136 Maine Antique Digest, July 2023 SFHEOA TWU R E Mid-Atlantic Antiques Festival, Poolesville, Maryland New Show Enthusiastically Received by Walter C. Newman The Siegels appear to be headed in the right direction. There’s a new show in town. More precisely, there is a new show in the Mid-Atlantic. The second edition of the Mid-Atlantic Antiques Festival was held April 29 and 30 at Aix La Chapelle Farm, outside of Poolesville, Maryland. Aix La Chapelle is a working farm and an established events center located in the Maryland countryside northwest of Washington, D.C. The antiques festival is the brainchild of Joy and Jon Siegel, owners of Aix La Chapelle, and it was a logical progression in expanding their existing events schedule in conjunction with their own love and appreciation of antiques. It is no secret that large in-person antiques shows and auctions have taken a devastating hit during the COVID-19 years. Filling that void, coupled with anecdotal evidence that there is pent-up desire among patrons to get back to pre-pandemic hands-on activities, the Siegels saw an opportunity to use their existing facilities and at the same time test the viability of entering a new market. With only a two-show sample it is admittedly impossible to draw any hard-and-fast conclusions, but early indications are that the Mid-Atlantic Antiques Festival may have entered the correct market at just the right time. The first show was held in November 2022. Twenty-eight dealers participated, and all involved considered it to have been a success. Thanks to one of those initial dealers, Debbie Turi, M.A.D. was given a heads up that this might be an event to take a close look at, and we are glad that we did. This most recent show had 65 participating dealers and drew over 1500 visitors over a weekend with less than desirable weather. There was torrential rain during Friday’s setup and rain again during pack-out on Sunday. The festival organizers chose to outsource all media promotion. William D. Sherhag’s company, Digital Edge, used all conceivable Internet and social media platforms in marketing the event. All indications are that those efforts were fruitful. In order to establish a more stable calendar, Joy Siegel has announced that future editions of the biannual festival are scheduled for the last weekends of April and October. The venue itself is in for a bit of tweaking as the show expands. Five core permanent structures will remain. They are well laid out, with sturdy display walls, and foot traffic is unimpeded. The outside pavilions, large multi-dealer tents, will be improved. Two were used at this show, and a third will be added for the fall. More importantly, wooden decking is being built as flooring for the pavilions. The necessity of this addition was painfully evident during and after the rains. No matter how well the pavilion dealers compensated, slogging through those tents was no fun. In addition to the formal areas, an area is set aside to accommodate dealers who bring their own pop-up tents. That area, referred to as Center Court, will remain available as needed. As far as creature comforts are concerned, the show has food trucks, ample outdoor seating, a bakery shop that sells local homemade treats, and a garden shop. Perhaps best of all, the festival staff runs a fleet of golf carts shuttling patrons to and from the parking areas. The only meaningful suggestion from this reporter is that there needs to be a site map indicating where each dealer is located. Building and growing a stable show will take time. From one show to the next there will be turnover among the participating dealers. That is to be expected. The Siegels appear to be headed in the right direction. The fall Mid-Atlantic Antiques Festival is already on the calendar for October 28 and 29. For additional information, visit the festival website (www.midatlanticantiquesfestival.com). The 9" square maple butcher’s block, possibly a salesman’s sample, was found in the booth of Dan Meixell of Repurposed Antiques, Oxford, Pennsylvania. The block retains the original anchor bolt caps and was priced at $1250. The small salt-glazed stoneware storage jar is embossed in Dutch with the cobalt-highlighted word “ANCHOVISCH.” No need for translation. The price, $625. One of the pieces of original artwork offered by Danny Tytenicz of Abbieland Antiques, Round Top, Texas, was this Cubist-influenced painting by Arthur Schwieder (1884-1965) depicting a seated harlequinesque figure. The piece is signed by the artist and dated “Nov 1953” lower right. The 20" x 24" (sight size) painting appears to be in its original frame and was tagged $8500. Frank Milwee of Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), a veteran silver specialist, is holding a very interesting example of trench art. The cocktail shaker is constructed from two, possibly three brass artillery shells. The shells have been shaped, hammered, and silver plated inside and out. The body is intricately engraved. One side features a spread-wing eagle with “U S M C” above and “1916” below. The other side features a group of banners and flags with a liberty cap resting atop a central staff. The shaker was priced at $1900. Zac Ziebarth of Ziebarth’s Antiques & Auctions traveled from Avoca, Wisconsin, to participate in the festival. The seven-drawer New England birch spice box dates from the first half of the 19th century. The spice box is 16" high overall, including the applied bold cutout cap, and is raised on a beveled-edge base with a shaped skirt. It was tagged $1800. Each of the three carved wooden boxes was marked $245. The example on the right is from Norway. The hexagonal candlestand they are all on was marked $295. These three 7" high carved wooden heads were found in the booth of Debbie Turi Antiques. The subjects of the carvings are not identified. Each was tagged $265. Turi is from Roseland, New Jersey, and deserves kudos for having suggested that M.A.D. visit the Mid-Atlantic Antiques Festival. Good call, Debbie.
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