Texas Music Expo may be just the start of something big
Written by Phil Cerroni
By Jess Paniszczyn
If you love music and guitars in particular, the Texas Music Expo presented at the Irving Convention Center was the place to be Oct. 12-14.
“We are marketing the Texas Music Expo as the ultimate music market place, which it is with guitars, records, memorabilia and live music,” said Thomas Kreason ‘TK,’ the event organizer. “Heritage Auctions is also here doing an appraisal fair. We have great marketplace items as well as celebrities signing autographs.
“Attendance has been a little sparse, because of the weather with 60 mile an hour winds, and the predicted hail storm. A lot of people are saying they will come tomorrow. We’ve had visitors all day, we just haven’t had a huge crowd at one time. This is the first time we’ve done this event, so next year word will get around.”
Unlike the majority of the expos and events held at the convention center which are here today 
and gone tomorrow, the expo and the organization it supports, the Texas Musicians Museum, hope to become long standing Irving institutions.
“This is one of many events that are being put on to help the Texas Musicians Museum, which is currently working on a deal to relocate to downtown Irving,” TK said. “We are working with the City, and hopefully we will be able to open sometime in the beginning of the year or by early spring. The City and most of the people with the City are real excited to have us. We are planning to do a lot of live music events at the museum.”
Formerly located in Waxahachie, the museum has been homeless since a fire last July. The museum boasts the world’s largest collection of Texas music history on display anywhere in the world. Its archives contain almost $1 million in stage outfits, record awards, recordings and other music related items.
Irving resident and blues artist, Leo Hull was one of the expo’s exhibiters.
“We’ve had a very nice day,” Hull said. “I’ve seen a lot of friends here at the show. We are just down here promoting our band and having a good time.”
Hull summed up his favorite part of the expo in a few words, “guitars, guitars, guitars and guitars. I wish more people would have known about the expo. This is the first year it has been held in Irving, and it will be held here again next year. Hopefully, we will have a bigger show next year.
“It would be an awesome thing if the Texas Musicians Museum were to come to Irving.”
Kim Pakula and her husband paused as they shopped for memorabilia.
“I love the expo,” Pakula said. “I am having a great time. I bought a poster of the Texas Jam 1979, because I was there the year this picture was taken.”
