A Year In Review

  2019, what can I say?  This year has been full of ups and downs in the model horse world as well as my own personal life.  This year has also shown me that the model horse hobby is competitive and yet strange at the same time. But, of course, this was all foreshadowed by what happened during Breyerfest. 

Breyerfest 2019 was a crazy year.  It was an anniversary year so that meant more variations than we knew what to do with! It also meant that people went crazy for some reason. Leading up to Breyerfest, I did all of my normal videos and tutorials, but for some reason, the special run line and the model handout seemed to create stress from the very beginning.  I tried my hardest to explain it all.  I got the exact wording from Breyer to help explain it.  I did videos where I showed people how to read their tickets and so on. But once at Breyerfest, the very first Special Run Line showed that something was very wrong. I don't know where I went wrong or where anyone else went wrong.  There was stories of money theft in the line.  There were stories of fake tickets. Stories of models selling out until there was no models left at all.  But in the end, I did get the correct information and I helped as many people as I could.  The models NEVER did sell out, only the ones that people were desperate for and had to have.  The money theft was reported to the police, but no one got to hear the result of what happened.  And as for the fake tickets? Who knows?! But it was indeed one crazy adventure.  And that was only ONE DAY!

I offered to sell lanyards this year at an unbelievable price.  The price was literally $2.50 per person if you picked them up at Breyerfest, but I would NEED to add shipping, if you needed them shipped and shipping would not be discounted.  While many bought them, many did NOT pick them up and I ended up waiting at various places during Breyerfest to hand out these lanyards.  I got heat stroke, I won't lie, and I was very frustrated because many who said that they would be there, never showed up.  While I understand that this weekend is one that will overwhelm even the most hardened veteran, I did my end of the deal and I waited and waited.  But, in the end, some did get picked up and those that got theirs, were very happy them.  Would I like to do this again? Yes, however I will NOT be charging the extremely discounted price and shipping will still be additional.  I hate to even think like that, but sadly I am a stay at home mom and I do not get paid for doing anything for Road To Breyerfest since it is a vision of my own design. But again, I do this because I love helping people to get to Breyerfest.

The models released for Breyerfest and just normally were amazing and I wished that I could have bought every single one of them.  I was not able to complete my own conga and have given up on it, however I did keep another one complete.  Will my collecting goals change for next year? Likely not since I enjoy what I am collecting and looking at daily.  Will my goals for Road To Breyerfest change for 2020? Yes and I have already started making the changes that are coming.  The biggest one is that I am only focusing on Breyerfest this year and not Stone as much.  Going to two events and then not being able to actually document the Stone Dinner was too much this year so I have decided that it was time to go back to my roots of Breyerfest only.  I was approached at Breyerfest and asked if I worked for either company and I am asked that almost daily, however the answer will always remain the same.  No, I do not. I am merely here as a fan site and group in order to provide information that is normally not easy to get. I am just someone who loves the event and someone who does not want people to be as confused as she was during her first three times. 

So with all that craziness being said, I am signing off for the last time in 2019 and will return in 2020 with ticket information since tickets go on sale January 2nd.

Changes Coming To Breyerfest 2020

 Today we will be discussing the new changes to Breyerfest and what it means to you. Our last post focused on just the type of tickets that you are able to purchase for Breyerfest. We will be reviewing that at the end of the new stuff in this video as well. As always, your questions are completely welcome here on the video as well as on the group wall since we are here to help you plan your Breyerfest Adventure.

The first of the changes that I want to go over is the Model Pickup location. The Celebration Model and the Stablemate Models will all be at the same location this year. This will be in the Parking Lot behind the Pop Up Tent near the Covered Arena. It will definitely be marked on the program. The models are available all weekend long, so please remember that you do not have to wait in a long line to get the models. If you have a ticket, you are guaranteed a model. I strongly urge you to read the letter that will come with your Single Day Stablemate tickets however as when the line is long, Breyer reserves the right to use a Gambler’s Choice type pick for those models unless you are wanting a full set.

The Workshops are next on our changes and this is a really nice change. This year, 2020, the Workshops will be in the Annex Ring inside of a large and air conditioned tent. This tent will have flooring as well to help reduce the dust that is there.

