By Greg Smith
NEW HAMPSHIRE— The New Hampshire Antiques Show, Antiques in Manchester, The Americana Celebration Antiques Show, and The Milford Show, all part of Antiques Week in New Hampshire, have cancelled their events for August, 2020.
The New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association announced Thursday May 21 that the 67-dealer New Hampshire Antiques Show, often called the Dealers Show, would return in 2021. The New Hampshire Antiques Show serves as the anchor of Antiques Week in New Hampshire, a group of six shows that annually attract thousands of collectors from across the country.
“Due to the unpredicted health crisis in the United States/worldwide, and after carefully considering all the components of promoting a show of this caliber, the NH Antiques Dealers Association Board of Directors has come to the difficult decision that The Annual New Hampshire Antiques Show scheduled for August 6-8, 2020 will be postponed until August 12-14, 2021,” they wrote.
“The NHADA would like to thank all of our dedicated patrons, collectors, and friends for the support you have given us throughout the years at The Annual New Hampshire Antiques Show.”
Later that afternoon, show promoter Karen DiSaia cancelled Antiques in Manchester, which takes place August 5-6 nearby at Sullivan Arena on the campus of St. Anselm College. That show hosts 65 dealers.
“I am really so sad to have to cancel Antiques in Manchester,” she said. “The entire Antiques Week in New Hampshire is such an amazing coming together of diverse people and ideas, all focused around our love of history and material culture, and fun and connection. As always, I was so looking forward to seeing all of my dealer friends, and to reconnecting with so many of the people who come to the show every year. I think particularly this year, with all of this forced separation and solitude, we were all hoping for that chance to rejoin old friends and catch up on the year’s happenings. I think I will especially miss that group from all over who meet up at the show and after shopping, sit together in the café to share their new treasures with each other. I am sure they will all miss each other too! We are in the process of developing a pretty exciting virtual event and will keep you all posted.”
The Milford Antiques Show, the first show of Antiques Week in New Hampshire, and scheduled for August 2, has also been cancelled, show manager Jack Donigian told us. He said he looks forward to resuming the show next year after the difficult time has passed.
The Americana Celebration Antiques Show, organized by Peter Mavris, has also cancelled. That show was scheduled for August 4.
Mavris said, “With quarantine procedures when traveling, it makes it prohibitive. I don’t even know that the state or city would allow it in August. What the future brings, that’s totally unknown—no one can predict it. If there was anything I could do to change it, I would. I was hoping we might be able to come up with some kind of solution by then, but it’s not likely.”
The two other shows of the week, which include the MidWeek One Day Antiques Fair and The Deerfield Antiques Show, have not yet determined their course of action.
“We are not cancelling at this time,” Rachel Gurley, co-promoter of the Deerfield Antiques Show, told us. “We are seeing what happens with New Hampshire state regulations. If we run Deerfield, it will be in compliance with all laws, recommendations and regulations. It may change and look very different, we may consider running outside or one day only. We have an obligation to keep everyone safe and we will be considerate in doing so.”
Show manager Frank Gaglio, who runs the MidWeek One Day Antiques Fair, had similar sentiments and is also exploring the possibility of running outside and online.
“I would not have a show if it’s going to put my dealers, my customers and my staff at risk. You cannot put people at risk,” he said.
Whether these shows appear online, outside, or in a unified effort remains to be seen. We will keep the community apprised of their efforts going forward.
