Jim Long had brought several Nantucket baskets to the show and reported selling at least one. West Dennis Antiques, West Dennis, Mass.

Review and Photos by Madelia Hickman Ring

ORLEANS, MASS. – Good weather means different things to different people. When you are an antiques dealer at a one-day outdoor summer show, good weather often means low attendance if showgoers opt to do other outdoor activities than attend an antique show. So, overcast skies forecasted good attendance on Saturday, August 11, when the Cape Cod Antique Dealers Association, Inc (CCADA), conducted its 48th annual show. It was situated on the front lawn of the Nauset Middle School and proceeds from attendance benefit the association’s cultural enrichment and scholarship funds.

A large storm had blown through the area two days prior to set up, but association president Charlene Dixon said it did not have any lasting impact on the show. Of the 32 dealers present, five were new to the show. The majority of the dealers were set up under three big tents, while smaller tents ringed the perimeter of the grounds for remaining dealers.

After the show, Dixon said, “we are once again thrilled with our gate, as we had close to 450 visitors attend, which is only 50 less than last year. Whether it was jewelry, decorative objects, primitives or nautical, people were buying throughout the day and most of our dealers were pleased with their sales. We had a wide array of merchandise and sales were brisk across the board!”

In speaking after the show, CCADA Board of Directors member and publicity coordinator, Marie Forjan, said the traffic at the show had been down a bit from the previous year. Though the rains held off except for a little drizzle at midday, the rain did not discourage people from buying, though Forjan said some potential buyers might have stayed away from the show because it was “tax-free week” in Massachusetts and a popular time for retail shopping.

Dealers bring to the show primarily American antiques, focused heavily on small furniture, paintings, decorative and folk art objects, linen, jewelry and books, the majority of which was sourced for local interest. Nautical or whaling artifacts are perennial favorites and they were there in abundance.

Tradewinds Fine Art, Narragansett, R.I.

Some of the many sales made during the day included a small child’s Adirondack chair in original blue paint as well as a set of antique tools from an old New Bedford, Mass., family’s cobbler’s shop, both from Michele Kittila, South Yarmouth, Mass. Ed and Charlene Dixon from Eastham offered two original Cape Cod maps from the 1930s and both sold quickly that morning, as did the copper whale weathervane.

South Dennis, Mass., dealer David Thompson Antiques & Art sold a Provincetown scene painting by Harvey Dodd, while West Dennis Antiques owner Jim Long counted an original Nantucket basket among his many sales. Jim Claflin of Kendrick A. Claflin & Sons, Worcester, Mass., parted with an 1890s portrait photograph of the SS Portland by NL Stebbins.

William Nickerson Antiques included a dry sink cupboard and two cottage bureaus among their many sales and Marie Forjan of Marie’s Memories commented that among her many sales were an early rustic wooden French baguette tray and a Czech 1930s cut glass perfume bottle. Charles and Barbara Adams, South Yarmouth, Mass., reported selling several nautical pieces and other things from a variety of areas.

The dealer’s association show is the first of nine antique shows that take place on Cape Cod between August and December. For information, www.ccada.com.

The exterior of the booth of association president, Charlene Dixon, and her husband, Jim. The whale weathervane in the photo would sell during the show. Edward and Charlene Dixon, Eastham, Mass.