The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
-by Holly Willdrick, Quill Staff
Many of you may have seen the Kasey Kane trailer sitting at the La Harpe home of Mike and Donna James, and many may know what HUGE fans they are of Mr. Kane. They frequently attend races and would visit Kasey's souvenir trailer often. What many may not know is that Mike and Donna are now helping out in the trailer selling Kasey Kane merchandise.
It was during one of their many visits to the trailer that they met David and Essle Burgess who pull and operate the trailer trackside at all the NASCAR races. One thing led to another and before they knew it the Jameses were booked on the same cruise as the Burgesses.
Essle told both of the men that there would be no race talk on the vacation, but of course, when they were alone, they did a little race talk. By the time they finished the cruise Mike and Donna had been invited to come help out in the trailer any time they could.
On July 15th they attended the race in Chicago and helped. After the race they invited David and Essle back to their home. The Jameses knew a couple of young boys in La Harpe who would absolutely love to see the trailer.
The Burgesses and Jameses pulled into La Harpe very early Monday morning. Nathan Palmer, the James' neighbor, woke up that morning to a wonderful view. Right outside his window was Kasey Kane. Well, maybe not the real live Kasey Kane, but a bigger than life picture on the side of a trailer.
Word traveled fast all over La Harpe that the trailer would be open later that evening for fans to come and see. Jensen Corzatt, who had just returned home from the race in Chicago, as well, was one of the first in line, and right behind him was Nathan. The boys were allowed inside the trailer to see all of the souvenirs up close.
Of course, this only made it harder for the boys to decide what they wanted to buy. They were both in Kasey Kane heaven. There was also a line of fans outside the trailer who came to buy t-shirts, hats, die-cast cars and other souvenirs.
For a handful of lucky fans, David handed out the official pit hat. Many of them put them right on. Although Kasey himself was not in La Harpe (although many teased Donna that she had him tied up inside) he was the highlight of the evening. The Jameses are planning to go to more races and help out whenever they can.
[A little history about Motorsports Authentics... In 1992, Action Performance Companies secured the exclusive license of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. That put Action on the map and it wasn't long before other drivers were signing agreements with the company. Then, in 1995, the die-cast and motorsports collectibles landscape changed when they manufactured Dale Earnhardt's special paint scheme for the NASCAR All-Star Race. This was the start of "special" paint schemes that collectors love!
In 1999, Team Caliber was created as a manufacturer of officially licensed die-cast. In 2000, Jack Roush purchased the company. Team Caliber then began producing die-cast in addition to apparel and novelty.
Today, Motorsports Authentics markets and distributes products in a number of ways, including trackside, mass retailer, a network of specialty dealers, QVC, the Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA) and mass retail department stores.]ΚΚΚ
Jensen Corzatt, Burgess, and Nathan Palmer inside the trailer
Jensen Corzatt standing beside the Kasey Kane trailer
David & Essle Burgess with Donna & Mike James