The pavilions at Westerner Park were transformed this weekend into treasure troves of valuable antiques and sentimental items many might remember from childhood or their grandparent’s homes.
Promoter Rae Carswell said many people start collecting antiques for the memories. She’ll see grandparents bring their grandchildren to the Red Deer Christmas Antique Show to tell them about the items they once used or played with.
“Everyone likes to collect what they remember from their childhood,” Carswell said.
She ran into one gentleman at the antique show over the weekend who was excited because he found an antique car just like the one he had when he was five.
“It was full of such memories for him and that is the thing it brings back memories for people,” she said.
Carswell started collecting antiques herself as a young girl. Her parents were auctioneers and so she grew up around ancient chests of drawers, fine china and old-fashioned toys.
Carswell and her husband Fred started the Red Deer Christmas Antique Show 20 years ago, but they have put on other antique shows in Lacombe and Red Deer for 28 years. She said the Red Deer Christmas Antique Show has grown in those two decades at Westerner Park from the first year when they didn’t fill a pavilion to now expand into two pavilions and the salons.
This year there were more than 130 vendors, with around 450 tables of antiques, which included everything from antique furniture to sports memorabilia, Wedgwood china, sparkling jewelry and cameo pins to old farm tools. Vendors from as far away as New Brunswick, Quebec and British Columbia take part in the show, making it the largest in Western Canada, Carswell said.
Calgarian Victor Fortinski was one of the vendors at the event.
Among the unique items he was selling as a barbershop chair that had sat in the Rosebud Hotel in the early 1900s. Made out of hand-carved cross-cut oak, the chair has all of the original accessories, including a strap for sharpening razors, and it is still in working order.
Fortinski and his wife began collecting antiques around 35 years ago and eventually got into selling items as well. After retiring from their jobs in Calgary they moved to Hanna to set up an antique shop and home at the Old Courthouse there. They still have their business Old Courthouse Antiques, but they have since moved back to Calgary.
Fortinski said his wife is usually interested in china and other items of a European flavour, where he is usually attracted to more mechanical items.
Among his other finds that he had on sale on Sunday was a cash box from Kelowna, B.C., dating back to 1900. It was created by the National Cash Register Company, but existed before the push button cash registers. Made out of cross-cut oak, the cash box has an ink well to write up receipts and a money tray. Fortinski said the cash box is particularly special because it can be authenticated, with all of the original instructions and information on the company that bought it, along with its registration number all still stuck onto the cash register. All of the original hardware is still there as well.
Fortinski said he loves going to the Red Deer Christmas Antique Show because he finds everyone is so receptive and he said sales were phenomenal over the weekend.
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com