Dear friends, dealers and fellow collectors;
As some of you have heard, the Canyonville Show is
no more. Despite nearly 15 years of hard work building this venue from the
ground up, our efforts went down in flames after the 2015 show. My friend, Ed
Soliz, was our liaison at Seven Feathers. Ed made it work. Sadly, we lost Ed to
Lou Gehrig's disease in the Spring of 2015. With Ed's passing, we lost any and
all hopes of continuity.
Seven Feathers became increasingly difficult, and
ultimately impossible, to deal with after Ed's death. A combination of ongoing
broken promises and overwhelming price increases on their part sang the swan
song for a show that had become a west coast regional favorite.
We provided Seven Feathers with substantial convention center lease
income, guaranteed blocked hotel room sales, as well as ancillary income in
terms of gambling, entertainment, restaurant and alcohol sales. Sadly, it
wasn't enough, and they wanted more... After ongoing attempts to "think of
a way to make it happen", I tossed in the towel. Simply, I was beating a
dead horse.
Sad, because the show not only became a
destination weekend for both insulator and bottle collectors, but also provided
locals an opportunity to have their "treasures" appraised for free, and
auction them off if they elected (free of sellers fees). Canyonville was simply
a fun show in a great facility. And I can't thank each and every one of you
enough for being an integral part of "C'ville" over the years.
2016
Despite our best efforts to find a suitable
replacement location, things looked bleak. Sometimes, though,
the solution to a problem is right under our noses and it just takes a kick in
the pants to see it. Boy, did 7F ever give me one. Out of the blue, I got a
phone call from Greg King, owner of "Glory Days Antiques" in Medford.
Glory Days is the premier antique mall in Southern Oregon. Greg has helped push
the Canyonville Show for years through word of mouth advertising and by handing
out flyers to anyone coming through his doors. Greg was negotiating with the
Jackson County Expo to produce a highly anticipated regional venue by the name
of the Rogue Valley Antique Show. Would I be interested in co-producing
the JSABC Antique Bottle and Insulator Show in the same building on the
same weekend? My answer was an immediate and resounding YES! Back to our roots!
It
is with great pleasure that I announce the first annual "Jefferson State
Antique Bottle and Insulator Expo" to be held May 6 & 7, 2016
at the Jackson County Expo complex just off of I5 in Central Point, Oregon
(only 2 minutes north of Medford). This venue will replace the now defunct
Canyonville Show. The contracts have been finalized and we have the table and booth locations drawn up and approved by the Fire Marshall. We are
initially starting out this year with slightly more than 50 tables for bottle and
insulator dealers, which will occupy roughly half of the nearly 12,000 square
foot building. We have reduced the table fees based on overall operating costs.
They are $50~ per. This will include one 30" x 8' table plus two chairs.
Our
loyal past dealers were given the opportunity to reserve their tables until
Feb. 29, prior to opening up general reservations. We've had a lot of advance
interest and as of yesterday, in the space of just over a week, 30 tables have been spoken for. I can't stress the old saying enough; "you snooze / you
lose". Simply, if you are serious about a table / tables, request a dealer packet and mail your
reservation in as soon as you receive it.
May
is a good (no great) month here in So. Oregon. It's almost always warm, but almost
never hot. Figure temps in the 70's to 80's. Allergy season is pretty much
over. Same goes for snow. Mid spring here is the cats pajamas!
Medford
is a big town, but not a big city. Medford is a couple of miles south of the
Expo. Rogue Valley International Airport is only 2.1 miles from the Expo if
you'd prefer to fly rather than drive. All the major car rental agencies are in
place at the airport as well. Plus, lots and lots of choices for lodging,
dining, entertainment etc. And none of it is owned by Seven Feathers...
You
want to tie in some fishing? Trophy lakes are about an hour away and the winter
ice will have long since melted; (my favorite is Diamond and I've reeled in
some lunkers there). Applegate Lake is another nice day trip. Decent fishing
there for cut throat and rainbow trout. Crater Lake is only a couple of hours
away too; well worth the drive! Historic Jacksonville is only about 15 minutes
from the expo and is also worth a visit.
Don't set your sights on digging though
- it's a sure fire way to draw a "go directly to jail" card!
Oregon laws against bottle digging are strictly enforced on both
public and private property (even with permission, since the State claims that
they own it all), and J'ville is a "fishbowl"...
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We
will provide a total of roughly 50 tables, with two chairs per table. You will
need to make your own arrangements if you need more chairs. The tables are
wood. If you want a table covering, please bring your own. At this time, there
are no provisions for electrical.
In
order to make setup as smooth and seamless as possible, the antique dealers
will be allowed to construct their booths starting on Thursday. "Glass" dealers
will be allowed to bring in their stock on Thursday as well, if you wish. But,
nothing will be allowed on the bottle or insulator tables until dealer setup on
Friday morning.
Show
hours are as follows;
May
5, 2016 - Thursday - Dealer Setup - Noon to 7PM (no early admission) (nothing
on tables)
May
6, 2016 - Friday - Dealer Setup 8:30 - 10AM
Early
admission - 9AM - 10AM
General
Admission - 10AM - 7PM
May
7, 2017 - Saturday - Dealer Restock (no early admit) 9-10AM
General Admission - 10AM -3PM
There
will be a charge for general admission. It is nominal and is helping to defray
the cost of producing the show. It will be $3~ each or two for $5~. This is
well under half what previous antique show venues have charged in the past and
will not hinder our admission numbers.
Bill,
our webmaster, has the splash page up and the website ready to roll out as soon
as the last few details are ironed out. Here's a link to it;
http://www.ecandm.com/expo/ . Keep an eye on it as we move forward!
RV
parking is available onsite. Sites are easy to maneuver and include power and
water only (no sewer hookup or dump). The Expo handles all details regarding RV spaces. For information contact the Expo
at (541)
774-8270.
There
are numerous doors which will allow easy load in and load out. We will have
provisions in place for temporary parking to allow you to off load your cases. The
grounds are mostly level and both the parking lot and the pavilion floor are in
good repair. You are requested to watch out for horses and other livestock and
to keep your speed down to a minimum since a regional livestock event is being
held in an adjacent building to ours.
Prior
to the show, you will receive your table assignment and a color coded map. Your
table number will cross reference to the color and your parking lot gate
entrance number and load in / load out route will be shown on this map. Once
off loaded, you will proceed to dealer parking, which is located outside the
pavilion grounds, a short distance away. Signage will also help direct you once
you arrive.
We
are doing everything possible to make this joint venture a smooth transition
from C'ville to Expo. We thank you for your continued support, and look forward
to making this Fresh Start a fun and enjoyable weekend for all!
Respectfully,
Bruce Silva
Show Chairman
2016
Jefferson State Antique Bottle and Insulator Expo
http://www.ecandm.com/expo/
jsglass@q.com
P. O. Box 1565
Jacksonville, Or. 97530
541-821-8949 (cell)
