Ready, set, shop.
The Christie Antique Show takes place Saturday, an event that draws people from Hamilton and beyond. We have it listed in our 5 things to do Saturday story.
CBC Hamilton talked Julian Taylor, owner of Taylors Antiques , and he's got five simple tips on how to get the most bang for your buck at any antique show.
1. Arrive early.
"You'll get the best pick. Show up half an hour before the show opens," said Taylor.
2. Set a limit and stick to it.
Make sure you know what you're looking for. It's easy to get sucked into impulse purchases.
"It's not like you can bring it back and say I made a mistake," explained Taylor.
3. Go for a known dealer.
Taylor advised shoppers to deal with stores who are well known and reputable. That means you have the option of returning something if it isn't just right.
4. Don't be polite, ask about age.
"Ask them how old it [the antique] is and if you get a bill, have them write the date of the antique down. There's so many reproductions and fakes," said Taylor. "Legally, you can bring it back because you bought it under false pretenses."
5. Check for chips.
"Once you walk away with it, you can't come back to say it's chipped," explained Taylor.
So make sure to thoroughly inspect any China and glass.
Source: www.cbc.ca
Antique group becomes an antique itself - niagarathisweek.com
As is often the case, when Ken Benner and a few local farmers tried to start a new event 40 years ago, it rained.
The group, interested in power equipment old and new, mainly tractors, were trying to create an event that would show off old steam tractors and backhoes and newer diesel-powered machines. Benner had come up with the idea after attending a similar show in Milton, and thought the July long weekend would make a great time for the debut event.
“Much to our dismay, it rained Thursday and Friday, making the back field much to wet to put a 10-ton tractor on,” he later wrote.
On Saturday, July 1, 1972, the rain clouds parted. And while the ground was muddy and the air foggy, the first Niagara Antique Power Association power display occurred.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of NAPA, a group you see throughout Niagara at museums and events like the Marshville Heritage Festival in Wainfleet and Canal Days in Port Colborne.
And for NAPA member Barb Mittlestead she’s not surprised the group has survived and thrived four decades after its creation.
“(The members) don’t lose the enthusiasm to show kids what it used to be like,” she said.
Keeping antique equipment in working order, she said, “is something that you just can’t replace.”
The main event for NAPA is the yearly power show, which still takes place over the Canada Day long weekend. It takes place at the NAPA showgrounds, 1957 Wilhelm Rd. in Sherkston.
Each year the shows features something from the old days, and this year the group is featuring one of the centrepieces of any village or town before the days of big factories and manufacturers: the blacksmith.
“Blacksmiths were the centres of most villages back then,” Mittlestead said. “It’s where most of the work got done.”
“People think they just lay steel on a fire, pound it and it turns into what you want,” she said, explaining it was a specialized craft that only few could perfect.
The show will feature NAPA’s blacksmith shop, and there will also be a number of present day blacksmiths on hand to ply their trade and show what they can do.
But that’s not all there will be to do at the show, which runs the entire weekend, from Friday, June 29 to Sunday July 1. All the classic events will be back, including the tractor pull, horse pull, Sunshine the Clown, a birds of prey show, various vendors, and musical entertainment.
New this year Randy Thomas will be performing, to join longtime NAPA power show performers the Olde Tyme Fiddlers, among the many other groups that will be performing.
The blind tractor game, which debuted last year, will also return. The game has participants climb aboard a tractor blind folder. The object is to stop the tractor as close to the finish line as possible, without going over. But don’t worry, Mittlestead said with a laugh, someone else is driving the tractor.
“It really went over big last year,” she said.
There will also be activities for the kids, including a kiddy tractor ride.
Also, to celebrate the 40 year anniversary, kids can take part in a scavenger hunt. On the showgrounds there will be artifacts and items that represent what was featured during each of the past 40 shows. Kids who can find each item and write down when it was featured, will win a prize.
Camping is available on the showgrounds for the weekend.
Gates open each day at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. Admission costs $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12. Weekend passes are available, $9 for adults and $3 for children. For more information visit www.niagaraantiquepower.org
Source: www.niagarathisweek.com
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