Barber Vintage Festival 2015
Check out the highlights of our Barber Vintage Festival experience in 2015. Of course, there’s far too much fun stuff happening here to include in one post, but our photos and video will surely show a colorful sampling of how great this event is.
The festival is located on the picturesque grounds of Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. There are many attractions and stand-alone events happening throughout the 3-day event, like the swap meet, campground, museum, Ace Corner, the Fan Zone, AHRMA racing, and a few bike shows hosted by VJMC, AMCA and Motorcycle Classics.
For this post, we’re not focusing on the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, but trust us, you’ve gotta visit the place! We’ll save that indoor Barber experience for another feature.
We’ll keep this post light on body-copy and let the pics and captions tell the story of why we think this event is special. Ask anyone who has attended and there’s a good chance they’ll be an evangelist for getting others to go. If you haven’t been yet, don’t worry; it looks like it’ll be around for a loooong time (2015 marked its 11th year).
Like most of our Good Spark features about motorcycle culture, we put the spotlight on the characters. The people-watching at Barber Vintage Festival is top notch, supplemented by a wonderfully unique mix of motorcycles.
About the grounds at Barber Motorsports Park: It’s incredible. Much should be said (and has been said in many articles) about the business-savvy George Barber and his effort to create a classy venue. I mean, dang, it’s like the Walt Disney World of race tracks, regarding its cleanliness and presentation. We’ve got a lot of respect for the well-managed details right down to the manicured landscaping to the workers’ uniforms.
Also, one might say you can’t miss the fine art and sculpture sprinkled around the rolling hills, but you actually can miss it. Now, we’re not recommending shortcuts through the trees, but as you walk or ride around, peek into the woods just beyond the tree line and you’ll see bronze statues, stone figures or metal sculptures waiting to be discovered.
Alright, back to the characters this place attracts. You’ll see the name-droppable and trending folks of today’s social media scene, but attendees will also cross paths with top artists and builders with reputations that flourish beyond the social media realm.
Above: We stopped and talked with Adam Cramer of Liberty Vintage Motorcycles at his booth in the swap meet area. If you’ve somehow missed the stellar short documentary where he shares his insight, watch it here.
Much of the fun we have at these kinds of events is seeing old friends. Bonus fun is meeting new folks with kindred spirits. Above: Corey Wilkinson of GSG (right) talks with fellow vintage motorcyclist, Josh, about old airheads and life journeys.
Part of the draw for many attendees is solely the vintage motorcycle racing. Sure, there’s lots to do around the track, but inside the expansive paddock, there’s a big concentration of race bikes and teams that are wrenching and racing the entire weekend.
We like perusing motorcycle swap meets because there’s always something we’ve never seen before. It’s an entertaining randomness that can only be amassed by fanatical motorcycle people.
The ability to walk right into the heart of the action allows you to see, hear and smell countless motorcycles, old and new, stock or custom, all zipping around the inviting and self-contained environment that caters specifically to vintage motorcycle enthusiasts. We’ve been to many cities and experienced many moto-events, but few have impressed us as much as this well-established and respectfully presented gathering. Maybe we’ll see you there next year?
Keep it tuned in to the Barber Vintage Festival website for a schedule of events. To see our feature on Ace Corner at Barber, the event-within-the-event, click here.
Thanks for stopping by Good Spark Garage! If you dig this feature and think your friends may dig it, too, please share it on Facebook. See you back here soon! –The Wilkinson Bros
