This year the East Texas Yamboree Association undertook 2 major projects that needed to be done to upgrade our facilities.
One is our new parking for the East Texas Yamboree Association Event Center which can be seen here.
The other is our Yamboree Association Exhibit Building; commonly referred to in the community as the blue building.
The Yamboree Exhibit Building was built in 1972 when Steve Dean was President and the General Contractor was Larry Henson. The original color was a darker shade of light blue and the life expectancy of the building was 25 years. Six years ago the kitchen was upgraded to a commercial setup which can be rented for an additional cost. As we are now in 2024 the building needed some upkeep.
One of the first things I did was find a sponsor to help me with the work of getting this building brought back to its original glory and luster. I started with the people I have done business with for over 40 years of my life First National Bank of East Texas.
Danny Weems is a great friend to me and of my late father and I respect him very much so when I needed the money to start my restoration project I went to him first. We struck a deal and I had my sponsor and now I needed my painter.
I initially reached out to the community and received 3 bids. When we were ready to start the project my first choice at first wanted the job but then declined and the other 2 were already on jobs.
Nan Fowler suggested Nathan Cannon since he had done some work for her. I spoke with Nathan and made an appointment with him to come and see the Exhibit Building and quote me a price for the interior painting. The prep work was the major part considering all the staples, tape, screws, tacks, nails, pins, etc. that had been put into the walls over the years. This all had to come out and be rechalked and sanded before any paintwork could be done. We had one wall that had sustained water damage and the panels on the interior had become warped. They fixed them all with liquid nails and lock screws to keep them in place. Now the wall looks completely flat.
Between Nathan and his brother, they were able to start the first week of September as I had shut down the Exhibit Building for the whole month since we needed to get the building finished before Yamboree. The color of the interior that was decided on was Agreeable Gray. It is a semi-gloss interior paint with mild beige undertones which is mildew-resistant and cleans easily with mild soap and water. This is different from the paint on the walls before which was very hard to clean. The cedar walls and trim had to be completely resanded and stained. It took 3 coats to get the cedar to look fresh again as it kept soaking up the stain. The interior used 17 gallons of paint/stain/epoxy on the interior walls, cedar, doors, and rear room floor. This took about 2 weeks to complete.
Nathan informed me that I still had money in my paint budget that would cover all the exterior work; so we decided to move forward.
The first necessary step was to clean all the oxidation off the building by steam cleaning it.
The original color of the building was a light blue but that will not hold up to the ravages of time and weather like a darker blue will. My first choice was navy blue but that turned out wrong as it was more of a grayish-blue tint. The next choice was Loyal Blue which is definitely a winner in my book.
Nan Fowler and Ann Mask repainted our front doors as well.
The only part left is the Plantation Shutters for the front interior doors which will be installed after Yamboree.
I want to thank First National Bank of Texas for sponsoring this project. Without them, it would not have happened and the Cannon Brothers for taking what I know was a job for less than their normal rate because of their love of the East Texas Yamboree.