There will be plenty more Help Desks around the park this year. Besides the Breyerfest Ambassadors and Road To Breyerfest, the Help Desks are some of the best places to get your information on where things are located or if you just need more information on the hobby. The locations will be The Celebration Park, The Covered Arena, The Special Run Tent, and the Altech Arena.

The Hands On Hobby booth will now include the Diorama Contest and there you will be able to not only check out the amazing entries in the diorama contest, but you will be able to talk to some awesome ladies about different aspects of the model horse hobby, such as customizing and painting.

The Saturday Raffle for 2020 will stay the same, being called at 4:30pm in the Covered Arena. However, the Sunday one will be different for 2020. There has been an addition of one more Special Run ticket time at 2:00pm so the raffle will be pushed back until3:30pm so that everyone has a chance to get to the Covered Arena for the raffle to be called.

The last change for this video will be that there will be no Costume Contest. Breyer has decided that they need to find a better way to showcase the amazing talents of those that wish to participate in the Costume Contest so this year, it is being shelved for now in order to find that better way. However, they glossy models will still be available through a raffle type event as you enter the Celebration Of Horses Evening Event on Friday or Saturday night. You will receive a ticket at the door and from there a few lucky winners will receive a glossy Celebration Horse. This makes it fair for everyone while Breyer is plotting to spotlight the costumes once more!

2020 Road To Breyerfest Goals!

Hello Roadies! In honor of Breyer’s70th anniversary of making amazing models, we are going back to our own roots! Breyerfest time comes around once a year and new and veteran collectors alike rejoice. Young children drag patient parents to the Kentucky Horse Park to see real and plastic horses. Veteran attendees flock to the park to scour the Covered Arena for deals, to get the latest releases, hope to win or buy a one of a kind model, and find their Holy Grail at Breyerfest After Dark at the Clarion Hotel.

Created in 2013, Road To Breyerfest is your one stop source of information on the ins and outs of Breyerfest. Whether you are a first time attendee with an overly excited child in tow, a hobbyist attending for the first time, or a seasoned veteran, Road To Breyerfest has information to help you plan your adventure and help you get the absolute most out of the event. Our positive community allows you a safe place to ask questions about the event, share your plastic pony collection, and see what will be released all year long.

Road To Breyerfest offers all access to special files written from both personal experience and information released from Breyer. We also offer on site help at Breyerfest for those that need to know where something is located or even just pointed in the right direction to see the horses that inspire the models. But our services do not end there! We have an annual meet and greet before the event so hobbyists can come together and talk about what they love most- Horses! We also provide Live Videos on our Facebook Group for those that are not about to attend Breyerfest in person. Our virtual Breyerfest experience offers views from all aspects of the event.

So whether you are a parent, a hobbyist, horse lover, or just want to learn more about Breyerfest, Road To Breyerfest offers something for everyone.

As we go back to our roots, we are shifting a portion of our focus to the event that draws the most attention- Breyerfest. Over the past few years, we have extended our reach to include several model horse companies and what they have to offer during this amazing weekend in July. Personal events have reared their head and Road To Breyerfest needed to take a step back after Breyerfest 2019 and focus on what we were originally. But never fear, we are in no danger of leaving! Just a nice throwback to the roots of the model horse hobby that is coming at the absolute perfect time.

We are also refocusing what we do at the event itself, We want to provide you with best Breyerfest adventure that we can provide. Last year had some hiccups, but we were able to overcome them quickly and provided information all weekend long. In 2020, we will be placing a text only phone number on the group for members that need immediate assistance and asking those that have general questions to message the Road To Breyerfest Facebook Page and a member of our amazing admin team will answer it when the time allows, usually a very short wait since we try to always be available. In 2020, we are only organizing the annual meet and greet lunch on Thursday before Breyerfest. However, we will help sponsor a meet and greet, if a member wishes to hold one. For more information on having Road To Breyerfest sponsor a meet and greet, please message the Road To Breyerfest page.

