ELECTION OF OFFICERS!
COMING EVENT!
This month we have our club election of club officers. Nominations are still open. If you are interested please contact Rob Knolle at phone 269-993-5125 or email Rob at crossbonzx@yahoo.com.
Or, you can contact me (Al Holden) at 269-685-1776 or
prostock@net-link.net.
Club elections will be held at this May 14th meeting.
Those already who have already accepted nominations is:
President: Scott Hendrichsen
Vice Pres: Vincent Grossi
Co/Treasurer:. . Len Sheaffer
Secretary: . . . . Katie Wages
It goes without saying, this will be a very important meeting friends, please join us!
2024 Bottle Show SummaryVincent provided us with the following numbers.
We sold:
69 Sales Tables
138 Chairs
234 General Admissions
11 Early Bird Admissions
Donut Donation Jar $30.00
I want to start by briefly sharing my feelings about the show. Between my ears, there is an empty space, which felt very good about the top-quality show!
But, I am of the opinion that bigger isn’t always better.
Just before that Covid Virus passed over us like a tidal-wave straight out of China. . . our metal detecting club was averaging around 100 members at each meeting. At that point, we were one of the largest treasure hunting clubs anywhere in the U.S. But, I could see something was clearly missing. Somehow that close-knit comradely was lost to the big numbers. . . its hard to explain. . . it just wasn’t the same.
But, then again, I guess fewer dealers does mean fewer bottles to search. But, at this show I felt we saw some awesome bottles!
The Bottle Club presented John Pastor and Liz with a Thank You Card and Cake for so many great and memorable years of Hosting Michigan's Largest Antique Bottle & Glass Show!
The number of sales tables was noticeably lower this year with only 69 compared with our average over 90 in the past years. John Pastor told me that some of our usual dealers had to cancel this year due to various reasons.
As a result, there was a just little more breathing room with some extra floor space. The walk-in traffic seemed to me to be very steady and more evenly spread throughout the entire show.
It was a big day at the fairgrounds with several popular venues!
Some of us were talking at the show about possible effects from the show closing a half hour sooner again this year. I think this may have a greater impact than we might think. Oh, I am not complaining, it is a long day for me any way.
But, I suspect someone who cannot get to the show until after noon, may see the 2:30 closing time and thinking it is just not worth the effort. I could be wrong?
The folks I spoke with, folks whom I know are regulars at the annual bottle show, seemed very happy with the show this year. Many stopped by to show me what they had just bought.
I look toward the show each year dreading all the work. But after the dust settles (and my store is all back together), I am always glad I came.
LAST MEETING
Well, what did I tell you?
That’s right we had a wonderful meeting!
Saying that always makes me think of our past president, and dear friend, the late, great, Charles Parker.
Chuck would read my comment about “A wonderful meeting,” and then he would thank me for reminding him. He would say, “Al, thanks for reminding me about the wonderful time we had, I have a tendency to forget.”
At our last meeting we saw the following bright shiny faces . . . you could even say “They Glowed.”
Kevin Siegfried, Scott Hendrichsen, Ed Nickerson, Mary Gale, Susan Smith, Len Sheaffer,
Juli Sheaffer, Ashley Carlson, Ron Smith, Rob Knolle, Vincent Grossi and Allan Holden.
The last meeting was basically about each one sharing thoughts and feelings about the bottle show. I feel our attention to details really payed off. All that planning was time well spent.
Yes, there was a problem with the last newsletter. Had Ron Smith not pointed it out, I would not have known! Thank you Ron, I really mean it.
Last month, I printed out my first draft of the newsletter, the paper hard-copy.
My dear wife no longer edits the paper, all in the interest of saving her sanity and our marriage.
So, my final edit, as the bumbling idiot that I am, is by printing out the final draft, then, setting back and leisurely reading it . . . as you would. . . so, I cross my eyes and proceed.
As I go along, I find some stuff to change, and then I make those changes on the computer copy with the intention of printing out the final master copy . . . are you with me so far?
When I am satisfied, I print out the final copy to take to the print shop.
At this point, I have fully disengaged my brain to reduce swelling.
That was when I noticed in the final printing, my printer left some tell-tail spots and in some areas the ink looked weak.
So, now with a brain that is coasting in neutral, I decided to pick the best pages from the unedited first draft, and the final printing for my master copy!
So the
mistakes in the last newsletter were my
personal gift to each of you! Yes, my pleasure
indeed!Bottles that we saw at the last meeting.
Rob Knolle showed a radiated, applied-top Atlas Brewing from Chicago, in a lovely shade of purple.
During the dealer show set-up, there was one
dealer who hadn’t been to the show in a long
while.The old timers thought ‘maybe’ he would have some
never-before-seen surprises. So, the crowd gathered. They were all looking for that Indian Queen bitters in puce, marked for $12.00! They flocked around him like buzzards in the desert!
