2004 Jefferson State Insulator Club - Show Report by Scott Morrell, JSIC Treasurer "Better then last year." That's what one dealer said as the 2004 Jefferson State Insulator & Bottle Show drew to a close. 86 tables were filled with colorful glass on October 22 & 23 at the Seven Feathers Resort in beautiful Canyonville, Oregon. The show setup went very well this year. It was a smart move to allow early buyers and dealers into the show hall at the same time. This kept everybody happy, and there were no complaints. The drenching rain didn't dampen any spirits. All was warm and comfy inside the carpeted, well lighted convention hall. Combining bottle and insulator collectors under one roof is a natural. Many dealers said this was how it was always done in the old days and were glad to see it again. It is difficult to fill an entire convention hall with just one collectible. And after all, most insulator collectors have a few bottles (I do!) and some good insulators were found on the sales tables of bottle dealers. Overall, the variety of sales stock was amazing! All those different collectors in one room made for some great socializing! Most dealers reported sales from good to excellent. The show hosts advertised extensively throughout western Oregon, encouraging the public to "get that old stuff out of the shed." The lure of free appraisals and buyers on duty ensured a steady stream of walk-in items, and walk-in they did! The best insulator walk-in was a group of three California helmets in sage, purple, and yellow. After receiving his appraisal, the owner put these items up for silent auction. The helmets found new homes! Other fine walk-ins included a stunning apple green McLaughlin CD 164, a Brookfield CD 164 full of carbon stringers, a Hemingray signal loaded with milk, and many, many fine bottles of all kinds. Enough items walked in to ensure a non-stop silent auction all day long! The free appraisal & silent auction format was first adopted at the 2001 Western Regional in Medford, Oregon. It was the brainchild of the Jefferson State Insulator Club. Without exception, dealers at all our shows have enjoyed this feature. It brings in items that might otherwise never appear at a show. It gives every dealer at the show a chance to acquire a desirable piece, and ensures a fair price for the seller. If the seller does not like the high bid, they are not obligated to sell. This encourages most sellers to give it a shot. They have nothing to lose! Regardless if sellers walk in with boxes of Hemingray 42's or EC&M's, all are treated equally and given an historical description of their items along with their appraisal. It is excellent PR for the hobby. The concept has proved so popular that the NorCal club has adopted it for the 2005 National in San Jose, and there is talk that the bottle folks will do it at their National as well. Remember where you heard it first! Every show is a learning experience, and this one was no exception. Demand for the Seven Feathers facility has increased, so next year we must rent the convention hall for two full days rather than a day & a half. So look for an earlier dealer setup on Friday. The banquet was a flop, with only nine reservations. We'll drop that next year. We will also reconfigure the floorplan a bit, and end the show at 4:00 instead of 5:00 (dealers have a long drive home!). Finally, we expect to restore the room layout we had in 2003 so that no dealers get left in a back corner and away from the activity. No show could happen without the tireless support of many volunteers. I would like to thank Dale Mlasko and Jeff Hooper for running the appraisal & auction table all day long. Their in-depth knowledge of bottles & insulators made this a success! Tim Wood and Bruce Silva deserve a big thank you for coordinating the display judging and awards. Allen Dobney (longtime JSIC member recently relocated to southern Oregon) was our sign-maker extraordinaire and spent tireless hours at the admission table, along with Nathan Lamkey. Bill Ostrander deserves special thanks for creating the show website, processing dealer reservations, and bringing his laptop & printer to the show. Other helpers included Barb & Paul Cherry, Ken & Kathy Klein, Mid Norris, Howard & Linda Banks, Carl Scott, Tim & JoAnne Wood, and my lovely wife Christy Morrell. I am sorry if I missed anyone, you know who you are! Displays, displays, displays! Last year, the bottle folks swept the big prizes, but this year the threadheads turned the tables! Several folks put countless hours into their displays and deserve recognition. The third place ribbon went to Carl Scott for his awesone "Tools of the Trade" display of lineman's tools & historic photos. Carl also swept the People's Choice and JSIC Club Choice awards. So next time you see Carl, remember his new nickname "Triple Crown Carl!"... (say it often!). The second place ribbon went to Howard Banks & Tim Wood for their combined EC&M/color display. The first place ribbon went to Ken Bergstrom for his incredible display of ramshorn insulators. Those are the winners, but I was a bit disappointed that Jim Sinsley didn't get an award for his backlit display of CD 178's that included samples from all known manufacturers. I have it on good authority Jim narrowly missed by just a few points! We are also grateful to our other displayers: Gary & Mindy Michener for their ever growing display of CD 120's, Janet Bond for her display of colorful insulators that didn't cost a lot, Bruce Silva for his whiskey bottle display... (ever see an intoxicated elk?), Terry Drollinger for his display of CD 160 "baby signals," and Bill Ostrander & Gil Hedges for their combined display of Mexican insulators. Thanks also go to the Rhode's (Bill & Don), Howard Banks, and Bruce Silva for contributing raffle items to ensure our show remains "in the black." These shows must pay for themselves after all! Finally, I wish to thank you, the collectors and dealers who make these shows possible. A few of you came from afar to support our show, like Brian Riecker, Jack Roach, and Frank Beutle. But regardless if you traveled 10 or 1000 miles, you are appreciated. So, if I may borrow a part of a phrase from Mike Doyle's Left Coast Lines... get all yer friends together for an insulator road trip because... IT'S SHOWTIME!

This Section Last Updated November 7, 2004