Heart of Country Antiques Show was “a big success for the public, our dealers, everyone,” according to the show’s manager, Elizabeth Kramer. She added, “I was very happy that the country seems to be pulling out of the dark times since 9/11. Visitor traffic appears to have been up over recent years and our dealers reported strong improvements in sales.” The show opened to the largest preview crowd in memory on the evening of February 10, with about 200 antiques dealers exhibiting antiques that are best described as American country. This twice yearly event ran through February 13 at Gaylord’s Opryland USA.

Each year the show has special exhibits and lectures complementing the Americana theme. This most recent show had a special weathervane exhibit organized by Tom Deupree and supervised by Michael Whittemore showing a large collection of the “art of wind.” Virginia antiques-dealer-turned-author Sumpter Priddy lectured on Southern furniture, the topic of his new book, American Fancy. There was an exhibit based upon the book’s topic as well.

Greg Kramer, a Pennsylvania dealer, presented a special gallery booth – almost a museum, except that most of its antiques were for sale. At the center of it was an American-made tall case clock from Lebanon, Penn.

Charlton Bradsher, Asheville, N.C.

The weathervane exhibit spurred many dealers to offer some oftheir own in their exhibits. Norma Chick of Autumn Pond Antiques,Woodbury, Conn., offered several examples, along with some gardendecorations of animals. The Daigles, trading as Country SquireAntiques, Seekonk, Mass., had a turn-of-the-century whirligigwindmill for sale.

The special exhibit had the outdoor artifacts on topic for many dealers. One Connecticut dealer said, “Garden art and artifacts are the hottest items for expansion of this business. People are getting more time outdoors and are finding that garden decorations, over and above the flowers and shrubbery, are fun additions to their yards.”

Gene Best, Beatrice Pearl Antiques, went one step further. He brought a weathervane that featured a saddle horse, and then he added a child’s rocking horse and a large carousel horse.

Not all of the dealers went for the special theme of the exhibit, as furniture – especially early American made – has always been the mainstay of this event. Marian Aubrey Antiques brought from Charlottesville, Va., an early Georgian-style high boy made in Rhode Island, in very good condition and priced at $18,000, a price that did not scare away the visitors. Also from Virginia, Neverbird Antiques was doing double duty with Heart and the Richmond (Va.) Medical Arts Benefit Antiques Show. This meant that dealer Joyce Subjack had to do Heart with only the art and husband Bill took some art and furniture to Richmond.

Newburgh, N.Y., dealers and collectors Daniel and Karen Olsen had a piece of highly prized Bergen County, N.J., furniture, a tall cupboard, circa 1800. Dover House Antiques from Louisville, Ky., had an apple wood high boy, circa 1750-80, priced at $28,500. Clarence Smith, when asked how he knew it was that rare species, said, “The grain shows like cherry but with the wavy long grain…loose quality to the grain and lighter color, almost the color of birch or ash.” He added apple wood was not available into the Nineteenth Century, as growers were cutting the big trees because they were too hard to harvest the fruit.

Dover House, Louisville, Ky.

In spite of the work Michael Whittemore had to do on theweathervane exhibit, he and his wife, Sally, also set up their ownshop at the show. One piece they offered was a grain painted chestof drawers with very graphic paint decoration. From Illinois, OldTown Antiques had a Kentucky step back cupboard in cherry, whichhad an Andrew Jackson provenance and was priced at $8,950. Mainedealer Betty Berdan had one of the most colorful booths, with alarge variety of American folk art, the usable country articlesincluding quilts and painted furniture.

The dealers came here from all parts of the country, each with his or her own definition of early Americana and country. The Buckinghams from Burleson, Texas, brought a pewter cupboard in early red pitch paint made from what appeared to be cedar wood. Tennessean Hunter Kay had a New Hampshire foreman’s desk, circa 1850. Stephen-Douglas Antiques was there from Vermont and reported “a good show.”

According to Daniel Olson, “The show draws customers from all over the country. We are used to selling to people from all over,” and that was true again this February.

Mrs Kramer said her plans for the next show are now set. The fall gallery theme will be America’s pastime, baseball, and the show will have a slightly earlier date than usual, October 13-16, coinciding with the World Series. There will also be a special exhibit of game boards.

For information, 800-862-1090.