Las Vegas artists and Vinny Swizzarino's Tale of the Trailer - By N.L. Belardes
I may have experienced several years worth of crazy Las Vegas days, but let’s face it, there are folks out there still living it! I was really in awe of a few artists and folks while I chummed it up on Fremont Street back in the late 90s: I wandered the bowels of the Golden Nugget Casino, tossed pennies from the tippy top of the Big Red Garage, and saw my cheesy cat town Swing Cat Blues drawings up on that four block long canopy of lights.
Although I credit those Las Vegas artist folks for helping me to truly realize I was an artist, and an insane one at that, I can’t help but think there are still a few artists in Vegas who I rub elbows via email at least. Meet Art Whitton and Cindy Chinn. OK, Art is an artist but he would never admit it because his wife, Cindy is about as fantastic of a multi-faceted artist out there. Art’s claim to fame back in the day was creating an autocad drawing of a Coke can that made it into all of our animation light show spectaculars. He’s an artist, I swear!
Now Cindy, she can sculpt, paint, draw, build, animate, create, and dare I say, not only would she win ‘Survivor’ with all her skills and know-how, she also drives cars really fast… Oh yes she can and does. She does this wild Autocross stuff, full-on pedal to the freakin’ metal, and quite frankly, it scares me to death. “Hey Nick! Come racing with us!” she would say. And would I ever go? No. I always wimped out.
Now, Art, he’s one of those closet Dostoyevsky lovers who has a fine taste for writing as sarcastically as he can. Well recently, when their club got a trailer and spent a night painting it as if it was personally to carry Corey Costelloe’s Nascarzone speedster special, Art suddenly decided to help his friend Vinny Swizzarino write a story about it. So sit back, get a brew, ‘cause Art’s Canadian and he would expect that, and read his little ditty, ‘The Tale of the Trailer’. And then go check out www.lvrscca.org and see what desert autocross racing can do for your complexion.
The Tale Of The Trailer
by Vinnie Swizzarino
It sat there, motionless, at the end of the driveway. Like Captain Ahab’s Moby Dick, this was another great white whale. What follows is the epic story of how the LVR trailer came to be what it is today.
I take you back almost a year. With King David and Rick of Pahrump in charge, the beast was first tamed – almost. They dissected it and reworked the brakes, bearings and all that other stuff that makes it roll down the highway with such grace. With a fresh coat of paint in a spectacular off-white, it was ready to face the new season – greeting veterans and rookies alike. But was there something missing?
One group of people looked at it and thought, “Perfect – it’s plain and inconspicuous. Plus, we can see it at night!” Other’s thought, “Perhaps blue or purple would look nice”. Then out of the back of the crowd came a voice.
“I have a dream!”, she screamed “I dream to live in a land where trailers are respected and glorified, for without them, we can have no events.” This was the voice of the crazy Artist, with the even crazier hair. The people stood back and let her approach the trailer. There were murmurs and snickers.
The Artist turned to the crowd and spoke: “This white box is not just a hauler of dead cones and oversized speakers – it is to be the shining beacon that represents us all!” From these bold words, the Artist described her plan. A month later, the Artist and her fellow believers gathered at the house on Duneville to make the vision a reality. All of the workers were high on enthusiasm and didn’t let their lack of experience get in their way. The group worked hard the first day, planning, voting, masking, painting – everyone chipped in, for they shared the vision and the dream.
Hours turned into days and days turned into nights. The Artist and her husband, the appropriately named Art – worked long into the nights – for they feared the daylight. Others, like Randy, enjoyed the heat and the puddles that formed as they melted. The Brothers Krahl, Kris and Hunter S. provided much help and support through many of the long nights. Don feared the wrath of the Artist, but gave everyone the gift of light for weeks to come.
I would also be remiss if I was to forget the Bottomleys, Scott and Cindy, for they learned the fine art of taping and provided much sustenance and support. Vickie, the Diamond Queen of Taping, worked hard – but with her busy schedule of work, school and keeping tabs on two young daughters, could not work as much as she liked. Her daughter Amber proved that she not only shared her mother’s skills at taping, but may have surpassed them. Assisting the Artist with the only other steady hand was Catherine of Britton. Many hours she spent, painting and touching up – culminating in placing the Golden Eagle above the flag pole.
But no dream can be complete without the finishing touches that only the King of the Las Vegas Region could provide. In his workshops, his minions toiled to make the hardware as shiny and glorious as the dream. And finally, mention must be made of Young Carl, for he provided the greatest gift of all – he was the bringer of liquids and ice.
