What the challenges of years past have taught us.
The year was 2015 and Highland Mall was closing its doors. Many people were excited about the aging mall being replaced by a campus of higher education but a large group of Houstonians did not share that feeling. Why would people from Houston care about Highland Mall closing down? Because for years going back longer than anyone can remember Highland Mall was home to one of the greatest car events in Texas history.
Many people don’t know this but Austin, Texas is home to the Texas Relays which no one can truly say they know much about. All we know is that its a track and field event for high school kids that takes place in Austin. Perhaps the greatest thing to come out of that weekend is the car show at Highland Mall. Each year hundreds of Donks and Slabs from all over the great state would congregate at Highland Mall’s vast parking lots to show off their new rims, candy colored paint jobs, and loud sound systems. Many generations of families would go to this event each year.
In 2015 when the mall was set to close it created a huge problem. Would anyone continue to bring their donks to Austin, Texas during that weekend or would the show move elsewhere? Not wanting to risk losing the event, a Mississipi native who spent much of his adult life in Austin decided to take matters into his own hands. Deykon Harris is no novice when it comes to throwing a car event. He’s been involved in some of the biggest shows over the years. In 2016 Deykon decided to move the Donk Contest to The Domain in Austin, Texas. This proved to be a controversial move as some boundaries had to be crossed. Ultimately the show that year had to be moved last minute. The 2017 the Donk Contest was held in a parking garage at Rock Rose in The Domain and was a positive step forward. So what happens next?
The 2018 Donk Contest will be the biggest show so far. The Donk Contest has brought in some of the best event organizing and marketing talent to ensure it will be the most successful show. As of today there have been 22 confirmed Donks entered into the contest and we are aiming at having at least 40 total Donks and even more slabs. More information will be released in early 2018.
– Travis O’Connor