Oklahoma State FFA Convention

We just finished working the Oklahoma FFA Convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  What a wonderful group of young people to work with.  If you have never experienced a gathering of several hundred or maybe even thousands of youth in one area for a weekend, you may not relate to this.  But it can be a harrowing experience.   However, when you are dealing with the youth of the Future Farmers of America it is a totally different environment.  These young people are truly a delight – patient, polite, inquisitive and very sharp.  Over the years I have been truly amazed as I have watched them come to the stock shows with their animals and dreams and sometimes leave with high honors and awards – sometimes to go home and try, try again.  I have watched them grow up and marry and then come back with their kids to the same show.  The kids show their animals and learn the same tough life experiences that their parents learned.   Over the years, one thing has remained constant, THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE A DELIGHT TO WORK WITH AND FOR!!  I wouldn’t trade the experience for any other I have had over the years.

Craig Kime is actually the Wire Artist that ran the show in Oklahoma City, as he runs most of our trade shows these days.  It is our practice, since I write the blogs and report on the show, that he and I talk frequently about the experiences from day to day.  One of the things that we discussed this time was how many of the items in our show cases were created by the FFA students.

Jim was the first of us to work the stock show and rodeo market back in 1969.  He had a small location at the Houston Livestock Show and at that time the FFA kids were actually housed on the show grounds.  The blue coats were all over the place from daylight (time to tend the animals) to dark.   He remember a million questions and a million ideas from these kids.  The conversations would usually start out with” Hey Mister, could you make ‘this’ for me, or I would really like to put my name on my hat, can you do that?”  “How ’bout in a rope?”  Well, as any of you that know Jim know, his reply was always, “I don’t know but I ‘ll sure try!”  As a result our product line has grown from one humble style of pin (which we still sell) to the massive display you see today at the shows we attend.  We now have name pins, hat pins, rings, bracelets, pendants, brand jewelry along with several gemstone items.  And that is not a complete list.   There is no way I can count all of the items that the youth have designed over the 45 years plus that we have been working with this group, but it is a lot!!!

I have said all of that to say this,

WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE ALL THE FFA KIDS OUT THERE – YOUNG AND OLD – WE KNOW WHAT YOU STAND FOR AND IT SHOWS IN THE WAY YOU PRESENT YOURSELVES.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND KEEP THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE VALUES OF FFA!

Jim & Janyce Thompson

Craig & Kelly Kime

Afton Oklahoma Officers

Exciting New Strategic Partnership with Equinite^TM Gems

While working our Wire  Works Custom Jewelry booth at the Equine Affaire in Columbus last week, Jim and I had the opportunity to meet a talented jeweler named Robert Merkert.  Bob has developed a new type of gem that is very unique and absolutely beautiful.  He has taken the trimming from a horses hoof, cut and polished a small section and created a beautiful gem.  This is quite a feat and we are delighted to announce that we will be offering some of Bob’s gems at our future shows.  Bob and his assistant Debra Adler will be showing some of the gems mounted in our settings at their upcoming shows, as well.

I am very excited to be working with these two talented people and believe that the relationship will be profitable for both businesses.

How Equinite^TM Began

Treasures can be discovered in some unexpected places. Equinite was discovered on the stall floor in a Brandon, Vermont barn.

The farrier came to trim the horse’s hooves. When he was finished, a beam of sunlight illuminated the wet trimmings revealing depth and inner beauty. Equinite was discovered!

Horse hooves are as diverse as horses they are trimmed from. The uniqueness of each hoof results in a one of a kind, handcrafted gem.  Equinite is also a wonderful keepsake from your own horse! Custom created
gems are placed in a 14k gold or sterling silver setting of your choice.

Discover the hidden treasure of Equinite Gems!

Equinite Gem Set in Custom Wire Ring Mounting

www.equinitegems.com

What is Equinite?

Equinite looks like a newly discovered gem stone but it is actually made from the trimmings of a horse hoof. These clippings have been discarded for years by horse lovers and are often seen on the floor in stables and stalls. We have unlocked the inner beauty of this cast off treasure and named it Equinite.

