When someone mentions the custom scene, along with clubs that truly know how to party and have a good time, there is usually one club that comes to mind: Explicit Concepts. When we were invited to attend EC's 7th Annual Toppin' It All Off in Denton, Texas, we knew that this show was going to be wild and crazy.
Since Denton was only eight hours from home, we made a road trip out of the weekend. On arrival, we found that EC had taken over the hotel and was throwing a full-blown, all-out party in the parking lot and pool area. After checking into the hotel, we joined the festivities and hung out with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile. As the night wore on and the ride caught up with us, it was time to get some much-needed sleep before facing the long day ahead.
The show was held the next morning at Fouts Field on the beautiful University of North Texas campus. We were greeted by many of the EC members we'd seen the night before. Cruisin' around the show, we were amazed to see the gathering of clean minis in attendance. Now was the time to put the cameras to good use. As we made our way around the grounds, the Texas heat began to take its toll and people hid under EZ Up shelters. We found some of our good friends, including Stretch from StretchGear Threads and Josh from Leather Trim Limited, in their vendor booths and hung out with them until evening.
If your ride was missing something, or you wanted some new threads to go from geek to chic, the vendor's row had everything to meet your needs. For those growling stomaches, Joe Mama's Kitchen was on hand to slap together some of the best burgers this side of the Mississippi.
Every year, on the Saturday night of its show, EC throws one of the craziest parties known to mankind, so we made our way back to the hotel to rest and relax before the nightly activities began. Shortly after dark, the partygoers gathered around the stage waiting for EC's famous bikini contest to begin, though we're not sure why it's called a bikini contest; none of the gorgeous young ladies seemed to want to keep their bikinis on for very long. With the DJ skills of Lone Wolf Productions in the house, the party was swinging in full fashion in no time.
Sunday morning was h-o-t. Texas must be closer to the sun because no other place on the face of the Earth is this hot. With this in mind, we decided to get the remaining coverage before the temperature started to boil. It was good to talk and hang out with some of our old friends and meet plenty of new ones throughout the day. Later, with Big Carl on the mic, the awards that EC has become so famous for were delivered, along with specialty awards such as the POS and the EC Party awards. This year, EC passed out some of the nicest plaques we've seen. EC even designed a Mini Truckin' Choice award, with honors going to Daniel Brummett's extremely sanitary yellow Mazda from Negative Camber. Best of Show honors went to Kevin and Christina McCanlies' "Woody" Accord Wagon.
For those who don't know Shey and Big Carl from EC, they're famous for their extra-long mullets. A little friendly wager was made before the show, and the stakes stated that someone would be mullet-less by weekend's end. Since Carl was the victor, Shey's mullet was donated to Locks of Love, an organization that uses donated hair to make wigs for children who have lost their hair from chemotherapy.
This year, EC worked extremely hard to put on a great show, and the tremendous job it did cannot be put in words. The show was what we'd always heard it to be; a party first and a show mixed in along the way. EC would like to thank all the attendees and invites you to join the fun next year. For details on next year's event, contact: www.toppinitalloff.com.