Final Pre-2018 Bottle Show Meeting

 Show Time!

    As most of you know, we are very close to the 2018 Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Show. I personally have been very busy with both my business and my personal life, so this newsletter will be brief. Besides being busy at work, I hooked onto a very bad virus which has been making my daily life a real struggle.

    During the off season, I am super busy trying to survive, mostly doing online e-Bay sales, which is actually a lot of work the way I do it. During my busy season, I am trying to keep up. I am fairly convinced that I am actually no busier than in years past, but I am much older!

    It feels like I am working for someone else. Even though I handle more money, by the time I pay my suppliers I keep far less and the profits keep dwindling!

    There is no question about it; I have been trying too hard to compete with a faceless Amazon- Dot-Com, which is nearly impossible! I sell myself short. My biggest competitor is located in Michigan, and he is an Amazon distributor.

    When someone places an order for "Bla-Bla" detector, and it is a poor choice, they are stuck with it! If they come to me and ask for "Bla-Bla" I will ask, "Why would you want that?"

    Oh, it is all so frustrating! Well, this is about the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club and the show this month, show so let's get to it!

    If you missed the last meeting, you missed a fun time! Of course each time we do Bimbo's Pizza, it is always awesome!

    It was such an uplifting sight to see General Charles Otis Shapiro Parker limp off the battlefield under his own power! Yes, maybe that old rebel flag, powder flask, and mossy-old canteen were riddled with holes, and yes, he has been surviving on hardtack and boiled eggs . . . but he is still breathing!

    The field medic prescribed several pieces of Bimbo's Heart Stopper Pizza! Actually, he kept looking over his shoulder as he packed it away!

    We missed seeing Mary Hamilton, and being that it was a Bimbo's night we were expecting bad news about her! Mary's daughter sent me a message on Facebook saying that her mother was down with the bug and suffering from a nasty cough! I can surely understand how miserable that is!

    We heard the same news about John Winkler, and a week later his wife Lynn was sick! That stuff is nasty! I am hoping it is finished circulating around here before bottle show time.

    This is the hardest for me to report. I received the following message from Ernie Lawson's daughter, Pat:

"Hi Allan, my dad, Ernie Lawson is now in the Health Center at Friendship Village. He'd greatly enjoy a short visit from you if you get a chance to come over. He no longer needs the newsletter since he can't see to read it so thank you again for sending it so faithfully. Irene is in the Memory Care Center. Closer to heaven and he's very anxious as you can imagine."

    For me, this was the very worst part about being sick. I was already about one week into fighting this bug! I sure didn't want to infect anyone in the senior living environment . . . especially Ernie.

    As soon as I had a couple days without any symptoms, I went over to visit the best friend anyone could ever hope to have. Several months had passed since I had been over to visit with Ernie, and what a difference. His health has taken a serious turn. Ernie is still fairly sharp, but he struggles with communicating.

    Having been friends for so long, I was able to follow along fairly well. He was so excited to see me that he pulled out his oxygen line and I couldn't get it back, mainly because he seemed so fragile.

    Ernie was getting frustrated with not being able to talk, so at one point I suggested leaving. This was when he suggested that we may not enjoy fellowship again on this side of Heaven. Then, I asked him if I could say a prayer.

    Ernie is not only a man of faith, he taught me to never be afraid to share my faith, and he taught me that by his example.

     Jesus taught His disciples,

" For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

    We had a good time of fellowship - - Ernie, Al, and the Captain of our Salvation. I have learned that with the Lord, you are never alone. It was just knowing that fact that gave me the strength to say goodby to my friend.

    Some of you may blow this by as 'Al and his religious nonsense.' Let me tell you, the most valuable bottle in the world will not buy you an extra heartbeat, but forgiveness of sins has been paid for, and offered for you to accept, by faith, at no cost!

     Ernie would tell you, even if there were no Heaven, why not let Jesus give you a complete life here and now? It is amazing what He can do!

    Jesus said: "I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

    Since my visit with Ernie I have started struggling with this cold bug once again! But, Lord willing, I will get back over to see him.

    Back in the 60's there was a t-shirt design, one that borrowed the beautiful text style from the Coca~Cola sign which said; "Everything Goes Better With Jesus."

    Did you know the beautiful flowing script that was used in the Coca~Cola sign is called Spencerian Script? That lettering style was very popular in the United States from 1850 to 1925. The Coke logo was designed by Frank Mason Robinson.

    The Robinson family was originally Swiss, and you all know about their terrible shipwreck which left the Swiss family washed ashore on a desert island with a case of Coke and no bottle opener . . .right? Did I already share that story?

    Of course, you know the name Coca~Cola originates from the original two key ingredients: cocaine and caffeine, both extracted from the coca leaf and the kola nut.

    As I have already mentioned we had a great time at the last meeting! We also took care of some final show details. But, I think we are very blessed to have one more meeting before the show! I hope you can all be at this meeting, so that we can iron out any final details.

    Here are the names from our last meeting: Vincent Grossi, Kelly Bobbitt, Tim Hayes, Kevin Siegfried, (Rev. Lt. Gen. C.H. Parker C.S.A.) Rob Knolle. Scott Hendrichsen, Ed Nickerson, Ron Smith, Allan Holden.

    Did I share this photo before? This Confederate buckle was found by my friend, Frank, on a farm near Hastings, MI. The three catch-hooks on the back are called 'puppy paws' and they are all perfect! They are being reproduced and even weathered to look original, but this is the real McCoy!

    Kevin brought in some large books printed the 1830's. I have a small collection of books printed by the American Sunday School Union. They are much bigger but the binding looks exactly the same.