Wire Works Custom Jewelry was once again in attendance at the 2010 San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo – 43 years as a major commercial vendor at one of the worlds largest Rodeos and Livestock Shows.  As always providing fine custom designed wire jewelry, personalized jewelry and wire wrapping to all those who attend.

Jim Thompson started his career as a “Wire Bender” in 1963 at the New York Worlds Fair.  That humble beginning continued at the 1967 Hemisphere in San Antonio, Texas where he worked as a “barker” for the Gay Ninety Saloon.  Jim felt that the Stock Show & Rodeo might provide the customer base he was missing, a niche market that could be developed.  After 40 plus years of working in this market place he has developed a following that is unique in the trade show business.

The concept of allowing your customers and their desires to drive the direction of your business (Mass Customization) was not recognized until  the late ’80′s; however Mr. Thompson’s  unique attitude of “I don’t know if I can , but I’ll sure try” has built  a product line of Custom Wire Jewelry that has grown for one item (our scroll pin) to 100′s of individual and unique items, which include, Hat Pins, Lariat Necklaces,Bull Rider Rope Necklaces and Pins and the very Popular Lariat Cross Necklace as well as the “Mane Name Necklace”.  There are many, many more items and most have been suggested or designed by our wonderful customers.

This year the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo was no exception.  The only difference is that Wire Artist Craig Kime is doing most of the work since Jim is finally finding time to work on the old cars that he loves.  Craig is following in the footprints left by Jim “The Wire Bender” and providing customers with the same personal service that has been the trademark of Wire Works Custom Jewelry and Gold Wire Jewelry since the early ’60′s.  Customers still ask, ” Can you do this? and the reply is always “I don’t know but I will sure give it a try!”

The items you see in our store and at our web site represent only a few of the unique quality items that can be designed “Just For You”.

Don’t hesitate to ask, “Can you do this?”  You just might be amazed at what we can create!

Many of the shows we attend present various awards to the vendors for specific achievements. Prestigious awards such as best display, best utilization of space or best customer service are coveted by those who are receiptants.  This year at the NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW AND RODEO, Wire Artist Craig Kime, manager of our wire jewelry booth was given a new award.  I’ll let Craig tell the ‘Rest of the Story’.

“Let me tell you a short story about my last show, the NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW AND RODEO, in Denver Colorado.

Saturday January 23rd, around four p.m. was one of our busiest times of the day.  The rodeo had just started and Kelly, Donna and myself were swamped with customers.  I looked up in time to see Angie Que, the commercial exhibits manager, and her assistant in front of our booth.  This is not always a good sign!  My first thought was, ‘Oh my gosh, now what have I done’.  They patiently waited until I finished with the customers. When I finally got a break I greeted them and asked ‘What can I do for you ladies today’.  Much to my surprise they proceeded to present me with the BLUE RIBBON for Mr. Congeniality!!!  Later in my conversation with Angie and her assistant I asked, ‘How I was chosen for this prestigious and surprising award’? Their reply was, ‘ We selected you because you have the biggest line of Bull Shit in the whole show!’.

Meet Mr. Congenality

I am quite honored by the award and will do my best to keep the Bull Shit going day by day.”  While I would like to say this would take some effort on my part, it doesn’t.  It’s just one of those natural abilities!”

Just to add a note to this story, I have to say that I have know Craig for a very long time and other than my husband, Jim Thompson, I have never known anyone that could spin a yarn quite like Craig Kime.  It amazes me that either one of them can carry these story’s (based in fact) out  while they design the wire  jewelry items they are well known for.

I personally want to thank the Denver Stock Show Commercial Exhibits manager and her staff for recognizing Craigs unique and well defined talent for stretching a story.

Janyce

Craig Kime Receives Award for Mr Congenality

In November a customer contacted me to request a different spelling for a special necklace.  Of course this was very doable for us and we produced the necklace for her.  After receiving the personalized necklace she sent me a picture of the young lady it was made for and shared the story of their meeting.  I thought it was worth sharing with you.

