Arts, Antiques, Auto Extravaganza roles into Denton : North Texas ...

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Nadia Hill / Senior Staff Writer

Ambling along South Locust Street, several repair garages display restored vintage cars. Further up the street and into the Square, the mini-mall and antique shops separate small art galleries and coffee houses.

A small-town feel mixes with two vibrant universities to produce Denton?s signature vibe of history and art.

This feeling is embodied in the annual Arts, Antiques and Autos Extravaganza, taking place tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Square.

Now in its 13th year, the festival, hosted by Denton Main Street Association, celebrates Denton?s history and evolving art scene.

The event, which is expected to bring between 7,000 and 8,000 visitors to downtown, will feature attractions such as a coloring contest for kids, an auto show for car enthusiasts, business vendors and artwork displays as well as the event?s first-ever art contest.

?This is our showcase event for downtown,? Main Street Event Coordinator Christine Gossett said. ?It brings people together in a neighborly setting to have a nice day downtown and then support our university community.?

History
The idea for the festival developed after the History Channel came through Denton in 1999 as part of their ?Pit Stop? show and brought hundreds of classic cars through the Square.

?Thousands of residents came out for 15 minutes just to see these cars,? Gossett said. ?The town looked nostalgic and cool. It let us take a picture of downtown, and we brought it to life in this vibrant community place.?

With cars parked by 9 a.m. and vendors ready at their booths, visitors will have a chance to stroll through the Square and vote for their favorite antique car, discuss artwork and have their family heirlooms appraised at local antique shops.

The event started as a way to get people downtown, Gossett said.

?The idea was to feature what downtown has,? she said. ?Autos add to days of downtown past, and custom hot rods take you back in time. There are new art galleries, and those and the antique shops are always here.?

It costs between $9,000 and $12,000 to produce the event, which is funded by local business sponsors.

Denton Main Street relies on 30 volunteers per three-hour shift to man booths and keep the event running smoothly.

?Finding volunteers is our biggest challenge,? Gossett said. ?Luckily, Denton is a volunteer-oriented community, and we support all community events, but very few of us are paid staff. We are a growing community with lots to do and lots of choices.?

Arts
Three envelopes were stacked on Robin Huttash?s counter ? one orange, another manila, the other white and glossy. The envelopes were full of pictures and belonged to the three artists who submitted work for the very first Arts, Antiques and Autos art contest.

The contest was open to all Denton residents, including students, and Huttash, owner of A Creative Art STUDIO, collected the submissions.

While all artwork was accepted, the three artists who entered ? Lily Mirsky, Gabrielle Ethington and Isabel Cano ? were photographers.
Gossett said the small amount of time given to artists was the reason for so few entries.

Cano, a UNT alumna, immigrated to the United States in 1975 and worked as a graphic designer in Dallas for five years before moving to Denton, where she says it was love at first sight.

?What?drove me to want to participate?was my love for Denton and being able to share this feeling with the people that would look at the pieces,? Cano said. ?It sounds very cheesy, but it is true. I entered because I am familiar with the festival from previous years and wanted to participate and contribute in some way to the spirit of Denton.?

One of her pieces, a picture of a bumper sticker on a car that says ?I Heart Denton,? was produced for the Denton Camera Club.
Her other piece is a shot of her truck and smart car in front of the courthouse. She said it took her about a week after hearing about the contest to submit her pieces.

?The role of the art competition, introduced this year, is very important, because it represents?the present?creative energy that exists in Denton,? Cano said. ?In my mind, the arts, antiques and autos are related in that they all hold the spirit of?the?country, that of?Texas and then that of Denton simultaneously.?

Antiques
In a similar fashion to ?Antiques Roadshow,? three Denton antique and jewelry shops will host visitors curious about ?Attic Treasure,? Denton Main Street?s term for the oddities and historical belongings often hidden away in boxes somewhere.

?Everybody thinks their stuff is worth a million dollars,? W. Douglas Antiques co-owner Shirley Carrigan said. ?It?s tricky because everything has value, but it?s relative.?

County Seat Antiques and Amyx Fine Jewelry, along with W. Douglas Antiques, will analyze and determine the monetary value of hundreds of items brought into their stores.

Carrigan?s shop, which specializes in clocks, has been part of the extravaganza for six years and has seen items ranging from glass Coke bottles to valuable family heirlooms.

?It?s an investment, buying an antique,? Carrigan said. ?You seldom lose money, and it?s an heirloom. Autos are antiques, too. Maybe two out of 10 items are exceptional, but it?s all relative.?

Visitors can purchase a $5 appraisal ticket at the event to bring into the shop and have their items appraised.

Autos
Gene?s Garage, with a gravel driveway and barnlike workspace, employs one of Denton?s prominent vintage car restorers, Brian Hughes.

Hughes will be showing his 1969 red and white Chevrolet pickup in this year?s extravaganza, his fifth year participating in the event. He was a judge in 2010 and 2011 and has now returned to restoring automobiles.

?This truck has original Denton glass on it from the ?50s or ?60s,? Hughes said. ?I traded my driving, air-conditioned Ford pickup for this thing that wouldn?t even start. But I was looking for a project and something with history.?

A car show veteran, Hughes went to every show in the DFW metroplex in the ?80s and ?90s and won awards for a ?68 Camaro and ?64 Cadillac de Ville.

?Now there are less people that do it, but I just haven?t grown up,? Hughes said. ?These cars are art on wheels, between the paint scheme, interiors ? it?s rolling art.?

Source: http://www.ntdaily.com/?p=68072

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