End of the Line Moniker Show — 2022
Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture and the Siskiyou Arts Museum
Weed and Dunsmuir, California
June 9-12, 2022
June 16, 2022 — BBCRC'S END OF THE LINE MONIKER SHOW A ROUSING SUCCESS — held in conjunction with Dunsmuir's Railroad Days, brings hundreds of visitors to the area.
Over the weekend of June 9 - 12, 2022 the Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture hosted its largest event ever, the "End of the Line" show, featuring art, music, films, and other activities. People came from all over the United States, Canada and even other countries to attend the event. The theme of the event was railroad "monikers" - small individual artistic scribbles, traditionally written by rail workers, hobos and other rail enthusiasts, on freight cars or under bridges. Over 500 people are estimated to have come from out of the area to attend the event, packing local restaurants, bars, lodges, Airbnbs, stores and campgrounds, both formal and informal.
The three-part art show, held both at the Siskiyou Arts Museum in Dunsmuir and in two historic rail cars at the BBCRC in South Weed, features historic and more contemporary moniker exhibits. At BBCRC the show includes both photos, displayed in our Pacific Fruit Express "reefer" car, and a collection of actual monikers in the 1888 Southern Pacific "Shasta" Pullman car, which has been undergoing restoration for the past six years. That display, which includes contributions from over 150 people, has received very positive feedback with many saying it is one of the best art installations they have ever seen.
Music, spread over four days, was a big part of the event and included a Friday evening "Railroad Roots" show in Dunsmuir, various street musicians and performers all day Saturday in Dunsmuir, a blow-out Saturday night music show at the BBCRC and another raucous music show in the BBCRC boxcar on Sunday evening. BBCRC affiliated bands also played at the Wheelhouse in Dunsmuir and at other local venues. After a two-year absence, the BBCRC also made a strong showing in the Dunsmuir Railroad Days parade on Saturday.
Also in Dunsmuir, the historic California Theater hosted a sold-out End of a Line Film Night, featuring six films and music, with close to 300 people in attendance, the first capacity crowd at the theater in many years and a boost to efforts to re-open the long-shuttered venue. Use of the space was generously donated by the theater owner.
Over the weekend Dunsmuir came alive with activity and the number of visitors were appreciated by local businesses. Several restaurant and store owners commented that this was one of the best weekends they have had in many years, a much-welcomed influx of cash as local businesses continue to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Business in Weed, and especially the South Weed area, also had a significant increase in business due to the event. The BBCRC also appreciated the presence of two local food venders - Phet's Kitchen and the Little Red Caboose for two days of the event.
BBCRC and the End of the Line organizers would like to thank the following sponsors and partners for their support and collaboration: Siskiyou Arts Museum, Bombs Away LLC, Dunsmuir Railroad Days committee, Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce, Manfredi's, Dunsmuir Hardware, Dunsmuir Brewery Works, Dunsmuir Tire, The Wheelhouse, California Theater/The Happy Company, Cobra Lily, Northbound Coffee Roasters, Weed Alehouse, La Florista Cannabis Dispensary, Burn Barrel Press, and the Markal Company, as well as many individual supporters and volunteers. We would also like to thank the California Arts Council as well as our individual donors for ongoing support to the BBCRC which helps provide us with the capacity to organize and implement initiatives like this! Your support is greatly appreciated!
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: (Subject to change!)
THURSDAY, June 9th
4pm to 7pm — Opening reception for End of the Line moniker show at BBCRC, featuring photos by North Bank Fred and Toby Hardman in our PFE reefer car and a vast collection of moniker art in our Shasta Pullman car. This show will be open daily over the weekend.
9pm — Boxcar Music Show - We will open up four days of music with two good friends of the BBCRC from Minnesota:
Birdie McLeod birdiemcleod.bandcamp.com/releases
Slim Stone slimstone.bandcamp.com/album/stone-broke
Friday Events at BBCRC
11am to 4pm — End of the Line Moniker Show open (Shasta Car, PFE Reefer Car and Grounds).
Merch tables open all afternoon — Let us know if you are interested in setting up a table to sell zines, shirts, books, whatever you got. We hope to have one or more local food venders as well.
Trading Blanket — Continuing on with an old tramp traveling tradition, we will organize a "trading blanket" swap meet. Bring all your railroad and camping bling — patches, stickers, photos, whatever you got. Lay 'em down on the tarp and let the trading begin!
Evening — Most people will be migrating to Dunsmuir for the presentations, music, and films (see below) but people are welcome to stay up at Black Butte Friday evening as well.