I’d be glad to tell you…I went to a new (opened June 08) resort in Jamaica in Nov 08.  A young man named Curtis worked as a pool attendant. He was so outgoing. He spoke with us everyday sharing information on Jamaica and personal information about himself and his family.  One day he arranged for a friend of his to take us to a local tourist spot (Appleton Rum) ….and he came along. He showed us more than just that tourist spot.  He showed us the local area and even took us to his house.  His house is concrete block, one room, one bed, counter top stove, small fridge and an old TV, all under a corrugated steel roof.  He was proud of what he had.   His wife had been laid off so money was tight.  His little girl was so frightened of us.

I sent them some gifts for Christmas but didn’t think much more about it.  Curtis wrote the most wonderful letter of thanks and he continues to write to me.  This March we went back (love the resort and got a great deal).  This time he took us to Negril and we treated the family to dinner….a big deal for them.   Last month we rented a villa in the local area so the family could come to visit.  The resort has a NO visitor policy.  Tassia’s birthday was early in the month and she wanted a necklace with her name on it …that’s where you came in!!!  Curtis and the family spent time with us and later in our week of vacation and we shared an early Christmas with the presents I brought.

He and his family have become mine.

Sometimes we don’t realized how blessed we are.  Touching someone’s life with love is the greatest gift we can give to each other.

Share the gift of Love.

Cowboys from all over the United States and Canada descended on Las Vegas in December for the “Super Bowl of Rodeos” — the National Finals Rodeo. This is the premiere event in the PRCA. The NFR featured the top 15 competitors in seven different events: bull riding, bareback riding, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing.

National Finals Rodeo Shopping Heaven

The Cowboy Christmas Gift Show, the longest running and ONLY “Original” gift show of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, returned to Las Vegas with more wares to keep even the most avid shopper entertained all ten days. Conveniently located in the North Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, at Paradise Road and Desert Inn, just one block east of the famous Las Vegas Strip, this year’s show exceeded expectations. Over 300,000 square feet of show floor hosting 400 plus vendors from across the United States and Canada showcased their unique products which include: customized jewelry, western wear, boots and spurs, furniture, original art, handmade crafts and pottery, as well as providing the best source for the Official Wrangler NFR and PRCA merchandise. With free shuttle service from the Cowboy Christmas Gift Show directly to the Thomas & Mack Center for each night’s rodeo performance, what more could you ask for? So plan ahead to 2010 and wear your comfortable boots, as this western-themed shopping experience is like no other!

NFR History

Even though the sport of rodeo has been around almost forever, the National Finals Rodeo, or NFR as it is commonly called, has a much more recent history. The first National Finals Rodeo was held at the Dallas State Fair Grounds in 1959, and since then, the NFR has gone through many interesting changes including a name change in 2001 to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Said to have been the brain-child of South Dakota legend Casey Tibbs, the idea behind the first ever National Finals Rodeo was to bring together the bets rodeo athletes and the toughest livestock in the world. Many now-famous cowboys competed at that first NFR including Tibbs, Jim Shoulders, Jim Bynum, Jack Buschbom and Dean Oliver. No one quite knew what to expect but hoped for the best since this was the first ever world championship of rodeo. The cowboys who entered competed for the first NFR purse of $50,000!

Shoulders, still considered the most successful cowboy ever with 16 world titles, placed in six bull riding rounds in 1959, walking away with the NFR prize money and the world championships. In 1979, Jim Shoulders was honored in the inaugural class of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Placing sixth in the rankings, Tibbs rode in his final saddle bronc riding world championship during that 1959 National Finals Rodeo. Today Tibbs is remembered as the first cowboy to capture the hearts and attention of the media. Tibbs was also inducted into the Hall of Fame, with the additional honor of being depicted in the museum’s signature statue — a 20-footer of Tibbs riding a bronc named Necktie.

