View of a Jarrrrring Event!

Friday January 9^th - Somewhere over Ohio.
I’m flying to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend the winter version of the semi-annual Fruit Jar Show and Get-Together, sponsored by the Midwest Antique Fruit Jar and Bottle Club. It’s been five years since I last attended and I’m thinking about how it may have changed. Would the show still attract dealer/collectors from across the entire country? Would the traditional Saturday ‘room hopping’ be as intense?

Part of the over 100 collectors who attended the Saturday afternoon Fruit Jar Get-Together, Show and Tell, and Auction

The show advertisement was inviting, ‘two days crammed full of exciting events! Come for our Saturday activities and Sunday show’. Inviting indeed, reading the advertisement conjured up old memories of past Indy Shows I attended.
Like, one year arriving late on a Saturday afternoon, catching the end of the fruit jar get-together / show and tell, and seeing on the table, not one, but two, early 1800’s salt-glaze stoneware wax seal jars which used to contain ‘pickled oyster’. They were the first I’d ever seen.
Setting up in my room Saturday evening with bottles and a few jars, and having Roy Brown, one by one take the jars to other rooms, bringing back money in return.
Anxiously waiting for a collector from Southern Illinois to arrive just before the show opened because a prior phone call told me he was bringing in a GII-11, Eagle/Cornucopia in YELLOW-AMBER to look at.
Spending several hours one Saturday afternoon in Alex Kerr’s room listening as Alex tells of target ball collecting and trap shooting. And how he was able to find a long forgotten shooting range out in the desert, where from the broken shards was able to piece together a target ball that to this day no one has ever seen.
Fond memories, but would it be the same?

Part of Jim Hall's sales table. Jim always has a good selection of bottles and flasks, but no jars.

I was brought back to reality by the landing gear of our Fokker 100 bouncing onto the runway, bringing to an end the two hour flight from Philadelphia.
A quick spin through baggage claim, followed by a 20 minute taxi ride, and I arrive at the Ramada Inn East, home for the next few days.
Although it is only about 1 p.m. on Friday, the activity had begun. I quickly set on top of my rooms television the 12 bottles I’ve brought along to sell, then opted for cruising up and down the three hallways looking for open doors and things to buy. The hotel assigned three hallways of rooms, all on the first floor, for the ‘fruit jar collectors’. I soon stumble into the room of Jerry McCann, who informs me that “I got here Thursday, and a few people had room set-up’s in the evening’, but most will be arriving today.” Jerry publishes the ‘Fruit Jar Annual’, and mails out periodic jar lists to his buyers. Jerry was correct as all throughout the day fruit jars, (and a few bottles), were hauled from vehicles into waiting rooms. unpacked and put up on display. Remember this is only Friday, the ‘official’ show started Sunday morning.
Label Space columnist, Tom Caniff and wife Deena, have a room full of jars, as does Don ‘Mr. Mason’ Burkett. I meet Bob Glover in the hallway, he’s part of a group of jar collectors who have traveled from California to attend. Larry Munson from Shelby, Montana is here, as is John Vander Schouw from Bradenton, Florida. I see target ball and fruit jar guru Alex Kerr talking to George McConnall and Bob Tompkins from New Jersey. About a month earlier George sold to an Ohio collector what was by many considered to be one of the finest collections of jars ever assembled. But George was still here at Indy, even though he no longer collected jars, “I come to meet my friends”, George exclaimed, “that’s the real fun of the hobby anyway.”
No show except the large advertised National events can claim as many collectors attending from so many different states as the Indy shows can. By late evening as many as 40 rooms were open, each presenting a mini-jar / bottle show. One collector noted that: “The Indy show’s are unique in that even if there wasn’t a show on Sunday, everyone would have had there fill of buying. selling, and meeting old friends, on the two days before.”
Friday was a long day, and I’m tired. I sleep late Saturday morning, too late and I miss the Jelly Jammer get-together, the first of the advertised Saturday activities.

Doug Laybourne, he publishes the Fruit Jar redbook, attended the show.

SATURDAY

A few cups of coffee and a late lunch bring me back to life and I’m ready to go. I even stay in my room for a while, hoping that a rare bottle collector would show interest in one of the 12 bottles I brought to sell. (Remember this is mostly a JAR SHOW with traditional bottle collectors being in the heavy minority.)
Person after person pop into the room, take a quick look around, see no jars and head out. But I’m patient, and sometimes --- SOMETIMES, patience pays off.
“Now here’s a bottle collector!” I tell myself, as Sheldon Baugh enters my room. Sheldon is up from the neighboring State of Kentucky, looking for bitters and Shaker bottles for his collection. He spies my dozen decorating the top of the TV set and moves in. A few minutes later he has a bottle in a bag, and I have a check in hand. One down, 11 more to go.
But I’m out of time. It’s 1:30 p.m. and the big Fruit Jar Get-Together is about to begin. This get-together has to be one of the highlights of the year for fruit jar collectors. With well over 100 in attendance Show Chairman Norm Barnett begins the proceedings.
First the usual introductions where everyone in the room is invited to stand, give there name, and tell all what they collect.