But in the end, this is a story of a group of people who tackled a project head on. Experience was low, spirits were high and as much as possible, decisions were made as a group. Unsure of even which paints to use, the group worked hard to ensure the best possible job. As a group, everyone who worked on it hopes that members will enjoy the trailer for years to come. It stands as a glowing testament to what can happen when club members pull together for a common cause.
Although I credit those Las Vegas artist folks for helping me to truly realize I was an artist, and an insane one at that, I can’t help but think there are still a few artists in Vegas who I rub elbows via email at least. Meet Art Whitton and Cindy Chinn. OK, Art is an artist but he would never admit it because his wife, Cindy is about as fantastic of a multi-faceted artist out there. Art’s claim to fame back in the day was creating an autocad drawing of a Coke can that made it into all of our animation light show spectaculars. He’s an artist, I swear!
Now Cindy, she can sculpt, paint, draw, build, animate, create, and dare I say, not only would she win ‘Survivor’ with all her skills and know-how, she also drives cars really fast… Oh yes she can and does. She does this wild Autocross stuff, full-on pedal to the freakin’ metal, and quite frankly, it scares me to death. “Hey Nick! Come racing with us!” she would say. And would I ever go? No. I always wimped out.
Now, Art, he’s one of those closet Dostoyevsky lovers who has a fine taste for writing as sarcastically as he can. Well recently, when their club got a trailer and spent a night painting it as if it was personally to carry Corey Costelloe’s Nascarzone speedster special, Art suddenly decided to help his friend Vinny Swizzarino write a story about it. So sit back, get a brew, ‘cause Art’s Canadian and he would expect that, and read his little ditty, ‘The Tale of the Trailer’. And then go check out www.lvrscca.org and see what desert autocross racing can do for your complexion.
The Tale Of The Trailer
by Vinnie Swizzarino
It sat there, motionless, at the end of the driveway. Like Captain Ahab’s Moby Dick, this was another great white whale. What follows is the epic story of how the LVR trailer came to be what it is today.
I take you back almost a year. With King David and Rick of Pahrump in charge, the beast was first tamed – almost. They dissected it and reworked the brakes, bearings and all that other stuff that makes it roll down the highway with such grace. With a fresh coat of paint in a spectacular off-white, it was ready to face the new season – greeting veterans and rookies alike. But was there something missing?
One group of people looked at it and thought, “Perfect – it’s plain and inconspicuous. Plus, we can see it at night!” Other’s thought, “Perhaps blue or purple would look nice”. Then out of the back of the crowd came a voice.
“I have a dream!”, she screamed “I dream to live in a land where trailers are respected and glorified, for without them, we can have no events.” This was the voice of the crazy Artist, with the even crazier hair. The people stood back and let her approach the trailer. There were murmurs and snickers.
The Artist turned to the crowd and spoke: “This white box is not just a hauler of dead cones and oversized speakers – it is to be the shining beacon that represents us all!” From these bold words, the Artist described her plan. A month later, the Artist and her fellow believers gathered at the house on Duneville to make the vision a reality. All of the workers were high on enthusiasm and didn’t let their lack of experience get in their way. The group worked hard the first day, planning, voting, masking, painting – everyone chipped in, for they shared the vision and the dream.
Hours turned into days and days turned into nights. The Artist and her husband, the appropriately named Art – worked long into the nights – for they feared the daylight. Others, like Randy, enjoyed the heat and the puddles that formed as they melted. The Brothers Krahl, Kris and Hunter S. provided much help and support through many of the long nights. Don feared the wrath of the Artist, but gave everyone the gift of light for weeks to come.
I would also be remiss if I was to forget the Bottomleys, Scott and Cindy, for they learned the fine art of taping and provided much sustenance and support. Vickie, the Diamond Queen of Taping, worked hard – but with her busy schedule of work, school and keeping tabs on two young daughters, could not work as much as she liked. Her daughter Amber proved that she not only shared her mother’s skills at taping, but may have surpassed them. Assisting the Artist with the only other steady hand was Catherine of Britton. Many hours she spent, painting and touching up – culminating in placing the Golden Eagle above the flag pole.
But no dream can be complete without the finishing touches that only the King of the Las Vegas Region could provide. In his workshops, his minions toiled to make the hardware as shiny and glorious as the dream. And finally, mention must be made of Young Carl, for he provided the greatest gift of all – he was the bringer of liquids and ice.
But in the end, this is a story of a group of people who tackled a project head on. Experience was low, spirits were high and as much as possible, decisions were made as a group. Unsure of even which paints to use, the group worked hard to ensure the best possible job. As a group, everyone who worked on it hopes that members will enjoy the trailer for years to come. It stands as a glowing testament to what can happen when club members pull together for a common cause.
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Wednesday, July 13, 2005.
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