: - "It seemed a bit strange seeing all of this material inside,
well lit and against papered booth walls, instead of out on the
lawn, under tents and often in the rain in the Adirondacks,"
Jerry Oliver said as his new show opened on June 20 with a
preview party at the Hunter Park Pavilion.
After several years in the planning stages, Jerry Oliver and his
partner Michael Gannon brought together The American Museum of
Fly Fishing and close to 70 dealers for a show that should have a
bright future.
The show coincided with the annual meeting of the museum, a
nationally accredited, educational institution dedicated to
preserving the rich heritage of fly fishing. It was founded in
1968 in Manchester and is located next to the new Orvis
headquarters on Route 7A. The preview was well attended, mostly
by members of the museum, and just over 600 people came to the
show on Saturday. "We had hoped for a larger gate," Jerry said,
"but those who came were enthusiastic and a good number of the
dealers had many sales." Michael Gannon said. "We had no
complaints from the dealers and the facility is booked for next
year. It appears that just about every dealer will be returning."
While there were many similarities between this new show and the
Adirondack event in the fall, the biggest difference was the
number of sporting works of art available. With the threat of
rain not in the forecast, dealers dug out their fish paintings,
Hudson River scenes and views of campsites. Curries & Ives
was well represented, especially in the booth of Field and Stream
Antiques of Mansfield, Conn. In addition to three sets of oars
with oarlocks, and a nice selection of rustic furniture including
a pair of rocking chairs, C&I scenes included Bear Hunting,
Pickerel, Partridge Shooting and Snipe Shooting.
David and Bonnie Ferris of Lake Luzerne, N.Y., hung a number of
early signs in their booth, reminders of life in the 1920s.
Typical of those one might see along a country road were "Rooms,"
"Tourists," "Glen-Rose Lodge" and "Fairhurst - Cocker Spaniels."
One table in this booth was cluttered with a quantity of fish and
animal prints, all in gold leaf frames.
Jon Magoun of South Paris, Maine, is never without a canoe or two
at a show and this time he showed one in the lobby of the
pavilion. His booth was painted to simulate old boards and he
offered a large selection of canoe paddles, some with painted
decoration such as an American flag. A pair of oversize snowshoes
was once used for advertising in an early sporting goods store,
and a colorful hooked rug depicted a lighthouse and sailboat. A
moose head looked down from the top support in the booth, and a
pair of bear cubs was mounted in a playful manner. ("We had one
complaint about the bears," Jerry Oliver said, "and we advised
the person not to come to the Adirondack show where all kinds of
animals are presented.")
Robert L. Burger, Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Bearwallow Mt Traders of Chimney Rock, N.C., took a double
booth and filled it with all shapes of rustic furniture, racks of
Beacon blankets, a selection of watering cans, and even an Evinrude
outboard motor, circa 1948.
John Robinson of Williamstown, Mass., offered a tin battery
powered model of the ferry St Malo that ran between
England and France. A Grenfell rug depicted a hunter overlooking
a lake with a cabin in the background, and a small size, 75
inches high and 32 inches wide, corner cupboard was of English
origin. It had dentil molding, open shelves in the top section
and one paneled door in the lower. "I hope no one wants to see in
the lower section," John said, after admitting that it was locked
and the key was in a safe place -- in a plastic bag tacked to the
back of the piece.
A large antler lamp hung in the center of the booth of The
Fishing Room, West Cornwall, Conn., and a framed collection of
fishing flies hung on the wall. One of the frames contained
colorful Victorian bass flies, while the other three showed a
collection of classic salmon flies. A large and colorful red and
yellow bobbin was prominently displayed under a glass dome on a
rustic table. Why the glass dome? "I had no other place to put
the bobbin for the moment," Fred Balling said.
Several Adirondack paintings hung in the booth of J&M Stone
Antiques, Hamilton, N.Y., including an oil on canvas by Lena
Underwood showing a tent beside a lake and a man in a canoe. An
oil on board depicted a man fishing from the banks of a lake.
Kearsarge Lodge Antiques of Wilmot, N.H., also showed several
fish paintings, including a pastel by Samuel Bickford, Claremont,
N.H., circa 1900, of a salmon jumping. A brook trout, with
fishing net and rod, was the subject of a Nineteenth Century
painting, and an oil on canvas by Walter L. Steward of Monson,
Maine, showed another brook trout. This work was signed and dated
1919.
The shelves and display cases were filled to capacity with carved
bears, decoys, miniature snowshoes and Adirondack souvenirs in
the booth of Tim Walker Antiques of York, Penn. It took two
booths to display the many things brought to the show by Susan
and Rod Bartha of Riverwoods, Ill. Their display included an
early fishing canoe, a nice selection of fish paintings, many
carvings, an early dog carrier made of wood and a store counter,
circa 1890.
Loy Harrell of Hawk's Nest Antiques and Decoys, Hinesburg, Vt.,
showed an important oil on canvas by M. Wayne Willis (1906-1992),
from the estate of Harry Webb of Shelburne. This snow scene
pictured a flock of birds in flight against a background that
included an abandoned house and barn. A running horse
weathervane, Colonel Patchen, with cast head and copper body,
Harris & Co., was shown along with a small full-bodied vane
of a pig. A pair of large cast bronze dogs flanked the booth, and
sold on Saturday to a local resident.
Robert M. Loden Sporting Collectibles, Schoharie, N.Y.
A set of six thumb back Windsor side chairs, black paint with
gold decoration, was in the booth of Swope Antiques, Canton, Ohio,
and the top of a four-drawer chest in cherry wood served as a fine
display area for pieces of historical blue Staffordshire. Mill
Brook Antiques of Reading, Vt., offered a pantry cupboard in
mustard paint, two drawers over two doors in the lower section; a
selection of blue decorated stoneware; and a running horse
weathervane that came from a fishing camp on Beals Island, Maine.
While the pavilion has been booked for next year, the dates may
still be in limbo. "We are considering a move to a week later in
order to avoid other major shows," Jerry Oliver said. He added,
"We will know soon and it will be announced."
Meanwhile, Oliver and Gannon will be busy with other shows
including the Summer Antiques Show in Southampton, July 25-27.
Their popular Adirondack Mountains Antiques Show, September
19-20, will have about 120 exhibitors and close to 70 percent of
those who exhibited in Manchester Center will be at that show.
