The second of the shows to open for Vermont Antiques Week is the Okemo Antiques Show, now in its 18th year and under the management of Don and Pat Clegg. Okemo and the town of Ludlow were not spared by Tropical Storm Irene, and evidence of damaged roads, bridges with no roads leading to or fro, and roads with no bridges were noted throughout the area.
The local supermarket sustained serious flooding, and a month after the storm was still operating from a tent in the front of its parking lot. Further up-the-mountain at the Okemo base lodge, it was evident that a great deal of destruction had also occurred. Yet, not unlike Weston’s situation, the roads surrounding the ski basin were repaired, washed-out areas were filled back in and the lodge was ready to be opened on schedule.
Thirty Americana dealers from as far away as Ohio filled the two small display areas that this bright and colorful show occupies.
Operating on a quirky schedule, Okemo opened at 3 pm on Friday, September 30, for a preview party complete with wine, finger foods and a grand selection of antiques. Officially, it is a one-day show that opens to the public on Saturday, October 1.
As always, there was a long line of patrons that waited hours to enter the show. Ohio dealers/shoppers Bobbie and Roger Pries, along with fellow Ohioans Carol and Michael Kellogg, arrived at the Okemo Lodge shortly after noon on Friday to claim their first-in-line spots, and roughly three hours later they had been joined by a couple hundred other shoppers from throughout the Northeast. Don Clegg made his usual announcements a couple minutes prior to the bewitching hour and then rang his bell to mark the start of another year at Okemo.
Colette Donovan, Merrimacport, Mass., was set up next to the entrance with a booth that contained a colorful assortment of early textiles. Centered in the booth was an early William and Mary butterfly leg table with nicely turned legs.
Marvin and Barbara Eliot were set up on the opposite side of the entrance, and their booth included an eclectic mix of merchandise ranging from an early three-drawer blanket chest in old red paint to a theorem of a basket of fruit by David Ellinger. Doing business as Pottles and Pannikins, Windsor, Conn., the couple also displayed a large assortment of vintage toys that included a large folk art airplane and tin litho race cars, the remainder of a collection that belongs to their grandson. Barbara was at preview by herself, explaining that Marvin had taken a spill and was resting up back in the hotel.
Jane Wargo, Wallingford, Conn., was busy as the show opened showing customers a nice slender leg Sheraton drop leaf table in old red paint. Painted firkins, spice boxes, a small eagle weathervane and a basket with three early teddy bears filled out her display.
A wonderful Victorian birdhouse with dormer windows, intricate fretwork and a paneled front door was a highlight at Brooks Antiques, Frenchtown, N.J. Ornate and with weathered great paint, it was a disappointment to many prospective shoppers as it had sold right off the bat.
Newcastle, Maine, dealer Jewett⁂erdan Antiques displayed a wonderful chair/table with delicate turnings and an exception red finish. A smoke decorated stand in the corner of the booth was filled with great smalls, including velvet birds and carved wooden animals.
A nice marquetry inlaid pier-style table with an American flag depicted across the top was at Otto & Susan Hart, Arlington, Vt. One item in the booth attracting a great deal of attention was a wooden briefcase with exceptional grain paint.
Killingworth, Conn., dealer Lewis Scranton filled his booth with the usual assortment of rare redware, baskets, iron and treen, although his booth took on somewhat of a different characteristic this year as he also offered a collection of circus posters from the 1930s and 1940s. The dealer explained that he had come across a collection of 34 posters, mostly from the Fairfield County area of Connecticut.
Joseph Martin, Brownington, Vt., displayed a nice Indian maiden cigar store figure in pleasing old paint. A colorful corner in his booth also included a nice wooden measure in blue paint, a redware jar with vibrant splotched decoration and a potato-stamped Indian basket in reds and blues.
For additional information about the Okemo Antiques Show, www.cleggantiques.com or 717-259-9480.
