Dealers Total 167 For First NHADA-Sponsored Blue Ribbon Show

CONTOOCOOK, N.H.

:Did the First Annual Blue Ribbon Antique Show actually win any blue ribbons? Yes it did, and rightly so.

A blue ribbon must be awarded for the concept of the show, a one-day event with a fine cast of dealers. Another blue for the location, a rambling fairgrounds out in the New Hampshire countryside that allowed dealers to set up either in any one of a number of buildings, or outside. Any tenting outside was provided by the exhibitors and many were in evidence. "I have not used this tent for years, but it is great today due to the sun and the heat," Bill Lary said. Tom Longacre and Russ and Karen Goldberger had side-by- side booths and shared one tent between them. "It was a necessity today," Tom said.

The show ran well, with easy setup and takedown, a good reason for another blue ribbon. Dealers entered the green gate of the fairgrounds, the location during the day for any furniture pickup, and the public came in through the blue gate on the opposite side of the fairgrounds.

Bob Withington got off to a "wet" start early in the morning when he drove a stake into the ground to rig his tent. "I went right into one of the water lines and it took the best part of an hour to get the maintenance man out here to fix it," Bob said. In the meantime, water spouted from the ground, forcing the Withington booth to move across the pathway and into the shade of a large tree.

Commanding the greatest space, and under a large white tent, auctioneer, banker, philanthropist and town supporter Dick Withington was in place next the entrance gate, greeting people he had known for years and those he was seeing for the first time. "I needed lots of space as I wanted to let people know what kind of things I was offering in my shop," Dick said.

He spent much of the day talking over old times with his friends, seated comfortably in a wing chair with a fireplace surround and highboy in the background. Dick was also passing out flyers to alert people of a special free concert he was sponsoring on the lawn in historic Hillsborough Center on July 2. It was to feature the East Coast All Stars, a swing and Dixieland band from the South. "I want to do this for people to show my appreciation of 87 years of living to good life in Hillsborough," he said.

The attendance was not what it should have been, coming in at about 400 people and taking a white ribbon. Paul David, who managed the show for the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association, said, "We are meeting in September to talk things over and at that time we will decide what we can do about getting more people to the show." A different date may be in the cards, and some of the exhibitors questioned the day, having it on a Thursday and not either on the weekend or a Friday. "All of that will be taken into consideration," Paul said.

As far as dealer inventory was concerned, a red ribbon. The show was not loaded with great finds, but was filled with good, solid objects. "Many of the exhibitors here will be doing one of the shows in New Hampshire and I have the feeling that some are holding back for that event," one show visitor commented. That very well may have been the case, which would only add incentive to a date change.

Another red ribbon hangs on dealer sales, with about an even split between those who came away happy and those who wished they had done more. One person who was exceptionally pleased with the show was Peter Carswell from Strafford, N.H., who was doing the first show he had done in about 22 years. "I just decided to give it a try and it has been very good," Peter said. His sale included, among other things, a six-drawer chest, several Windsor chairs, baskets, a tall chest and a watercolor portrait of a sailing ship.

"There are always bugs to work out in a first-time show," Paul Davis said, "and we are going to do just that."

That's good news, for the show has potential in a very relaxed setting, and it was fun to visit. Looking forward to next year.

By the way, no ribbon to the food vendor who ran out of lobster rolls early in the day. And his milk shakes were little more than chocolate milk.