Fun day at the Antique Show

Yesterday I left here at 6 A.M. with my son P.J. for a fun day at the Antique Show at the Warren County Fair Grounds.....it did not take us long to get to "Harmony" where it was, but the "set up time" was a little more than two hours. It was sooooooooooooooooooo much work to set up. P.J. takes his own tent, and tables, cloths, and boxes of everything high end. Then there are the antique chairs, the kitchen table and bench "booths" so popular again, his are yellow, and very pretty. Most admired was his "huge Elk's head" which everyone agreed was the largest "deer" they had ever seen. But, it was very magnificent. He had an old desk, bronze eagle, all sorts of baskets, direction signs, little tables, and pictures, (the log cabin picture was asked about the most) and all sorts of cloisonné boxes and vases.....Those were the things sitting outside of his booth, but on the tables and inside the tent, he had "TONS" of jewelry, only the good stuff, Sterling silverware, and Sterling bowls, toys, "even a boomerang" fancy wooden boxes, and more lovely pictures. Very old watches and rings, and brooches, and his main items are all made of hand carved Ivory.

This is all gorgeous antique carved Ivory that an importer sold out of Manhattan probably before the 50's. And it was kept in storage. P.J. bought it from the Grandson who had inherited it, and did not want to be in that business any longer, as he grew up with it all. P.J. bought 100,000 pieces and are they carved beautifully! I would not want an elephant to die for me, but these elephants have been gone for well more than half a century, I only have one piece of ivory, and it is a bracelet and I really do love it.

There were a lot of people there and a lot of dealers there. They had an inside place that was like a very long shed, and I had never been to that little Fair Ground before. It sort of reminded me of when I was a kid and going to the Farm and Horse Show up in Branchville.

Yesterday they had an antique car show there as well as the antique show. Most of those dealer tables had old kitchen spoons, bowls, cookie cutters, pictures, coffee grinders, couple of old books, and that type of thing. Of course some specialized in the Victorian furniture, but it looked terrible. Not a good find. Probably in someone's damp moldy basement for 50 years.

P.J.'s tent and space was the very best there, the Show Director stopped at his tent and told us that. They want him back next year.

And they did do entertainment during the show. I saw a girl playing her violin most of the afternoon, and a man with his guitar and it was on speakers all over, and not that blaring loud that sometimes happens. Later, another girl sang and played her guitar, and she and they have really made it in life. We could see them from our tent, and they did a great job and it was so pleasant to hear it all day.

I took a picnic lunch along for P.J. and I, and that worked out just great. We could eat when we were hungry, and it saved us a lot of money. I have done shows before, and you don't get to eat. You can't leave your booth, and no one to buy food from. This place had a nice big vendor for food, and we did not need it, but it was nice to know it was there. This is the first year that they had done it, they said, and according to them next year will be even larger. I could see the lady across from us had only taken her "yard sale" stuff, and it was so ugly, no one bought any. It was simply junk. How she covered her entry fee, must be with her grocery money. There were a lot of those people there, too, hawking their wares. Trust me, they aren't buying groceries this week.

I found our friend, at her table there, and she had a cookie cutter I have been looking for, about 40 years! It was the ruffly round one. She would not take a penny from me for it. A wonderful friend, and a gracious gift to use and remember the Antique Show for the rest of my days. I hope I get a chance to use it today.

Well, the day did end, and we packed for about two hours. On the way home we stopped and got ice cream and it was delicious! Mine was raspberry, (no sugar) which I have never had before, P.J. had chocolate chip mint.

About 8 P.M., P.J. and I walked in my front door. We were tired, but filled with memories of a terrific day...enought to keep me for the rest of my life, when I move west. What a GIFT it was, to spend the entire day with my son, and not have to share him at all....I don't count the 2,000 people milling all over the place. It was terrific!!!!!!!