An impressive grouping of colored Trade Mark Lightning fruit jars were offered by Chicago's Jerry McCann. Many rooms were open Friday and Saturday offering jars and bottles for sale.

This is followed by the show-and-tell part where anyone wishing to share a jar, or jars from their collection can do so by coming forward giving a short explanation of what they have brought, then placing it on the display table for all to see later. (Remember this is where I saw those two stoneware Oyster jars, but none were here this year.)
Show-and-tell is followed by a short intermission lasting till 3:30, when the annual jar auction begins. The jars for auction can be supplied by anyone in attendance. They are put on a table during the course of the get-together and then auctioned.
Leon Shores, a licensed auctioneer and fruit jar collector from Missouri, handles the gavel and calls the auction.
I watch the first few lots sell, then leave to check out the room mini-shows to see ‘who new’ has arrived.
Among the ‘new’ is Jim and Jodie Hall from Chicago. Jim rarely has jars for sale but will have by far the most, and best, quality bottles at Sunday’s almost all jar show.
By early Saturday evening most of the room mini-shows are open, and a continuous flow of collectors travel up-and-down the hallways. Jim Hall stops by and ‘lucky me’ I sell another bottle. As I pack the remaining 10 bottles into a box to take to the show in the morning, I think about the several thousand jars in the mini-shows that have to be packed up. The thought brings a devious smile to my face.

Rare cobalt blue wax seal jars were offered for sale by Ohio's Al Vignon.

SUNDAY

I hate Sunday morning set-ups! Being a ‘night person’ 7 am in the morning should be when one rolls over and gets a couple more hours sleep. But it’s show time and I have to respond. Begrudgingly I do, figuring my morning coffee will make things right.
The last Indy show I attended was held in a Holiday Inn. Several years ago the club changed location to a more upscale Ramada Inn.
Entering the well lit showroom I quickly find my sales table and taking all of 30 seconds unpack my remaining 10 bottles.
As the room begins to fill, it is quite obvious that this is THE jar show of shows. Table tops full of jars, racks on top of table tops full of jars. Jars, jars, and more jars!
I take a spin around the room. Besides an overwhelming number of jar dealers ‘The Jar Doctor’, Wayne Lowry, is here and showing a potential customer how his bottle cleaning machine works. Part of Doug Leybourne’s table is used to promote his recently updated Red Book #8, The Collector’s Guide to Old Fruit Jars. And long-time jar collector Dick Roller is offering his ‘Fruit Jar Newsletter’.
Back at my table I check the location of my 10 remaining bottles, seeing if any potential buyers had examined them while I was away. No luck, but the day is still young.
A steady crowd came and went throughout the entire day, and I was constantly engaged in conversation with people I had not seen in quite some time. I enjoy shows that have ‘action’ most of the day, so before you know it, it’s time to begin packing up.
My flight home doesn’t leave until 7 p.m. so I’m in no rush, I take another trip around the room and end up taking a few pictures of the displays.
By 5 p.m., it was all over and the room was empty except for the rows of white table clothed tables, Chairman Norm Barnett, and some of the California crowd, who weren’t flying home until Monday.
As I pass by the hotel lobby I spy Jon Vander Schouw, who also has a late flight, passing time reading a book.
We talk. Jon only attends a few shows a year, mostly in his home state of Florida. Every so often however, he finds the time to travel to Indy. “Last year when my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told her she could buy me an airplane ticket to Indy.” Jon said, “this show was my Christmas gift!”

A.B. & G.C. "Peoples Choice" ribbon was awarded to Al Vignon (right) for his colorful display of Mason jars. That's George McConnell holding the ribbon.

I’m in the air again, returning home. The two hour flight will pass quickly as a give much thought to the just completed show. Was it as good as when I last attended five years earlier? I thought so. Personally I sold three of the 12 bottles I brought along, that’s 25% and hey Virginia, that ain't bad! But more importantly I renewed acquaintances with collectors, some of whom I hadn’t seen in years.
For a jar collector the Indy shows are flat out as good-as-it-gets! Pure and simple if you collect fruit jars you MUST in the course of your collecting career make a pilgrimage to at least ONE Indy fruit jar show.
To a fruit jar collector its the ‘Mecca’ of the fruit jar collecting world.
On a sadder note: Shortly after returning from Indy, George McConnell fell at home. He was taken to the hospital where he passed away on Jan. 4th. George meant much to the fruit jar collecting community. He was one of the ‘grand masters’ of jar collecting, amassing an impressive collection that included many rare and important jars. But George was much more than a jar collector. He was a good ambassador for the hobby, always greeting you with a smile while handing you a small candy treat that he would carry in his coat pocket.
George has been to the ‘Mecca’ many times, so it seems only fitting that his final trip to the Indy jar show, would be the last show he would ever attend.

The Old Traveler

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