The inside of a trailer at last year’s Ragtag Revival’s Antique Show & Hootenanny in Woodland. Thirty retro campers are registered for this weekend’s event, twice the amount from the inaugural run.
Ragtag Revival’s Antique Show & Hootenanny is back for another year on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28. The 10 picturesque acres of Wickering Heights in Woodland could not be a more perfect spot for antique vendors to set up their shabby, chic and everything-in-between booths.
For its fourth year running, Ragtag Revival will offer attendees a mixture of what’s trending in upcycled décor as well as tried-and-true antique pieces. Wickering Heights owner, Angela Harvey, spends the majority of her year organizing this annual event and is excited to offer a combination of vendors for 2018 that share her mantra of “gritty to pretty.”
“This year we have a mix of masculine and feminine. We have rustic, farmhouse, mid-century, Parisian and elegant,” Harvey said.
Some interesting merchants include a man out of Ridgefield who’s been restoring neon signs for 20 years. Another man who takes metal junk and re-imagines it — painted signs, antique jewelry, antique service ware and large antique furniture pieces are a few examples.
Friday hours from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. are considered early-bird shopping with a $20 entry fee. Purchasers of online tickets will enjoy advance access 30 minutes prior to opening. A local band called Breaking Midnight will play from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. If folks want to listen to the music only, Harvey says the public is welcome, free of charge at 7 p.m., to come out, spread a blanket on the lawn and take in some tunes.
Saturday hours run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and entry is free all day. At dusk, a family-friendly movie will be shown on the lawn. Although not nailed down yet, Harvey is leaning toward “Footloose.” Another Saturday highlight of Ragtag Revival is an Annie Sloan paint demonstration by Amanda V. of the popular DIY blog, Girl in Pink.
As with past events, food will be available during all open hours. David Lloyd Brown, former executive chef for Pacific Coast Restaurants, will be putting a spin on what vintage trailer advocates refer to as “trailer trash.” Items such as Walking Tacos out of a Doritos bag, Strawberry Shortcake with marshmallow fluff instead of whipped cream and other caravan cuisine will satisfy shoppers throughout the weekend.
It wouldn’t be a Hootenanny without the return of the vintage trailers. Last year, 15 tin cans attended Ragtag Revival, making it the first vintage trailer rally that Southwest Washington had ever seen. The vintage trailer culture continues to surge in popularity fueled predominantly by girl power. Organizing this trailer rally is Rene Perret, close friend of Angela Harvey and organizer of the Mt. Baker Vintage Trailer Rally — the largest trailer rally in the Northwest with 236 entries in 2017.
With Perret’s vintage trailer connections, Ragtag Revival has 30 retro campers registered for this years’ local event — double the amount from the inaugural run. Attendees will have an opportunity to view the inside of these glampers during an open house from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturday and Friday night they’ll be all lit up for a Night Glow display.
Classic trailers include a 1965 Cardinal, a 1969 Shasta, a 1959 DeVille, a 1956 Jewel, a 1948 Kit Chateau and a 1977 Boler — a fiberglass trailer originally manufactured in Canada. Lisa Mora, editor of Vintage Trailer Magazine, will also be rolling in with her 1953 Hudson Hornet “Doc Hudson” pulling her 10-foot long 1949 Crown that she’s dubbed “Rosie.” This will, undoubtedly, be a must-see for fans of all things vintage.
In addition to being a vintage trailer rally organizer, Perret and her husband, Jeremy Ralston, opened Down River Vintage Trailer Restoration at the end of 2016. Renovating kitschy caravans is a niche business that even took the industry through the downturn of 2008, according to Perret. Ten years later, it’s a full-time job that shows no signs of slowing down.
Perret said, “We’re keeping three to five trailers in the shop at any given time. Our inventory is anything from people buying these trailers and thinking they got it restored but didn’t to people having a trailer in the family for years and wanting to modernize them.”
She went on to add that, for the same price as buying a brand new retro-style trailer, consumers can rescue an original and add modern amenities like air conditioning and a gas refrigerator. With all the traveling around they do, the number one question that Perret and Ralston are asked is ‘Do you actually camp in these?’ and her resounding response is ‘Absolutely’ and she’s lost count of how many nights a year.
At Ragtag Revival, patrons will be able to see a little before and after demonstration. Perret will be bringing their fully restored 1955 Aloha named Tin Lizzy and parking it next to a newly-acquired 1956 Aloha that is scheduled for an overhaul.
“I think that will show people who are leery, who can’t visualize, what you can do with a trailer,” Perret said.
Harvey is also a retro camper fanatic and will have a couple of her 10 trailers on display, as well.
“I’m obsessed. I want a trailer in every driveway. That is my vision,” Harvey said. “I can’t encourage people enough. They’re as expensive as you want them to be. I bought one at a garage sale. I’m a trailer pusher.”
