Special Attraction
Almost Heaven BBQ Bash adds ArtCars to 2023 event
Submitted photos Houston artist Jada August will bring her award-winning ‘Dragonfly Whimzee’ to the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash.
‘Kat BaLu’ was created by Becky Morris, another Houstonian, who is originally from Wyoming County, West Virginia.
Steve Braithwaits and a group of friends spent more than two years transforming a 1993 Ford Pick-Up into the now famous Big Banana Car.
Submitted photos Houston artist Jada August will bring her award-winning ‘Dragonfly Whimzee’ to the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash.
‘Kat BaLu’ was created by Becky Morris, another Houstonian, who is originally from Wyoming County, West Virginia.
Steve Braithwaits and a group of friends spent more than two years transforming a 1993 Ford Pick-Up into the now famous Big Banana Car.
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BUCKHANNON -- The Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Board of Directors is excited to announce the addition of a brand new feature to the 2023 event - ArtCars, another first in West Virginia.
The Board hopes this will add an exciting new element to the BBQ Bash to engage people of all ages, and become an exciting addition and tradition of future BBQ Bash events, officials said.
What is an ArtCar? A vehicle of any kind (car, truck, tractor, golf cart, bicycle, motorcycle, etc.) that has been modified in appearance as an act of personal artistic expression creating a mobile work of art. The only limitation is the imagination of those designing and creating their ArtCar.
The BBQ Bash has been communicating with several ArtCar artists across the country for several months to invite some of the top ArtCars in the U.S. to participate in the 2023 event including Kimi Bainter, with her "Baby Yodahead" car from Houston, Texas.
Bainter was featured in a 2020 episode of "Jay Leno's Garage" with her "Wrinkles" car, and has created several fanciful ArtCars over the years. Bainter has created many unique ArtCars over the past several years,
Fellow Houston artist Jada August will also bring her award-winning "Dragonfly Whimzee", featuring whimsical, colorful Dragonflies emerging from blue waters and cat tails.
Adorned with glass marbles, glitter, dragonfly wings and decals add extra fun. The car's interior is also festooned with dragonflies on the seats, dashboard and ceiling. August and the "Whimzee" have traveled to more than 29 states and 12,000 miles to participate in ArtCar events and share her creative passion.
Paul McRae's "Ribbons" ArtCar, with its colorful flowing designs of color was an inspiration from the mesmerizing abstract art form of drip painting, also representing the ribbon of a typewriter and the ideal of democracy in America, will also be heading to Buckhannon from the Houston, Texas area to share his joy of art creation with the community.
While some ArtCars feature whimsical painting adding special details and features to the car, some are transformed into something that doesn't resemble a car of any kind ... including the "Big Banana Car." Steve Braithwaits and a group of friends spent more than two years transforming a 1993 Ford Pick-Up into the now famous Big Banana Car, and hit the road in 2011 with his head-turning creation.
Braithwaits has visited nearly every state in the U.S. from coast to coast, been featured on TV commercials, shows, in magazines, and even appeared on "America's Got Talent" with all four judges taking a spin in the Big Banana Car. Braithwaits even wrote a children's book chronicling his adventures, including a crazy "stop" in West Virginia several years ago.
A recent addition to this year's ArtCar collection is Becky Morris, another Houstonian, who is originally from Wyoming County, West Virginia, where she helped with over 2,000 miles of hiking trails. Her creation "Kat BaLu" is a transformation into a blue and purple furry kitty with a big smile waiting to greet everyone.
The closest ArtCar event to West Virginia is in Columbus, Ohio, organized by Greg Phelps, who is also heading to Buckhannon with his "That Car #4." Greg has designed several cars, with this obviously being his fourth "That Car." With a blue background, this car features lots of mirrored pieces, marbles, stones, and lots of skeleton heads – on a 2018 Toyota RAV4 body.
The BBQ Bash is excited to partner with the Upshur County Board of Education to introduce this new art form to the community and has commissioned the Fred Eberle Vo-Tech Center to design and create an Art Car as their "one of a kind" mascot.
FETC Director Rebecca Bowers-Call stated, "FETC is happy to partner with the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash committee on the Art Car project for the 2023 bash. It is a terrific opportunity for the staff and students from every industry to collaborate and use their creativity and skills. We look forward to sharing our students' imagination and skills with the community."
There may be other ArtCars appearing that we're unaware of at this time, so make sure to head to Buckhannon the weekend of June 16-17 to check them out, enjoy some delicious BBQ and other foods, arts and crafts, live entertainment, family activities and more.
Additional art car photos and artist bios will be added to our www.almostheavenbbqbash.com website and Facebook page as they are confirmed.
For more information on the BBQ Bash activities, visit the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Facebook page or the website at www.almostheavenbbqbash.com.