The Great White West
Posted on July 9, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Cowboy, History | Leave a Comment
When most people think about cowboys and the wild west, they tend to think of the western United States. However, the Canadian west has an equally rich cowboy heritage that is relived each July at the Calgary Stampede, a celebration of the early days of roping, riding, and rodeo. Each year, well over a million people turn out to whoop it up, Canuck cowpoke style.
To represent this year’s Stampede the organizers wanted an image that reflected Canada’s western heritage and values. They commissioned Canadian artist Doug Levitt, who painted A Man of His People to honor the culture of the First Nations (the aboriginal tribes of Canada) and offer a sense of nostalgia and respect for the Stampede’s long history with the Plains people. To ensure historical accuracy, the artist worked closely with native elders to portray as many Plains tribes as possible. Levitt’s artwork is reproduced on the 2008 limited edition gold- and silver-plated belt buckle commemorating the event.
There’s still time to buy the buckle, but you better saddle up fast if you want to join this year’s stampede where, until July 13, the wild wild west is still part of the great white north…
Don’t Ask People If They Want to See Your Little Bighorn…
Posted on June 25, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under History, History of the Western Belt Buckle | Leave a Comment
Today is the anniversary of General George Armstrong Custer’s Last Stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Custer led the 7th Cavalry of the United States Army in an ill-fated battle against Chief Sitting Bull and Lakota and Cheyenne warriors near the Little Bighorn River in what is today southern Montana.
The buckle from ExploreMontana.com displays Custer, shooting Rambo-style with two double-action revolvers called Webley Bulldogs. He is flanked by the Cavalry guidon variation of the American flag and the guidon of the 7th Cavalry. To learn more, visit Friends of the Little Big Horn.
History continues to re-evaluate this battle. But no matter which side of the historical debate you choose, pay tribute to the man famous for failing. Next time you screw up bad at work, think that maybe one day, you too could become a household name!
Forget the Prius. Mermaids Are the Original Hybrids!
Posted on June 18, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Fun, History | Leave a Comment
This weekend welcomes the return one of the craziest events you will encounter anywhere in the country. The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is the nation’s largest art parade and an opportunity to see some of the most beautiful, most glamorous, and most wackiest people that New York City has to offer.
Founded in 1983, the Mermaid Parade pays homage to the long-forgotten Mardi Gras which ran here every year from 1903 to 1954. The parade kicks off the summer in celebration of the history and mythology of Coney Island, the birthplace of roller coasters and hot dogs, and once a world-renown vacation hotspot that has fallen into some disrepair, but is in the midst of a revitalization.
The parade is a fantastical aquatic-themed free-for-all, with participants donning zany and often sexy homemade costumes to transform into mermaids (merpersons?), Poseidons, sea monsters, or any other ocean mythology that creative and slightly bent minds can conjure up. Imagine if you will Disney World if they fired all the censors and lawyers!
Whether you march in the parade or not, you can share your love for these enchanting Sirens with the wrap-around mermaid belt buckle from RedElephants. These graceful hand-poured metal beauties slither around your belt, meticulously finished in bronze or silver with crystals. Legend says that mermaids would drag sailors down into the deep, but on Saturday, they might simply drag you onto the boardwalk to dance. To learn more about the parade and the history and future of the area, visit Coney Island USA.
Since the future of Coney Island is unsure as new development is changing the face of the area, harken (seriously, when was the last time you harkened?!) back to the iconic Steeplechase Park with the buckle from Lola Staar, featuring the mildly demented smiling face “Tillie”, named after park owner George Tilyou. Ahh, you can almost feel the thrill and the queasiness of the Parachute Drop!
Safety First!
Posted on June 8, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Automotive, History | Leave a Comment
The year was 1964 ½ (check your calendar!). At the New York World’s Fair, Ford introduced the Mustang, the first pony car, the sports car that will change automotive history. Fast, affordable, and so aggressively gorgeous that no American car has ever been able to compete since. The car was so hot, it sold 22,000 on its first day!
In 1964, speed and sex appeal were standard, but safety was an option. The front seat belts were no match for the horsepower and if you wanted rear seatbelts in your Mustang, you had to special order them. Anyone who drove a car back then remembers, these gleaming metal torture devices that used to sear your skin as you buckled up on sunny summer days. If you left the top down, you couldn’t touch the burning metal until well after dark!
Today, things are different. StangWear wants to make sure your wardrobe is hot, but in an oh-so-cool way, with authentic Mustang seatbelt buckles.
Each StangWear buckle features the legendary pony, racing hard with its mane and tail flying in the wind. The mustang is backed in traditional red, white, and blue to make sure everyone understands that this is a true American original. Your buckles come with a choice of webbing belts in black or with red or gray flames (even cooler!)
You may not be able to afford an original Mustang today, but you could be hearing the classic click the seatbelt buckle with just a click of your mouse.
(photo courtesy of everythingcarz.com)
Battlefield Belt Buckles
Posted on May 14, 2008 by admin Filed Under Collecting Belt Buckles, History, History of the Western Belt Buckle, Special Buckles, Vintage Belt Buckles | 1 Comment
Anyone into vintage, military or just plain collecting belt buckles has gotta check out John Gawne’s incredible collection of 20th century military buckles. The author of Finding Your Father’s War has collected more than a dozen buckles from World Wars I & II and all are used or “have seen action”, as he puts it.
Gawne’s collection includes belt buckles recovered from battlefields as distant as Estonia and familiar as Pottsdam. The above buckle is a WWII German military buckle that features the notorious Gott Mit Uns (God With Us) signature logo. Gawne found it at Gorp en Roovert, a remote battlefield on the Dutch-Belgian Border.
These buckles aren’t made for wearin’. They’re made for admiring. And for reflecting.
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