Denton revvs up for the annual Arts, Antiques & Autos
im Beck runs his hand over the hood of son Jimmy’s 1968 Mustang fastback. The car is so shiny the afternoon sun bounces off the hood. As Jim’s fingers move from the vibrant red of the car body to the white racing stripes running down the center, he smiles. Seamless. Perfect.
God, he loves this car. He loves everything about it, from the paint job to the original black interior and the 351 Windsor engine with a Ford 9-inch rear end. He bought it when son Jimmy was just 7. Jimmy, now 18, is in his first year of college and Dad has spent nearly as much on the car as he will on his son’s education. It was worth it, he says, because the red Mustang is a winner. Literally. It won first prize in the Mustang/Camaro peer-judged competition at Denton’s annual Arts, Antiques & Autos show in 2008. And Jim and Jimmy aim to win again.
This year is the 10th anniversary of the Arts, Antiques & Autos show in downtown Denton. The Denton Main Street Association came up with the idea of adding cars after The History Channel came to town for its “Great Race” in 1999. Though the cameras and cars breezed through in under 30 minutes, the sight of all those classic autos—in front of the city’s classic buildings—sparked a plan to highlight Denton’s architectural treasures downtown. “In that 20 to 30 minutes, there had to have been over a thousand people that just came to see these cars. And we thought, ‘Oh my gosh!’” says event organizer Christine Gossett. And that’s how cars joined the festival’s antiques and arts in a new celebration of the city’s past and present.
Every year, the event—sponsored by the Denton Main Street Association—draws more and more antique aficionados eager to share car stories, to have an heirloom evaluated or to buy a piece of locally made art. The 2009 show is expected to draw anywhere from 6,000 to 7,000 people—including more than 200 owners of classic cars and motorcycles. They drive in from north Texas and east Texas, even southern Oklahoma, and line up along the Square in downtown Denton, pop open the hoods of their cars, and chat with each other about the trials of car restoration and times gone by. On the Square, artists sell one-of-a-kind pieces. (Birdfeeders made out of teapots, anyone?) Meanwhile, inside the famous Denton Courthouse, antique experts eyeball treasures that families dig out of their attics, like a metal toy from before the ’60s (when they began making toys of plastic), or a 100-year-old doll.
Arts, Antiques & Autos is, at its heart, a show that exemplifies the best of Denton—past and present—and brings families together. It’s about nostalgia for a time when things were made with care. “You’ll see generations of a family together at the event and there’s always someone in the older generation telling a story,” Christine says with a smile. “That makes my heart feel good, that these families can come out and share memories and time together on the Square in downtown and just have a fun day.”
Hundreds of families come to have their antiques and small collectibles appraised at the “Attic Treasures” part of the show, though the valuations are not official. “It’s always fun to be able to tell somebody, ‘Oh, this is worth about $300.’ They didn’t know it was worth anything!” says Suzanne Tipton who runs an antique shop, County Seat Antiques, on the Square. Not everyone has a painting of the pilot Amelia Earhart or an autographed baseball, of course. There are duds, too. “It’s kind of sad when you have to tell somebody it’s a reproduction, you know? You kind of have to say it as gently as you can,” says Suzanne. The appraisals can range anywhere from $25 to $2,500, she says.
The best antiques come with a story. Suzanne says she bought a pitcher dating back to the early 1800s for her own collection. Inside was a note telling the story of a young couple in love kept apart by the girl’s parents. The boy swam across a frigid river to find his lover and they ran away together. Two weeks later, the boy died of pneumonia. “Sad story,” says Suzanne wistfully. But a good buy. “A lady bought the pitcher just because of the note,” she says. The festival usually has at least four appraisers on hand.
Each activity at the daylong festival appeals to a different crowd. Each year, more and more games are added for the kids. The latest: a downhill miniature racing track for cars. For those not interested in classic cars or games, there is shopping to do. Though there is no longer a juried show, artists and crafters turn out with custom jewelry, bags and various artwork. Artists for Arts, Antiques & Autos are carefully selected by the Denton Main Street Association. “We try to keep the portion of the fine arts and crafts really unique, where vendors are showing items that are hand-crafted by them and use different kinds of materials,” says Christine.
The classic cars are, however, the main draw. Before Interstate 35 and the mall, the Square was Denton’s central meeting place. Highway 77, the main artery north and south through the central United States, still runs through downtown. “There’s something about cars that takes people back to a time in their life that you can’t re-live, but that is a memory in your head forever, kind of like a song. You know you might see a car and go, ‘I drove a car like that’ or ‘My first car was this.’ And it always takes you back to that age or that time and you feel young again. It’s like it was yesterday. I think that’s what makes the event so fun for families,” Christine says. At the end of the day, all the work that goes into the cars and motorcycles pays off at the awards ceremony. There are first, second and third places for several categories: pre-’50s to ’80s and newer, import, special interest, street rod and others. The motorcycles have seven categories including British and several just for Harley Davidsons. Then, of course, the coveted Best of Show and President’s Choice awards.
As Jim finishes listing the features of his son’s Mustang, Jimmy listens to his dad talk about the way things were. Jimmy wasn’t around for the ’60s like his dad was, but he loves his Mustang all the same. It’s over 40 years old, and they’ve had a full “rotisserie” build done: restoring the underneath of the car, improving everything from the wheel wells to the wiring and the rubber grommets. They spent over $45,000 for it and it’s been appraised at $70,000.
Tell him he has a beautiful car and Jimmy will say thanks and give you a proud smile. He knows. Now if they can just win again this year.
by rebecca hoeffner