: For some, the number 13 is unlucky. But that certainly is not the
case for the Adirondack Mountains Antiques Show that celebrated
its 13th anniversary on September 18 in the Town of Indian Lake.
A very light shower fell just as the preview began on the 17th at
2 pm, but it did nothing to discourage the 150-plus who attended
this four-hour opening. There were some umbrellas in sight, a few
bright yellow slickers, but for the most part the preview-goers
just forged ahead to check out the inventory of each of the 83
dealers taking part in the show.
One lady parked near the entrance to the show commented, "There
are very few people leaving the show without some sort of a
package in hand," while several of the exhibitors said they were
off to a real good start and were hoping for more when the show
officially opened at 10 am the next day.
More good luck came the show's way on Saturday when bright, sunny
skies shown over Indian Lake. "We are so fortunate to have this
great weather when forecasts did not look so good," Jerry Oliver
of Oliver and Gannon Associates, manager of the show, said. The
combination of a nice day and a popular show pulled a crowd of
just over 3,000, with a large opening gates and a steady stream
of people until closing.
"We had some people arriving during the last half-hour of the
show who still wanted to go in despite the limited time for
shopping," Michael Gannon said.
Ralph Kylloe Antiques & Rustic Design, Lake George, N.Y.
The show moved from the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain
Lake to Byron Park in Indian Lake two years ago, and the show has
continued to prosper. "The people of Indian Lake have been just
great; they made Byron Park a great show site by clearing some of
the land, adding roads and facilities, and being wonderful to work
with," Jerry said. Every inch of space is now being used for the
show, allowing space for large trucks to park for dealers to unload
and pack-out. There is talk about making more space available for
future shows so the show can grow as needed.
One does not have to be a lover of the Adirondack rustic look to
enjoy this show. Dealers come with all manner of things,
including glass, books, quilts, toys, some jewelry, redware and
stoneware, and even some tramp art pieces. But at the heart of
the show, it is the Adirondack style that draws the crowd.
Furniture runs the gamut, from the traditional Adirondack lawn
chair to Old Hickory, and from custom pieces to twig-constructed
objects by unknown makers. Carved bears and other forest animals
are in all sizes, canoe paddles range from the usable to the
souvenir painted variety, and fishing tackle is everywhere. Many
of the dealers have each lure, fly or plug in the original box,
while some fishing equipment is offered by the box-lot.
This show can be a real hay-day for sign collectors. Messages
read for "Cottages For Rent" to "Boats For Hire," all done
unprofessionally but with the charm of 50 years ago. One
exhibitor had a large collection of old calendars, some with a
run of 12 months, others showing half a year or less. The
attraction of these calendars lies in the illustrations and
advertising, generally a full-color photo of a handsome man
hooking a large trout and about ready to net it, or a hunter in
the winter woods with a large buck or bear in his sights.
Sport Hill Antiques, Redding, Conn.
Boats are pulled to the show by a number of the dealers,
including a variety of canoes, duck boats and the occasional
rowboat, while some of the exhibitors have boats for display only
including pond boats and models of in-boards.
But what really sets the tone of the Adirondack show is the
quantity and quality of the trophies available. Large stags,
beavers, bears, fox and other species abound, and there is a good
market for them. Jon Magoun of Paris, Maine, came with the
largest menagerie of livestock including two standing bears - one
sold immediately- and about six or eight large bucks. Jon said,
"A lady came into the booth and mentioned the large stag she
wanted last year had sold, so this time she came early and bought
the largest one."
And people were buying. The shipper filled his truck in the first
two hours of the show, and the porters in orange T-shirts were
kept busy running things from the distant booths down to the gate
for pickup. The porters, by the way, are members of the junior
and senior classes at Indian Lake High School. The superintendent
gives those classes two days off from school to help out, and in
return the show funds the senior trip. "We have to use two
classes since there are only ten seniors and 14 juniors in the
school," Jerry Oliver said, "and they do a great job for us."
The show is scheduled for September 16-17 next year and Oliver
and Gannon promise another successful show, and good weather.
It's a promise worth holding them to.