Friday Events in Dunsmuir
Noon to 5pm — Siskiyou Arts Museum, featuring displays by Susan Phillips, John Free, Historic Graffiti Society and BBCRC will be open. SAM will also host two presentations:
4pm — John Free will talk about his "End of the Line" photo book, featuring incredible photos of hobos and tramps in Los Angeles in the 1970s.
5 to 9pm - RAILROAD ROOTS MUSIC SHOW
The BBCRC and Milepost 322 Productions are organizing a country/honky tonk/folk/Americana music show, bringing together a number of great musicians, several on new waves of national popularity, on Dunsmuir Railroad Days' main stage (next to City Hall and La Perla restaurant on Dunsmuir Avenue). All the musicians are very familiar with the inside of a boxcar and nomadic traveling culture has been a significant influence in their musical careers. The line up includes:
Riddy Arman — Riddy is a country singer/songwriter based in western Montana. www.riddyarman.com
Nick Shoulders — Country singer/songwriter from Arkansas, now based in Nashville. www.nickshouldersokaycrawdad.com
Nick Hans — Folk musician living in New Mexico. open.spotify.com/artist/1ZJVsU3d169tIJFuZT3fMm
Brody Hunt and the Bucket Brigade — Brody, based in Asheville, North Carolina, is a honky tonk singer and yodeler, collector of country music 78s, and producer of the "Who Said I was a Bum" series of old time "the hobo in country music" CDs sold by the BBCRC. He will be joined by a couple of friends from the west coast and play a selection of country hobo and railroad songs.
Note: There is no formal cover charge but please contribute some bux for the music — and buy some merch — they are all coming from a long ways away to play for us! There will be an attached beer garden, no outside drinks allowed. Leashed, well-behaved dogs are OK as long as you clean up any mess.
8pm to 12 midnight - RAILROAD FILM NIGHT at the CALIFORNIA THEATER
Thanks to a special agreement with the owners, the long-closed historic California Theater in downtown Dunsmuir will be open for an evening of railroad culture-oriented films. We will ask for a modest cover charge ($5) donation. Service dogs only are allowed in the theater. The current line-up (subject to change) includes:
The End of the Line (1992, Dana Mozer) A satirical look at the Britt, Iowa National Hobo Convention.
Vestigios (2020, Luminal Producciones) "Don Porfirio, better known as 'the lord of the beasts', was a homeless man from Toluca. After his disappearance without explanation in 2014, he generated certain artistic expressions that recover their image as inspiration. The way he inhabited the city, his way of expressing himself, his peculiar drawings, writings, and poems are what inspired these new expressions to become a myth".
Hair of the Dog by Beer Can Benny. "No frills or fancy editing, a casual look into the freight world shot on vhs tape. This video includes riding trains, marking cars, railside hangs, and lots of foam. Set to various music, each segment tells a story".
Dark Futures/Wooden Axle's Travelogue DVD (2022 NEAR Zine). Photos, moving pictures, and original music. Created by railroaders. Celebrating art found on the rails.
Diamonds and Rust by Jiem. "Shot on Super 8 film in 2010 and 2011 by a French traveler pursuing his dream to see the railroad and meet the moniker culture artists of North America".
Intermission: Nick Shoulders will perform a few songs during intermission, following the five short films and before "Road to Colossus". This will probably take place around 10pm.
Road to Colossus by Eric T. Burke and Derek Yost. "A documentary of a bike trip from Reno to Gurdon, Arkansas to meet legendary moniker artist Buz Blurr".
Note: Since events in Dunsmuir are going late into Friday evening, and we will be back in Dunsmuir Saturday for the parade at noon, many people may want to camp or stay in and around Dunsmuir on Friday night. We can provide recommendations on places to stay.
SATURDAY, June 11th
Saturday Events in Dunsmuir
Noon — Dunsmuir Railroad Days Parade! Join the BBCRC and our "Hobo Marching Band" as we once again participate in the parade. Bring your instruments if you got em! If you are staying up at BBCRC, make sure to get your butts in gear and get down to Dunsmuir by noon!
All afternoon — Merch tables, displays, Dunsmuir Depot RR Museum and Model RR Club tours, music, food etc. Many of the local sponsors of EOTL will be open.
Noon to 7pm — Siskiyou Arts Museum opens with End of the Line show featuring the Historic Graffiti Society, Susan Phillips, John Free and a BBCRC arranged exhibit.
2pm(?) Westbound Coyote String Band will be preforming on Pine Street in Dunsmuir as part of the official Dunsmuir RR Days music event. Selene and Jeff are good friends of BBCRC and veterans of past Dunsmuir RR Days. They play country/folk/americana music with lots of hobo songs! westboundcoyotestringband.bandcamp.com
3pm — Presentation at Siskiyou Arts Museum by Charlie Wray on the Historic Graffiti Society's search for historic hobo monikers around the country.