Jack Buschbom won in the first round of the 1959 National Finals Rodeo’s bareback riding and continued on to claim the NFR average crown and world title. Twenty years later, he, too, was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

For many years the NFR flourished, spending a few years in Los Angeles and then another 20 years in Oklahoma City. Cowboys still worked toward what became known as “the Last Rodeo,” but the media attention and purses did not really grow until the NFR moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1985. The NFR always appealed to those cowboy athletes as a culmination of that year’s hard work. With the move to Las Vegas, the appeal doubled — in the form of a total of $1.8 million in prize money.

Wire Works and the NFR

Wire Works Custom Jewelry has been a major vendor at the NFR since the early 1970’s when the show was hosted in Oklahoma City. The business has expanded from one location to two separate spots, one on each side of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The traffic is awesome and at times there are so many people that a single booth gets overlooked, so we added the second location about 5 years ago. Our store offers custom and personalized jewelry items including: necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, gemstone pendants and gemstone bracelets. The main stay of the business has always been Custom Cattle and Ranch Brands that are designed on the spot. The prices are affordable and the service in exceptional.

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The Second Annual Women & Horses Expo was held November 6-8, 2009 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, OK. The event is geared towards women involved in the horse industry whether they are first time horse owners, long time horse owners, professional horse women, horse enthusiasts or horse related business owners.

The Women & Horses Expo TM featured educational seminars, workshops and demonstrations with horsewomen in mind. Some of the top horsewomen in the industry spoke and shared their knowledge and expertise in their field. A number of vendors, both local and national, displayed their products and services at the trade show.

Vendors are a vital part of any expo, a fact that Dog and Pony Productions realizes.They created an attractive and functional vendor area that was very inviting and accessible to all who attended the show. There were many gift ideas available and the wire was flowing freely as Jim Thompson of Wire Works Custom Jewelry designed several unique pieces of wearable art for the horsewomen and visitors alike.

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The Tulsa State Fair is over and now it’s off to Indianapolis, IN for the National FFA Convention. An awesome convergence of 50,000 to 70,000 young people from all over the United States will meet to share, learn, grow and check out the wonderful options available for their futures.

Lead Out Loud. It’s more than a theme for these young people. It’s a statement of who they are and what they do. Members served out loud as they engaged in the National Days of Service, group activities and showed their passion as they took part in interactive workshops, thrilling competitions and an action-packed career show. The streets were flooded with blue jackets as students spread excitement for the energetic sessions, and dynamic performances. They spent what spare time they had in the shopping mall looking for the perfect gift to take home to friends and loved ones. Many stopped by our booth and selected unique items and custom made designs from our wire artist. I feel we satisfied the needs for Christmas gifts as well as special tokens of appreciation to those who helped then along the way.

I feel as though these young people and many like them who are now grown and raising their own families are the main reason our business has grown over the years. When we first started working the rodeo and livestock shows it was always the kids in the “Blue Coats” that asked, “Can you make it like this, or would it be possible to add my brand to this style of wire jewelry.” As usual, Jim would always say, “I don’t know but I’ll try.” Their imaginative requests have lead to many of the jewelry designs that are main stays in our booth today.

We sent special thanks and heartfelt hope for the futures of these special young people as they journey to the years ahead.

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A Brief History

Beginning the fourth Thursday after Labor Day, the Tulsa State Fair has annually attracted more than one million visitors and fifteen thousand exhibitors from the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first Tulsa “state fair” was held in 1935, but the

event traces its origin to a number of street fairs held in the 1890s and early 1900s in present the downtown area. In 1913 Tulsa landed the International Dry Farming Congress, which brought agriculturalists from all over North America as well as Europe, South America, China, and the Middle East. A new sixteen-acre exposition grounds, just north of Lewis Avenue and Admiral Boulevard, was opened for the event and a huge exhibit hall, the Kaffir Corn Palace, built.

Two years later the Tulsa Free Fair Association was formed and in 1926 the fair moved to the Fairs current 240-acre location between Louisville and Yale avenues and Fifteenth and Twenty-first streets. J. E. Crosbie, an early Tulsa oilman and real estate developer, donated most of the land. In 1931 a half-million-dollar bond issue financed the construction of the fairgrounds’ landmark art deco Pavilion and other improvements. In 1935 legislation elevated what had been a local free fair to “state fair” status.