Kevin's hardbound books are basically a compilation of weekly publications named the Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate. They were published by the Unitarian Universalist Church. Today, to many conservative Christian groups, they are considered to be a little strange at best. After reading some of this stuff, it is clear to me very little has changed.

Kevin also brought in a wonderful early postcard celebrating Independence Day. It is bright with a draped flag and two Civil War veterans shaking hands. I just love this stuff! I also collect some postcards! I am pretty sure Chuck got this one!

Vince had some neat bottles that he just found. One is a Kalamazoo prescription bottle, "CITY DRUG STORE," Frank J. Maus Proprietor, Corner E-Main & Edwards Street, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Vince also displayed a large "C. VERNON MILLER DRUGGIST, Shipshewana, Indiana. The bottle is a tall clear bottle with a paper label and a Bakelite screw cap. Many of you know Bakelite from its real name, Polyoxybenzylmethyleneglycolan-hydride. Someday, you can pour a cup of coffee, sit down with your pencil and figure out which letters they didn't use besides Z and U.

Kevin also found a copy of the April 1986 "Bottling Works" Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Show Program! On the back cover is an amazing list of Michigan bitters bottles! I will try an make a digital copy with credits for our web-site!

You can see where the date on the cover had been tweaked! It is actually a 6 over a 5. Putting together something for the print shop wasn't as easy back then as it is today! Actually, that era was where we get the term "cut and paste," and we used real paste!

Mark McNee also gave me two copies of the Bottling Works show programs from May 1981 and 1982!!!! Cool stuff. I just realized after 16 years of doing the newsletters they called it BOTTLING WORKS! Nobody told me!

Kelly Bobbitt found a bottle when he was digging in the Antarctic. It is a Shackelton Inhaler Bottle. Actually, I am kidding, Sir Ernest Shackleton spelled his name differently. If you want a good read, the book is called "Endurance!"

Kelly's little inhaler bottle is from C.G. Shackelton, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Kelly also showed us a little amber GODEFROY MFG. bottle with measuring marks from Saint Louis and Mexico. Mr. A.F. Godefroy was a manufacturer of hair products and this bottle was a hair dye product from around 1906.

Kelly had another interesting bottle from the early 1900's embossed "FROSTILLA" which was a lotion product. I found a neat product advertisement they sent out to retailers which boasted the product only came in one-size for easy stocking, with only one advertised price of 35 cents. They promised, "This product is never sold in Dime Stores and only available at fine druggists!"

I saw a Life Magazine ad from 1938, where a young gal overhears two friends whispering:
 "John says her hands are smooth, but smelly."

Next panel she appears to be weeping as her mom asks, "What is the matter child? Why are you weeping?"

"I heard a nasty remark about my hands, and now I notice they smell awful! What in the world is it?"

"Dear, it's the lotion you've been using. It smells like kitchen soap. Never use anything on your hands, but Frostilla, if you want to be dainty and lovely."

(Later with John,) "Ann, you're wonderful!"

"Thanks, but I guess the credit belongs to my mother and Frostilla."

Another interesting bottle Kelly displayed is a Physician's Pineoleum. This product was considered a patent medicine sold directly by physicians as a medicine to be used in a Pineoleum Nebulizer.

When the nebulizers first came out, they were given to nursing graduates to sell. For every unit sold, they kept 5-cents.

Rob Knoll found some nice aqua, and one dark teal green insulators. He also found a deep olive-green wine or possibly beer bottle.

Tim Hayes showed the group his latest whiskey flask which has a sheared lip, amber with a light olive green tone. It is a double eagle one-pint size . . . it is sweet!

It was good to see Scott "Scooter Digs" Hendrichsen! Scott has been busy running back and forth between Earth and his home planet of Noying. We are from the same place, my granddaughter says I am a-"Noying."

I was going to list our pizza order from the last meeting, but I have misplaced it! Oh well, it would have been cruel to tease you anyway.

I have Bimbo's phone number on my cell phone, so, after we decided on our order, we called it in before we left the library. That worked out perfectly!

We finished off four large pizzas and shared some tall tales! Afterwards, everyone waddled out smiling! We all agree, pizza nights at Bimbo's are awesome!

Did you know that pizza is a countable and uncountable noun? That's right, whose
 counting!

I could be wrong,
but I believe this is
GII-70
Inverted Eagle-Eagle
Very sweet indeed!
Golden Amber with
olive tone!                                                     Scotts most recent digs! Great stuff!!!

OK, here is the important part. This is what Kevin has on his "Show Work Sheet."

Ed Nickerson: 130 Hotdog Buns and 4 -5 Loaves of Bread.

Kevin Siegfried: Brats, Roast Beef, Hot Dogs, Coolers, Beer.

Chuck Parker: 8-10 2-liter Soda, Paper Items, Cutlery, M&Ms Peanuts, Show = Sat. Morning Coffee.

Kelly Bobbitt: 5 Bags of Ice, Show =10-12 boxes of Donut Holes for Saturday

Ron Smith: 2 Cases of Water

Scott Hendrichsen: Wine

Al Holden: Condiments, Ketchup and Mustard, Horseradish, Olives, Salt & Pepper and Sandwich Cheese Slices.

Steve DeBoode: Coffee Pot Show = Sat. Morning

Kevin notes, we are short on desserts. We need to perhaps buy a cake and a couple pies.

Also, we only have Tim and John down for security and to count votes. We need more help with security at the doors.

Don't forget to sell those raffle tickets! Time is running out!

Meeting starts at 7:00

e-mail prostock@net-link.net

Phone 269-685-1776 "