Bootmaker Round-Up 2006

The 18th Annual Boot & Saddlemakers Trade Show Round Up will be held October 6-7, 2006 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

I look forward to the Round Up every year.

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.

• Show Photos (2000, and 1998)
• 2005 Cowboy Boot Contest Winners

For more information visit www.bootandsaddlemakertradeshow.com. To pre-register contact Kathy Kimmel at kimmels@comanchetx.com, or (325) 356-3197.

(Bootmakers will want to keep their eye on the customcowboybootsandshoesforum.com for more updates and photos.)

Here's some 2005 photos:

Thirty-two saddles were entered in this year's contest.

Boots by Brian Thomas (Abilene, TX)

Cowboy boots on display. Photo by Carrlyn Miller.

Bootmaker Duck Menzies (Temple, TX)

Jeff Farmer from Sun City Leather (El Paso,TX)

Video of Custom Bootmaker Paul Bond

Keep your eye on the Paul Bond Boot Company website. Even though the gallery of cowboy boot styles isn't online yet... it's worth a visit just to see the video of Mr. Bond.

Rumor has it, the legendary Paul Bond printed-on-paper catalog is also going through some "big" changes...stay tuned.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pop Goes the Cowboy!

I'm back from El Paso. It was a quick trip, just long enough to sort through a big pile of cowboy boots from Liberty Boot Company ...and then drive across town to shake hands with Pedro Muñoz (Stallion Boot Company).

That was it.

Time was of the essence... Marty and I needed to get those cowboy boots photographed and shipped to Portland, Oregon by next week... Because on February 25, 2006, these rockin' boots are starring in Desperado's special event "Pop Goes the Cowboy."

It's an event like no other... see the latest handmade Liberty boots alongside Ed Adler's pop art cowboy paintings. Bootmaker Tony Benattar's band, the Cameron Family Singers, will be providing the eveining's soundtrack. More than 60 boot styles features, one night only... don't miss it.

This is a free event, but you'll need to call Desparado for your map to the hide-out (503) 294-2952.

(Visit Liberty Boot Company's website to hear a few of the band's greatest hits, and even see a short video of 2004's bash.)

El Paso is all about cowboy boots

...even the litter you find on the ground.

On my way to El Paso

I've been bounty-huntin' cowboy boots for my book. The response has been overwhelming...really, my cel phone and e-mail are busting their seams.

Tomorrow morning I head to El Paso ...and meet up with photographer Marty Snortum. Marty's has more then 20 years experience photographing cowboy boots...much of the big boot companies' print ads and catalogs in the 1980's (Tony Lama, Justin, Larry Mahan) were shot by Marty. My book is in good hands.

Marty's already shot a few Tres Outlaw pairs that made it across town...but this week is the first of our big photo-shoots (or is that "photo-boots?").

...gotta go, I've got some more phone calls to make.

(Marty's logo boots were custom made by Rocketbuster Boots.)