Reorganized in 1949, the Tulsa State Fair merged with a spring livestock show a year later to achieve its current configuration. Over the next few years buildings were added and facilities upgraded. Annual attendance reached six hundred thousand in 1958. The 1957 fair was officially named “Oklahoma’s Golden Anniversary Exposition.”

In 1966 the ten-acre International Petroleum Exposition Center, at the time the world’s largest building under a single roof, was completed. For several years the fair was the biggest in the state and one of the largest in the United States. At the beginning of the twenty-first century it remained among the nation’s twelve largest, according to the International Association of Fairs and Expositions.

Our View of the 2009 Tulsa State Fair

This year’s fair was marked by rain and cooler weather but that didn’t seem to slow the attendees down completely. The overall attendance was down but spirits we high and sales were better than many of the summer shows. Hopefully this marks an improvement in the economy and higher revenues to come for the remainder of the year.

As usual, we truly enjoyed the people (attendees) and the other vendors, many that we have known and worked with for our many years on the road. We always look forward to seeing old customers that are now friends and new patrons that have never seen the wearable wire are jewelry that we design and make at the events.

Looking Ahead

After 106 years, families still come to enjoy what has become one of the largest fairs in the country. People travel from all 77 Oklahoma counties to enjoy the food, the rides and the over 800 exhibitors that come from across the United States to show their wares.

What does paying an $8 or $10 gate admission — depending on what time of the week you go — get a fairgoer in 2009? This year, there are concerts each night, which are free with gate admission. Many bands hop onto the Oklahoma stage during the 11-day event, including Everclear on Saturday, Oct. 3 and Shinedown on Oct. 10. One new thing at the Oklahoma stage this year is VIP seating. To sit in these exclusive front row seats or four rows behind means coughing up between $15 and $20, depending on the show. Other concerts this year include Grady Nichols, the Charlie Daniels Band and MercyMe. Amanda Blair, a first-time fair manager, has her eye squarely on the prize for this year.

One of the outside-of-the-box ideas the fair board came up with this year was the Full Moon Dueling Pianos in the Budweiser Beer Garden. Starting at the Full Moon Café, the “Dueling Pianos” are the only rock-and-roll dueling piano act in Tulsa. Pay special attention to the rivalry going on as two of the dueling players are from OU and OSU. This show incorporates tunes that everyone knows. It is a musical, comedy and audience participation act. You get to be a part of it.

Also new this year, were the three new animal exhibits: the Fishing Experience, Cool Dogs and Swifty Swine Racing Pigs.

The racing pigs might be new to the Tulsa State Fair, but not to the performance circuit as they travel all over the country nine months out of the year. Plus, the quick, small pigs have a driving incentive: a delicious Oreo cookie for the winner.

“They live better than I do,” said Zach Johnson, founder of the company. “I don’t get an Oreo every day.” As an added bonus for the internal animal-lover, these pigs still have a home following their racing careers as they’re donated to the 4-H club or FFA organizations, rather than a meat market. “By the time we’ve finished racing with them, they are like family,” Johnson said. “This way, we know they’re taken care of, and we’re giving back to the kids.”

Many of those 4-H and FFA members involve young Tulsans who participate in the fair, too. Several traditions have made their mark in the Tulsa State Fair for more than half a century, some dating as far back as 1903. The livestock show has been a crucial part, where young people have been able to gain experience for one of their true passions. Broken Arrow senior, Samie Gleason, has been a part of the 4-H and FFA programs as well as the Tulsa State Fair since her freshman year. Gleason said she has worked with animals all of her life, starting on her grandparent’s farm when she was young.

“I wake up at 5am every morning to go and feed my animals before school,” Gleason said. “It’s a lot of time and dedication. “Gleason said she has learned responsibility and time management from being involved in the FFA program.

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