Event Coverage Winfield & Watson Gathering, and More

Please skip if you are burned out on coverage of this event-Saturday took about a 500 mile trip South in the wife's (she was working) mild custom '50 Chevy PU. Stopped in Madera, for the SJ Valley MoPar Finale, then in Bakersfield for the HWY 99 Cruise. Next hit Mojave to check out exact location of Gene's place. Out front was Gene's hard worker, Charly and his nephew. They had the front roadside graded good for overflow parking. Heard info on people coming from Japan, Ausralia, Canada and more. Charly needed air in the tires of his high performance bar stool, so I left to find the closest town. Rosamond is a sleepy old time desert place. There I found Karl's Hardware, where I got some boards to put in gutter back at motel to keep from bottoming out truck in steep driveway entrance. At Karl's you can buy a hammer and a hunting rifle at the same time. Back at the motel met a guy , Nick, who is in town to get more info for a book about Gene.
Saturday checked out of motel before daylight to head for Gene's. The Rod Tossers were trying to get things set up for parking incoming cars, as others set up their booths. Others started showing up, and by 10AM the place was packed inside and out. Took a special panel to get autographs from some of the many legends of the custom car world that were there.
Of course Winfield & Watson, plus Blackie, Lil Daddy, Bill Hines, Art Himsel, Sam Foose, Mickey Galloway, Bones, Joe "Mr Custom", Norm Grabowski, Ed Iskederian and more (I know, spelling not good). This is an event that you must do, no one is getting any younger-except maybe Gene.
Gene's place by itself is a car overload, with custom stuff everywhere. Even out back, where there are a wide variety of 100 cars and trucks. Also, quite a variety of mobil homes, buses , camper trailers, etc.The desert is dusty, not good if too worried about you ride to drive it off the trailer. But, the dust and heat are the norm here. When I left Gene's I stopped in town for the Rosamond Rod Run Car Show. Saw a couple of groups of some pretty wild cut down motorcycles on the road there too.
Enjoy pics-I have many more if you want them posted.

 

More:

 

Please post more photos, including one of your truck! Gene sure knows how to throw a party. Can't wait for next year!

 

More-More

 

More Again (wife's truck behind Barris and his "Hefner" girls):

 

Hope more is OK:

 

thanks for sharing !

 

man windfield and watson are the coolest guys ever! and the watson grapevine clone, is my friend randy rhoades car, aka "RDR"

 

Have more:

 

thanks for the great pics..I can't believe all the chopped mercs that are sitting outside his place.

 

Don't Stop?:

 

Cool pics thanks for sharing them.

 

thanks for taking the time to share... Doug

 

Gene said that el camino is up for $3000 tentively sold. Itd be a cool ass car all cleaned up and done.

 

Last for the Nite:

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Enjoy-Big Thanks to Gene Winfield & Larry Watson

 

Not sure what your motive is by ganging up and attacking an 83 year old man from behind the safety of your computers... does it make you feel like more of a man? Going back to my psychology 101 course.. it sounds like you are a bunch of jealous, inferior, hateful, angry little boys..

No one is perfect and by reading your posts.. no one really knows what is going on with George. We all have issues and deal with them in ways that we deal with them. But to attack someone for it is not right, especially behind their back!! I doubt any of you would say what you did to his face, especially those who pretend to be George's friend when they see him.

I thank all those who see the good in George and acknowledge what he has done for the kustom, hot rod, and tv/movie car world and the many charities he has contributed to.

To the Barris haters out there... PEACE... and God Bless You.

Here is a link to a new book that came out about people from LA who have had the courage to dream and make that dream come true.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13541831

Plus another story from the JalopyJournal about the essential tech books on hot rods and kustoms.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=6453

 

I would be careful posting the same thing somewhere else that got closed... I dont think Ryan cares who people are he will still Ban them

 

Dude,have the respect not to get someone elses thread closed,just cause yours did.Save the drama for another site(please)

 

WOW. Thanks for the shots. Long way to travel, but worth it. Hope I get the chance. I met Gene this summer! Met Ed Roth in 84! Would love to meet all the others even to just say THANKS! Gonna go home from work, pull out a few of my Barris Kustom Techniques books and pop a beer and toast all these AMERICAN icons. Slim

 

True Don....

 

Come on John, that's pretty uncalled for. I'm sure if it was you Dad that was being disrespected this way you'd stick up for him too. Not sure i'd call working in my dad's business riding his coat tails. Don't you want that son your about to have to be proud of you and stick up for you in your later life?

This shit needs to stop. If people here don't believe that George Barris has made important contributions to this lifestyle, maybe they should just keep it to themselves. It serves no purpose to rip on him, or any other icon as well.

 

Hey-Take the Bull Shit about George Barris elsewhere-This thread is about a great gathering of car building legends, and more. Thanks

 

I think your missing the bigger picture, George is hugely responsible for the custom car world you and millions love today! Thank God He is still out there and among us! In this economy, I guess is not OK to try and make a lving! Have you ever heard the phrase "support you comunity"!!!

 

Again-This thread is not about George Barris. It just some pics of a great event.

 

want to support Jalopy Jokers thread as he did some great pictures for us....keep it clean guys or like Watson says, "Get off the property !"

 

looks like fun!

 

thanks for posting the pics, looks like a great time. we all love lotsa pics.

 

I contacted Brett Barris about how wrong it was for him to post what he said on this thread. He apologized. He is very protective of George. I do not know Brett. He may have been working in George's booth Sunday.