The Merzoian Brothers' Second Annual Tailgater

The Merzoian Brothers' Second Annual Tailgater was held under warm clear skies in the vineyards of Mark Merzoian's ranch on Saturday, September 1st, 2001. Dealer tables and the huge buffet luncheon were free. Mark and Diane graciously opened their beautiful home for visitors to see much of their wonderful insulators, artwork and hand-crafted decorations. Later in the day, the brothers opened the 'insulator barn' to all interested buyers. Finally, Bob and Rosemary Merzoian invited everyone over to see their fantastic insulators after the show.

Your humble correspondent did his best to make it to the show early to get the coffee and doughnuts set up. There were spiced breakfast breads and juice donated as well. All of the breakfast treats were free for the dealers who began showing up shortly after dawn. There were twice as many tables set up this year and some really awesome insulators were carried in by dealers and visitors alike. The buffet luncheon offered more BBQ chicken, chili, corn on the cob, baked potatos, garlic and plain french bread, veggies, tossed spinach salad and fresh fruit than anyone could eat. Thanks for the great fresh grapes, Neil! And then there was desert. :c)

Some notable dealers and visitors to the show appear in the pictures elsewhere in this report. For those not pictured, this year's sellers and show goers included Joe Clements and his granddaughter Anna, from Madera, CA. They brought insulators, glass standoffs, a neon sign and a transformer! Jerry and Mary Lou Buckland came from Downey, CA and Craig McLaurin from Lancaster set up his table with general glass insulators. Dave and Shirley Brown from Exeter, CA brought their insulators, two boys, a lot off skill at the BBQ grill and some much appreciated help in the galley. Lou and Dede Hall from Fresno came out to find some new hardware and to trade stories of past and future antique hunts. Ralph Borbolla from Hanford, CA stopped by to find some great deals on insulators to add to his collection.

There was a great raffle this year that included a 27" x 9" mahogany under-light box, a CD 154 amethyst Whitall (Not White-All, Dave) Tatum and an awesome swirled olive Star signal. Mark's mother Agnes Marie stopped by the show and just about completed three generations of Merzoians at the show. She also volunteered to pull the raffle tickets out of the hat.

All-in-all it was a great show. There was plenty of quality glass and porcelain for sale at reasonable prices and judging from the comments, we're gonna have another great show next year. Watch for the announcement in your favorite issue of Crown Jewels 'cause IT'S SHOWTIME!

Click on the photo above to see some great photos of the show!

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