On an absolutely beautiful morning in sunny Palm Springs a group of volunteers and friends waited in anticipation for the first vintage trailer to roll into the Hilton Hotel parking lot. One by one, as they started to arrive from California, Nevada, Oregon and Utah, the parking schematic I’d spent hours perfecting started to come to life.
It was an honor to co-produce this years’ Vintage Trailer Show with my friend Christy Eugenis – I focused on recruiting a diverse group of 20 vintage trailer exhibitors while Christy set out to find 10 unique retail vendors. Both of us own vintage trailers – she has a darling Aristocrat while my husband Doug & I are vintage Airstream owners – and we had a BLAST!! I reached out to the TCT, VAC and ROVT clubs, as well as the organizers of the Pismo Beach Vintage Trailer Rally and the publisher of Vintage Camper Trailers in my search for vintage trailers from the late 40’s to the mid-late 60’s and am so thrilled with the results.
This is the fourth year of the show, which is always the last weekend of Modernism Week – an 11-day celebration of mid-century modern design, architecture and culture. Christy took my friend Susan Taylor and I to a few of the Mod Week events – we were astounded by the number of people who were looking forward to the Vintage Trailer Show (it was so fun to be able to tell one aficionado that yes, there would be an Ultravan in the show this year!)
As in previous years, two awards designed by Stevotomic were presented at the Saturday Night celebration: the “Peoples’ Choice Award” – which went to a stunning Airstream Flying Cloud owned by Randy & Anna and the “Best in Modernism Award” – going to Jim & Denny’s pristine Holiday House. To the surprise & delight of the show participants two additional awards, also designed by Stevotomic, were presented as well: the “Best Original Vintage” – most original inside & out, with decorative changes only – went to Glenn & Teresa’s Airstream Ambassador and the “Best Vintage Flair” – most representative of the style, fashion & era of their trailer – went to Alan & Jaysa’s Aladdin Sultans Castle. Thanks Stevo – that was really fun!!!
In addition to the 20 vintage trailer exhibitors, there were three mobile retail vintage trailers; another six retail vendor booths, the Airstream Land Yacht Concept trailer as well as a presence from Airstream Los Angeles.
Thank you Alan & Shari from Bluesteel Airstream Photobooth for sharing your photos from the show: http://www.bluesteelphotobooth.com/modernism-week-vintage-trailer-show-in-palm-springs-event-photos/. More photos, blog posts and media coverage from the event can be found on our Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/VintageTrailerShowModernismWeek2013?fref=ts
A HUGE thank you to each and every trailer owner and retail vendor; to the amazing Mod Week Volunteers; for the support from my friends Jim & Lynda, Clifford & Vanessa and all of our friends from the Airstream community, my co-conspirator Stevo and, most importantly, to Forrest and Terry Bone for their passion for the vintage trailer community. Little did Doug & I know that by purchasing a ’62 Shasta five years ago how it would change our lives unimaginably…and now we can’t imagine a life without the friendships that have come from this love of vintage trailers.
Safe travels & happy camping everyone –
Mona & Doug Heath
