17th Annual Show Apr 19-20, 2008 Elora Community Centre Elora, Ontario

The April antique show and sale at Elora is an annual highlight for collectors from Toronto to Windsor and all points in between. With top dealers selling in-demand specialties, Elora is the premier antique event in Western Ontario.

Well worth the drive! Great antique show, several local antique malls within 20 minutes, excellent cafés around the corner, and situated in some of Ontario's most scenic landscape. Mark your calendar for a special Spring weekend.

Hours: Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm / Sunday, 11 am - 5 pm
Admission: adults $6.00, children under 13 free

2008 - Strongest dealer line up yet!

These dealers help make the 2008 show the strongest dealer line up we’ve had in many years.

Maureen and Clark Fryday, veteran dealers from Fonthill, return to Elora in '08. They specialize in Canadian folk art and Canadian country furniture.

J. C. Miller Antiques from Baden also returns. Jim Miller, extremely active on several collecting fronts, has an excellent reputation, particularly for antique oil lamps, and Canadian clocks. He is also strong on country furniture, good quality oak and early advertising. Jim's son Ethan will be helping out.

Judith Mureika and daughter Julia Wright, from Hamilton. They sell an excellent line of vintage fashions. They also like to sell Canadian quilts. Their specialty is sewing collectibles.

Nina Harnack, from Cambridge, has excellent vintage jewellery. She also sells fine art glass, ceramics and Sterling silver. She has a large booth full of very nice merchandise.

Ken Feakins from down the road in Fergus, had an excellent booth at Elora last year. He sells mainly refinished furniture. Ken also has a knack for finding local artifacts with strong collector interest. This year is no exception as Ken has saved 2 excellent prints for the show. Both pieces are from the 'Picturesque Canada' series published in 1882 - 1884. One print shows 'Echo Cave on the Irvine River, Elora, Ontario'. Incidentally, visitors to the show, can walk 2 minutes from the show site to see Echo Cave for themselves, as the river flows right by the arena.

The other print shows two scenes from Guelph, 'View of Downtown' and 'On the Speed River'. Both prints are in good condition throughout with strong colouring.

Also from Fergus, Jim and Marg Forbes return this year. They do only a few shows each year, so their stock tends to be fresh. They are strong on Western Ontario country furniture and accessories.

Five new dealers add excitement!

Fred Bradshaw from Owen Sound specializes in Persian antique and semi-antique rugs and carpets, a new category at the Elora show.

Gilles Dussault, Niagara on the Lake, is a veteran dealer and has an excellent eye for the decorative arts. Good ceramics, some native artifacts, objets d' art.

Eric Haldorsen, Ottawa will have a large selection of Canadian and European fine art.

Kieran Hall, Dundas - his business is Acacia Restorations. He does repairs to fine furniture and restores finishes. A master craftsman, Kieran will be demonstrating his art.

Perry Pressman, Stratford, sells mainly formal furniture, tables, dining suites, desks, etc.

Heads up Waterloo County collectors!

Caroline and Bill Byfield have been buying and selling great Waterloo County furniture and decorative accessories for over 20 years. Local dealers, they do a great deal of buying from farms and households in the area, and are experts in collectible Mennonite and Waterloo artifacts. They recently, found, and are keeping for Elora, a great selection of local pieces. The list includes:

• Mennonite childrens' dolls from the estate of Barbara Knorr, Elmira, ON, b. 1926, d. 2007. Two have cloth faces, and the older one has an oilcloth face.
• Mennonite wall paper boxes, Knorr estate.
• Also from Knorr estate, make-do pin cushions, fashioned from the bases of broken oil lamps.
• Very collectible Mennonite home made stuffed animal child's toy.
• C. H. Norton stoneware ginger beer bottle and C. N. Heuther amber glass beer bottle, both marked Berlin, Ontario.

Byfields also just bought a collection of Indonesian folk art, which had been collected by a Kitchener-area nurse who spent several years working in Indonesia. The list includes Ironwood carved bookends, tortoise shell belt, glass beaded man's apron and several other curious pieces.

Elora regulars:

Manley and Sheppard Tim Manley and Jim Sheppard are well-known in the Toronto area as dealers who sell top quality English, European and Asian antiques. They always have an excellent range of ceramics, sculptures, silver, and occasionally a few wonderful Irish paintings.

Annegret Mette - from Burlington, has an excellent eye for quality. She very good jewellery. She also has superb Sterling silver tablewares and very good art glass. Annegret's booth at Elora is a must-see for collectors of silver and fine jewellery.

Land and Ross from Shakespeare - a good bet when you are shopping for kitchen, dining room and bedroom furniture. Land and Ross like Ontario pine, cherry and walnut furniture, and they do an excellent job of refinishing each piece.

Barry Ezrin, the Joinery Shop - nearby Moffat has become an expert in early Canadian and American country furniture. He often comes across very good examples of painted or figured maple furniture. Barry has a 'funky' side too, and in addition to the occasional piece of fine art, he often shows up with neat 20th century pieces.

55 dealer experts in all, included:

• Adrian Tinline, Bowmanville - Canadian country furniture - bigger is better!
• Tom Keeling, Toronto - English/European small decorative and collectible items.
• Bill Pinkney and David Keogh, Hamilton - small furniture, great glass and china
• Barb and Ray Long, Burlington - exceptional estate jewellery
• Paul Braybrook, Sarnia - He refers to himself as general line. But he is known for Victorian and early 20th century furniture. He also has mid century decorative pieces.
• Peter and Florence Vollmer, Paris - excellent jewellery and small decorative pieces
• Pat and Penny George, Paris - various coloured glass and English china
• Gary and Eva Denham, Stratford - postcards, pine and more
• Mike and Mary Connolly, Waterloo - English and American furnishings and accessories. Everything they bring is clean, expertly finished and ready to move in.
• Gerry Marks, Greenwood - Pollikers, folk art, big pine pieces
• Al Holtz, Ayr - oil lamps, nostalgia, good smalls
• Olga Domjan, Elora - check her out for folk art, Inuit and native.

One of the pleasures of a visit to the Elora show is the opportunity to explore the antique and retail shops on Mill Street, and to enjoy the superb natural scenery. Mark your calendar for a special Spring weekend in Elora. 

Getting to Elora: The town is about 15 minutes north of Guelph, off Highway 6. There are several ways to approach Elora, depending on where you are coming from. 

Assuming you are on Highway 401, take 401 to Guelph exit 299 (Guelph and Aberfoyle). Proceed north through Guelph until you reach the north edge of the city. Continue north on Highway 6 about 3 km to the Elora Road (County Road 7) which is well marked by signs. Turn left onto the Elora Road and proceed straight ahead for 10 minutes to Elora. Follow road signs to the Elora Community Centre and the antique show. For reference purposes, Elora is about 90 minutes from downtown Toronto or London. 

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Gadsden Promotions Limited
Box 490, Shelburne, Ontario, L0N 1S0
Toll Free 1-800-667-0619 / Fax (519) 925-6498

email: gadsden@antiqueshowscanada.com

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