4pm to 7pm — Opening reception for End of the Line at the Siskiyou Arts Museum.
Saturday Events at Black Butte
Daytime — Saturday day will be relatively quiet at Black Butte with most of the events focused on Dunsmuir.
9pm — Boxcar Music Show! (Due to the expected number of people, all or part of this show may need to take place outside, in our outdoor kitchen stage, or elsewhere)
Nick Hans
Riddy Arman
Nick Shoulders
Holy Locust (folk-punk rockers from New Orleans) holylocust.bandcamp.com
Healers (post punk from Oakland) healers.bandcamp.com
SUNDAY, June 12th
Sunday Events In Dunsmuir
Noon to 4pm — The Siskiyou Arts Museum/End of the Line show will be open. Other local exhibits (RR Depot Museum, Model Railroad Club) will be open. There will also be music arranged by the Dunsmuir Railroad Days Committee.
6pm — HOLY LOCUST will perform at The Wheelhouse restaurant/pub on Sacramento Avenue in Dunsmuir. This will be a great opportunity to see this band perform, get some good food and drinks ("best beer selection in Siskiyou County!") at an awesome place where the owners and many of the staff are supporters and good friends of the BBCRC.
Sunday Events at Black Butte
Noon to 7pm — EOTL Moniker Show Open (Shasta Car, PFE Reefer Car, and Grounds).
"Trading Blanket" — Round 2 of the trading blanket/swap meet will continue.
3pm — Caboose Hop: All five of the cabooses at BBCRC (including the Utah Phillips flanger car) will be open for viewing and socializing.
7pm — Mulligan Stew Dinner Finale: Bring something to share and throw it in the pot!
9pm — Boxcar Music Show - We will wind up End of the Line 2022 with another great line-up of musicians:
Nick Wortham (Nick of Healers also plays country/americana music as a separate solo project)
Westbound Coyote String Band
Two Runner (Country folk americana duo from Nevada City, CA) www.tworunnermusic.com
Brody Hunt and the Bucket Brigade
ACCOMMODATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS: Camping available at BBCRC (most spaces require walking in away from your vehicles). There are also a lot of motels and lodges in the Weed/Mt Shasta/Dunsmuir area, we can provide recommendations.
Visitors, overnight and otherwise, will be expected to meet expectations regarding fire safety, Covid protocols (to be determined based on the situation at the time but please be vaxxed), and being respectful of one another, our local community and our natural environment. There can be a lot of drama in the moniker/graff world and there may well be people attending you don't like. Leave your beefs at home or don't come.
We expect people to treat each other with respect and we will NOT tolerate creepy, homophobic or racist language, displays or behavior.
We plan to have a detailed "Visitor Guide" available by the time of the show. Overnight visitors will be asked to for a modest donation to help cover BBCRC/EOTL costs but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.
MUSIC: Milepost 322 Productions, a non-profit organization based in Dunsmuir, will be coordinating and hosting a number of musicians and bands, performing both at Black Butte and in Dunsmuir, during the End of the Line show.
Note: Musicians are coming from a long-ways away to play for this show. Please come prepared to donate towards some modest suggested cover charges for the music shows (and consider buying some merch) to help support them!
MERCH TABLES:
We plan on having merch tables at both Black Butte and in Dunsmuir, should you be interested in selling railroad culture related materials. More on this soon.
VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS
We will need a lot of help from our community of friends to pull this off, both in advance and during the show! We will likely have a work party in mid/late May (date TBA) which will be focused on site improvements at BBCRC, including work on one or more of our railcars. Please contact us at info@bbcrc.org if you would like to help out!
We also need financial help! Putting on this show costs thousands of dollars, everything from porta-potties to printing and mailing costs, some travel stipends and all sorts of site preparation. First, we just need straight up financial donations right now! You can do this online via PayPal (donations@bbcrc.org or see our "Helping Page")
Make sure to specify that your donation is for the End of the Line show!
Soon we will have some cool merch to sell to help support the show, including Pat Perry's amazing flyer. Also, please be generous when you do attend and kick in for musicians and site costs as you are able!
We are also looking for a limited number of "sponsors" mainly local businesses, to provide financial and in-kind donations to the show. Please hit us up if you are interested!
ORGANIZING TEAM/CONTACT:
For inquiries related to art submissions and films for the show, please contact Shemp at endofthelineart@gmail.com
For inquiries about music, camping, volunteering and other general questions, email us at info@bbcrc.org
For updates, check back on this page. If you are on Instagram check out @endoftheline_2022. What passes for a BBCRC facebook page will also have occasional updates.
