: The Maine Antiques Festival, August 8-10, is a recurring treat
for antiques dealers and shoppers on the Union Fairgrounds.
Produced by Paul Davis's Coastal Promotions for the 22nd
consecutive year, it featured over 350 exhibiting dealers setting
up shop on Friday with early buyers, and continuing throughout
the weekend.
Davis, in a post show interview, said the visitor count on
Saturday set a new record high. People come to the shows as a
source for antiques with an attitude. If you cannot find early
Americana here, you cannot find it anywhere for even
though it is not the biggest of all the outdoor shows, it has
very high quality and selection. It is also just plain fun.
Union is only about 20 minutes from the seacoast towns of Camden,
Rockport and Rockland to the east, Waldoboro and Damariscotta to
the south, all prime summer home and vacation destinations. It is
an area far enough removed from the major Eastern cities to
attract those who can afford to get away from it all.
The Maine Antiques Fair, better known simply as "Union," becomes
a purpose or focus for the weekend, week or vacation. It draws so
many visitors (thousands) that the area hotels, motels, cabins
and campsites all fill up to the point that many dealers have to
move inland to Augusta for accommodations.
The event began on Friday morning with antiques dealers driving
onto the fields and near the buildings. Unloading into buildings
was allowed but only if the precious cargo remained hidden from
view. Outside dealers erected tents and set out props all waiting
for the official announcement of 2 pm. At that, inside dealers
uncovered and unboxed their wares, trunks and trailers emptied
and tents filled with saleable goods and the action began.
Harry Hepburn, Harrison, Me.
And what was there. Maine is still very remote with half of
all New England's land area much of which is simply trees, owned by
lumber and paper companies with little villages here and there.
Communities established in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
are now getting smaller with those who leave selling the household
goods. Simply stated, Maine is still a source of antiques.
Harry Hepburn is from Harrison, Maine. He does a good deal of
work on clocks and at various shows, mostly in New England, has a
few special early timepieces to sell. At this past Union it was a
tall-case clock, aka grandfather clock, American case, which he
sold. Charlie Thorp, Windham, Conn., had a large collection of
whale oil and kerosene lamps, mostly from Sandwich, Mass.
Minnesota transplants Judi and Cy Stellmach, now living in
Connecticut, favor early milk-painted furniture. One item was a
tall cupboard that appeared to have had an early oil paint
scraped off to show its first coat, a deep rich blue milk paint.
Their friend Marion Atten, trading as Antiques at Hillwood Farm,
from Pecatonica, Ill., had a very early rope seated settee,
upholstered and ready to use. While Mainers typically bring out
stuff from the back woods, these dealers had merchandise that
would fit into the same décor; Country Home's Mary
Emmerling would be proud.
Kathy Consentino is from Timber River, New Brunswick, Canada. It
is so small a town it is not even included in the Rand McNally
Atlas but she brought a large collection of oil or painted
softwood furniture, textiles in the forms of hooked rugs and
mats, crewel seat covers, painted pantry boxes and more.
Glen Rice was a newcomer to the festival. Now living in Higganum,
Conn., he and his wife moved earlier this year from California
and got right into the program with stoneware, early tin and
woodenware. The term woodenware is most frequently meant to
describe wooden vessels, bowls, buckets, hand tools, even some
machine made objects such as lathe-turned plates, cups and
tumblers, but not furniture. And the Rice's had a lot of that
stuff.
Jane and Ed Care, Gorham, Maine, were there too, in their usual
space with a charming kitchen set, table and chairs in pine and
maple. Louis Hardy, Weston, Mass., filled her little store with
small antiques and art in period frames. Elizabeth and Jim Dunn,
Springfield, Mass., had their collection of Staffordshire
figurines on display. Glimmer Glass, Schenevus, N.Y., filled
their booth with just that, glimmering glass.
Marc Witus has, as he says, "varied tastes in antiques" and a
wealth of knowledge in countless areas. One showcase was almost
all miniature portraits, sometimes called vest pocket portraits
from the early Nineteenth Century and before. In another part of
his booth he displayed Mission furniture.
The Orwigs, Corunna, Ind.
Sara Sampson, Deep River, Conn., specializes in two-color
transferware. Jim and Yvonne Ticker of Davidson, N.C., started out
years ago collecting Flow Blue dishes, then they began dealing in
it. Jim's full-time job was insurance which grew into insuring
dealers and the creation of Antiques & Collectibles Dealers
Association. That is now their full-time occupation but they came
to Maine as dealers again just for the fun of it.
Some dealers have been there all 22 years, including Patricia Ann
Breame, from Woodstock, Maine. Others were first year exhibitors,
such as Lorraine and Steven German, North Granby, Conn.
Union is fun, work, play, good food and some level of income for
dealers or a place to buy new parts to their collection. It is a
great way to enjoy the Maine summer, at the shore or field during
the day, nights without air conditioning and most of all good
friends, new ones and old ones.
Call 207-563-1013 or visit www.maineantiquefest.com for
information. Next year's show will be August 13-15.