This is all only just a few of the awesome things coming to Road To Breyerfest for 2020 and hopefully many more years after that! We also hope that you recommend us to others while planning your adventures! Our mascot, Aria, is looking forward to a small announcement of her own later in the New Year. Road To Breyerfest has had a mascot since 2014, but last year, it was decided that a Breyerfest Single Day Stablemate would be a permanent addition to Road To Breyerfest so look for our little palomino pinto Warmblood as she plans her very first Breyerfest adventure as just a fun little thing to help members plan their own adventure. Her photos will be loaded into a special album on the Road To Breyerfest Group to help keep them all in one place.

Thank you all for being members of Road To Breyerfest and we look forward to seeing your adventure unfold or just have you join our virtual Breyerfest experience and community! 

2020 Breyerfest Ticket Information

Roadies, welcome to Road To Breyerfest! This video is here to help you start your Breyerfest adventure at the beginning and that is tickets! What do you need? What is the best deal for your money? Questions like that must float through your mind once you make the decision to go to Breyerfest. But even those that have been going for years know that this adventure planning is one that needs to be done almost a year in advance, but no worries, you are getting started at the perfect time!

Tickets have not gone on sale yet and will not be on sale until January 2^nd, per the Just About Horses magazine that is free for Collector Club members. On that day, Early Bird Three Day Tickets will be available for purchase, but keep in mind that Single Day Tickets will not be released until May, if those are the tickets that you are looking for instead of the three day tickets. Collector Club members will get a small discount when purchasing three day tickets, but you do not need to be a Collector Club member to purchase Early Bird Tickets. Also note that if you purchase Early Bird Tickets, you are entered into the raffle for the Early Bird Model, a special model that usually has only 3 of them made just for this raffle.

Ticket prices are currently based on 2019 and will be regarded as correct until otherwise noted. Collector Club Early Bird Three Day tickets were $85 for adult tickets and $65 for child tickets. I will go into the differences in a moment. For those looking to purchase tickets that are not Collector Club members, the prices are $87.50 for adults and $67.50 for children. The Early Bird pricing is good from January until April 15^th, usually. Then the normal pricing takes over and that will be $95 for adult Collector Club tickets and $67 for children Collector Club tickets and $97.50 for adult three day tickets and $72 for children three day tickets.

But what is all included in the three day tickets that you purchase early? There is a lot that you are able to get access to once you have the three day tickets. You will get a Traditional sized model of the Celebration Horse. In 2020, the Celebration Horse is the Irish Sport Horse Ballynoe Castle. You also get one ticket to the Special Run line, ability to purchase a discounted parking pass, entrance to the Celebration of Horses Evening Performance on either Friday or Saturday night, access to participate in the Live Auction, the ability to participate in the diorama contest, the ability to enter the costume contest, access to the workshops, access to the Live Shows, and access to the entire Kentucky Horse Park for the weekend. The parking pass is a reduced price, usually around $13 and allows you to leave and enter the park without needing to pay every time. The Special Run ticket allows you to purchase up to two special runs, but we will have more on this in the new year as we grow closer to the main event. The Celebration Of Horses Evening Performance is an event that surely should not be missed! It showcases some of the best talent around and is sure to have something to delight everyone. The three day ticket is a wonderful deal, even if you do not plan on being there all three days.

That brings us to the Single Day Tickets that are released in May. While you have to wait for them, there is no separate price for Collector Club and those that are not in the Club. The price for 2019 was $17 in advance and $20 at the gate. These tickets are perfect if you are just in the area for one day or just need to not be overwhelmed by all that is Breyerfest. With the Single Day Tickets, you will receive a Single Day Stablemate rather than the Celebration Model and this Stablemate is one of usually four different models that will be available all weekend long. There will be more on how to get your Single Day Stablemate later in the new year. The Single Day Tickets allow you access to the Kentucky Horse Park and Breyerfest, however if you want to go to the Celebration of Horses evening performance, you will need to upgrade your ticket at the time of purchase. This upgrade is just a ticket purchase to the performance and not a whole upgrade to a three day ticket. The Single Day ticket holders do still have access to purchase the discounted parking pass, but they do not receive the Special Run ticket or the ability to enter the Costume Contest or the Live Shows.

However you plan your Breyerfest adventure, there is a ticket just for you. Questions about the tickets are always welcome here in the Live Video and of course on the wall of the group at all times. We will have a few more discussions about the tickets before they go on sale so that we can make sure to be able to answer all of your questions before you log into Breyer’s website and push the purchase now button!