Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/11545
44 LIVEMAGS.NET JUNE>>10 T he Seventh Ink-N-Iron Festival – taking place over the weekend of June11-13 – is coming to the Queen Mary, Long Beach, for its annual celebration of Kustom culture. Described as a hybrid of "an art gallery and community festival", the event draws an average of 15,000 people each year, all with a shared love of Hot Rods-Kustoms, live music, burlesque, art shows, 50's fashion, and, of course, tattoos. The tattoo show covers three floors inside the ship, with 280 of the best tattoo artists in the world, representing all styles, flown in from 25 countries for the three-day event. According to Trace Edwards, of Ink-N-Iron organizer Keen Entertainment, the festival is an experience of a lifetime. "You can rarely go to an event that pulls in such a cross section of people from the globe," he says. "This adds to the whole flavor and feel of the show. And there's nothing else like it in the world that encompasses the music genres and acts that we do." To top it all off, you can get married there too. MUSIC LINE-UP Musically, the festival is organized into four types of music: The Americana Experience, The Rockabilly Experience, The Rock Show, and The Psychobilly Freakout. Last year's highlights on the musical stage were The Sonics, The Eagles of Death Metal and The Slackers. This year, Ink-N-Iron is graced with established and new talent including Merle Haggard, Rev. Horton Heat, X, Stiff Little Fingers, The Aggrolites, Swingin' Utters, and Hepcat, among many more. STOP STARING! PIN-UP PAGEANT This has become one of the most anticipated Pin-Up Pageants in the country (sponsored by Stop Staring! Clothing) with entrants from across the U.S. and some from Europe. The Stop Staring! Pin-Up Pageant at Ink-N-Iron pays the highest cash prize awarded (to the girls that make it great) on the pin-up pageant circuit. The process starts during January and February when hopeful participants submit their photos and information onto the Ink-N-Iron website. Between February and May, the public votes for whomever they would like to see compete at the festival. The top twelve go on to a live finale at Ink-N-Iron with the audience and a panel of industry judges deciding on the winner. Besides the money, prizes also include Pageant Sash-Cash-Gift Bags (value $200) and the twelve finalists go on to become the Ink- N-Iron Calendar Girls. You can check out the finalists at www.ink-n-iron.com/vote.asp CAR SHOW Hosted by the MoFos Car Club The Ink-N-Iron Car Show is described as the best car show of its type in SoCal. Cars are strictly hand picked , must be pre-'63, and have to be in a style from that era. Last year's Ink-N- Iron had over 200 selected cars in the show with 18,000 people attending to view the car show. If you wish to place your car into