The Spectacle at Roundtop, Texas

It is a good little stretch from the High Desert of Terlingua to the German Hill Country

Only in Texas-- Notice the 'sold' sign

of Roundtop, TX, Population 81. Except the population isn’t exactly 81 for this two weeks in the Fall. We are here for the 43rd Annual Fall Antique Show and the estimates of show attendance gyrate wildly. Some say as little as 50,000 people over the next 2 weeks and some say as many as 300,000. Whatever the number, it is a rude departure from the frontier of Brewster County, West Texas. Miss Kathy is here to replenish her stock of Western Americana items. My role is gopher, package fetcher and dog sitter. You have to have an eye for items of value( I am clueless) and pick the item(s) up with enough room to make a handsome profit. The trick, of course, is to find a seller who does not know what they really have. So far, I have found it involves plenty of walking.

Roundtop street scene

The ‘show’ is too big to be contained in one pavilion or in one location. It stretches several miles along a 2 lane highway. Tents, old German meeting halls, family homes, an old Cadillac dealership and any manner of conveyance or shelter house a treasure trove of antiques and otherwise junk. Since I am not actively engaged in bird dogging the next big find, I get to enjoy the spectacle of the whole deal — replete with County Sheriffs

Mounted Patrol

a-horseback directing traffic and controlling crowds. As usual, the things people spend money on amaze me. Indian blankets for $4500, Concho belts for $26,000. Seriously. From what I can gather, buyers flock here from affluent areas all over the country. Some buyers are purchasing for their own collection or household decoration. Some decorators are purchasing for anticipated sales to high end clients. The Old Girl is ensconced in an area behind one of the show barns. it is a shady, graveled spot with restricted traffic and provides a welcome respite from hoards of boot clad city cowgirls pulling little wheeled shopping carts.

Miss Kathy working...

30amp water and electric sites are $20. A honey wagon makes daily rounds to pump out full black tanks. Some venues have live music every night, you can get a cold beer, margarita or cup of black coffee at 8am. Kettle corn, corn dogs, barbecue. There is food for every taste. The Lutheran Church, on the highway, does a huge business daily with an outdoor kitchen and picnic tables scattered under spreading Live Oak trees. 2 young men from North Dakota have a Greek food cart serving up excellent Gyros and Tzatziki.

End Note: What I like About Texas by Gary P.Nunn from the CD named the same.  Just seems fittin’ tonight.