special runs if the price is over $65, I might not buy them. But who knows!

Having a wishlist is great for your non hobby travelers, too! If you are shopping with them, they can point out a horse you want if they see it. If you are going with hobby friends this is good too, because then you know to look out for each other's horses.

I have seen people in the Clarion with there wishlist taped to the back of their shirt so people can let them know if they have something they want. If you do this, be sure to take the prices off! If you don't, someone might see that you would pay $30, even if the model they are selling is priced at $15.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you can take some of these tips and use them!

-Emma

Breyerfest 101: The Ninja Pit Of Death

Hello again! Emma here! To celebrate 101 days until Breyerfest, we have a guest post by the amazing Rachel Alford-Salyers! Rachel runs the biggest Breyerfest group on Facebook,  Road To Breyerfest! If you are on Facebook and going to Breyerfest; or just want to keep up with the news, I highly recommend this group! :D

None of us have done the NPOD, but I've done the Saturday store. It's similar, but not as crazy by far.

Anyway, onto the post! 

The Ninja Pit Of Death or NPOD

The setting is Thursday evening at the Kentucky Horse Park. The scene before you is a line that is already forming at the Rolex gate and you have no idea why they are there. 

The line for the Breyer Store and the Pop Up tent is called the NPOD and is not for the faint of heart. It starts on Thursday afternoon, people start standing in line already. The line grows over the night and through the morning, more and more people gathering for the opening of Breyerfest on Friday morning.

The line in 2014.

Two years ago, Breyer tried to stop this and began handing out numbers, but this has not stopped the line forming. The numbers are 1-350 and are given to those for the Breyer Store and the Pop Up Tent, numbers for each store on color coded laminated pieces of paper. The line still forms and gets longer each year. 

An example of a number. Photo used with permission from Angela Dimmick.

Last year, Breyer tried to stop NPOD and said that they will put out the warehouse finds and extras throughout the day. But this has not stopped the liver from forming yet. Rumor has it that this year, the Horse Park is not allowing the line, but I will be checking into this closer to the event. 

Be prepared for pushing, shoving, and generally cranky people, if you do the NPOD. There has been fights, people being crushed, and theft. Mounted Police often patrol the line. But the experience is one of a kind. Black Friday has nothing on the NPOD, but you can get some amazing products!

Mounted police! Another photo from Angela Dimmick.

Now just for fun, let's look at some awesome finds from the NPOD!

Courtney Kinz found an awesome wedgwood Lady Phase!

Used with permission from Courtney Kinz.

Not all of this photo are from the NPOD, but these are... 

Isabella-possible test from Vintage Club
Buford Bull-Very nice! Possible Test or Sample
Athos-Possible Test or Sample, no stain! No box!  
Moon Pie-BEB SM
WidowMaker-Possible Test or Sample!

Used with permission from Chelsea Marie.

Thank you so much for the awesome post, Rachel, and thank you to the wonderful people on Facebook for allowing me to use your photos!

-Emma

Breyerfest 101: Food And Schedules

Hi everyone! It's Emma again! I can't believe it: Breyerfest is only about 100 days away! As it continues to get closer, I will be doing more and more or the Breyerfest 101 series. Today we'll be talking about food and making a schedule!

Tip One: Make a Schedule

Making a schedule is extremely important and helps you remember what you want to do. I personally make my schedule in 15 minute blocks. Shown below is one I made for an example.

Using a schedule can help you remember things that are going on and keep organized. If you don't pay attention, you could miss your Special Run time!

Tip Two: Food

Many people forget about what they are going to do to eat during Breyerfest. It's really something you should plan for. With this, you have a few options...

One is to buy food from the restaurant at the KHP. They serve burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pasta, salad... Typical fast food stuff. The food is better then average and the prices are pretty good. The biggest tip I have is to either eat early or eat late. Last time I was there (2014) we arrived at the restaurant around noon and waited for our food for close to an hour.

Two is to go back to your hotel/campground or go to a restaurant  A friend of mine is staying at the KHP campground and plans to eat almost all her meals at the campground. 

Of course you can bring food in a cooler, but I do not recommend this! You cannot bring any type of large bag, wagon, or cooler into the Breyer Store and will have to drop it off at will call. This doesn't cost anything, but again, it's kinda a hassle!

Thanks for reading! Next time we will have a guest post about the Ninja Pit Of Death! :D 

Breyerfest 101: The Special Run Line

Hey everyone! This is Emma! A lot of people have trouble with understanding the special run line, and have to figure it out when they get there. Then they miss their time, and have to buy them on the secondary market for much more.

Thankfully I did an obnoxious amount of research and made a schedule (keep an eye out for a post on that!) for my first BreyerFest (2013), and everything went great. There aren't very many Breyerfest 101 type things, but the few out there are good. I figured I'd add some!

Up until Breyerfest I'll be doing posts like this. If you have any suggestions comment them down below! :)

OK, let's begin!

Honestly, the special run line is very easy. It's a little bit hard to explain, but hopefully you understand!

When you order a three-day-ticket online (which I highly recommend, you don't want to have to wait in line when you get there!), you'll receive a button, a receipt, and a special run ticket. They'll look something like this.

As you can see, they have a date and time on them. Let's skip over that for now and go over some of the technical things.

On the second to last line of the ticket, you'll see it says no exchanges. That is a lie. Both years I've been to Breyerfest (2013/2014) I've exchanged them. To do so, contact Breyer and explain the situation. They'll give you an address to send it to. Send the ticket and a nice note explaining your situation and what times would work better. Also include a self addressed envelope with a stamp so they can send it back.

I had to exchange my tickets once because it was during the youth show, and once because we were only going to be in Kentucky 2 days. The ticket was for the day we weren't there.

OK! Now onto the actual line!

You should arrive at least 15 minutes before your time, preferably 30.

Everyone will gather under the little special run line tent at this time. It's just outside the Breyer Store, and if you get lost don't hesitate to ask a fellow hobbiest. We are all nice!

At about 5 minutes before the time on your ticket, a Breyer employee will choose someone to pull a number out of a jar.

You can't see it on my photo, but every ticket will have a number on it. 

After the number is chosen, the employee will hand out wooden paddles with every ten numbers on them. 10, 20, 30, 40 for example. If they called number 10, number 26th would be number 16 in line. If you were number 9 though... You'd be last. 

If you are close to the end of the line, you can go to the front and ask people if they plan to get two horses or one. If they only want one, you can ask them to pick up the one you want and you'll pay them after. However, each ticket is only good for 2 different models. So you can only get one Surprise Horse and one other, but not two Surprise Horses or two other horses.

I felt like this needs more photos, so here's one of the foal from the 2013 mare and foal special run set! :)

Anyway, after you are all in the correct order, the employee will lead you into an alley beside the Breyer store. Several long black tables will be set up; each with an out-of-package version (except the surprise horse. More on that later!) of the special run model on it for display. When you get up to the one you like, just ask for one and it'll be handed to you in bubble wrap.

If they run out of that horse, the model will not be on the table.

A little farther up the line, you'll check out. They take most major credit cards and cash. After that, you'll funnel out into a clearing where you can unwrap the models you wish or go to the next thing!

It isn't uncommon for people who weren't in the line to be standing there waiting to see what the horses look like it person. In the case you get a rare model, people may come up asking to buy it!

That's all for this post, hope you liked it! Ask any questions you have below and I'll gladly answer them!