Rob saw this beautiful purple Atlas Brewing, Chicago Ill. beer bottle come out of the dealers box!
With no regard to pain, Rob threw himself on it! After dragging the pile of dealers off, they found Rob, bloody, trembling but still clinging to his treasure!
After re-establishing a steady pulse, he was then charged the $8.00 asking price.
Mary Gale brought along a sweet assortment to bail-top beer bottles, along with a delightful stubby neck hutch-soda from Coldwater Bottling Company, Coldwater, MI.
Also Mary had a nice 8 ounce, Dr. D.
Jayne's Expectorant Medicine Bottle. Ashley Carlson brought in her little wooden, handled bottle tote, filled with a nice assortment of early ink bottles! I love inks! The first antique bottle I ever dug as a umbrella ink and I have been hooked ever since!
Some of Ashley’s inks are machine made and others are very early hand finished. I saw two with sheared tops. Two of her early turtle inks are embossed with a Bird-on-a-Branch. The Auction Price Report
at the F.O.H.B.C.
site, lists these to be from 1870's. In every
listing that I was able to find, the auction
value was where the little bottles were listed
in auction bundles, where they had at least
one included. It really is a sweet 
bottle
Ashley!Just before the show my good friend, Jim Esther stopped in to visit. He had one of those unglazed swirl pattern Indian clay vessels like Ashley collects. It is in the form of a double spouted ceremonial Indian Wedding Vessel.
Jim asked
me to give it to Ashley! I did, and she loves
it Jim!Vincent’s Notes
(The real news!)
The West Michigan Bottle Club has invited the Kalamazoo Club to attend their next meeting on Sunday May 19th for a special presentation on Michigan Cure bottles by Dan Louis.
The location is the Neil Fonger American Legion Post, 2327 Wilson Ave, S.W., Grand Rapids, MI. At 4:30 pm. For more information contact, Elmer Ogg 231-557-7526 or email elogg@comcast.net
Kalamazoo Bottle Show Committee Members are: Ashley Carlson, Kevin Siegfried, Vincent Grossi.
Please check out the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club’s new display at the Otsego Historic Society Museum. Hours 10am to 2pm on Saturdays
Welcome new members: Susanna Karbowski (New West Michigan Bottle Club President!)
Also, Carla and Richard Franks!
Thank you Mark McNee for donating bottles to the club’s raffle table!
SUMMER BREAK
After, as long as I can remember, the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club has taken a summer break. It was a chance to go digging, vacation time and travel. We took always took June, July and August off . . . and we started meeting again in September.
More recently it was decided, by vote, to continue with monthly meetings year around.
These meeting will be random monthly events which club members can take part in.
During the June and July months I don’t plan and mailing out a newsletter, but any special news may be sent by e-mail and perhaps a post card. Regular newsletters will resume in September.
If in the future you would like to share a digging adventure to King Solomon’s Mines, or digging King Titankhamun’s tomb, in an upcoming newsletter, that would be great! You can write it, or tell me and I will get it rolling.
As I
mentioned, I am preparing to rebuild the
engine in my motor home. I managed to get it
all ready to lift out of the chassis, but
first I needed to make room for it in my
garage.First, I moved my heavy tool chest home from my store. Than I had to rearrange things for some floor space. I also plan to update the lighting and purchase a heavy duty engine stand.
But first, and a big job, was to move three heavy bundles of asphalt roofing shingles. They are about a foot wide by three feet long. Each one weighs around 150 to 200 pounds.
My plan was to stand each one up on end, get it wiggled over, and onto my hand truck, so I could to roll it away.
Well it seemed to work OK, but the next day I realized I did major damage to my lower back. I had to go to E.R. They took X-Rays and it looks like a have a crushed disc. Oh Lord is it painful!
It is easier to move around on my feet than it is to set at a keyboard writing a newsletter!
So, Here is the summer game plan. Please ask questions at this next meeting.
2024 Proposed Calendar of Events.
The National Insulator Association's 55th Annual Convention and Show: Saturday:
June 29 and Sunday: June 30,2024; Sat 9 AM-4 PM, Sun 9 AM-2 PM. The Northern Indiana Event Center/ Orthwein Pavilion, 21565 Executive Pkwy, Elkhart IN. (574)-293-1191
The Indiana Marble Show: August 7-10, 2024. The Wyndham Gardens, 5750 Challenger Parkway, Fort Wayne IN. Mike Adams: (317)-361-2274
West Michigan Bottle Club & Kalamazoo Bottle Club's 2nd Annual Group Picnic: Sunday: August 18, 2024. Brookside Park, Otsego MI 49078. Starting at 11 AM. Details to be announced.
The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club's First Annual Club Dig Dates: Weekends of September 14 or 15, 2024 and October 12 or 13. 2024. Details to be announced.
The Badger Marble Show: September 19-21, 2024. The Comfort Inn (608)-846-9100, 5025 County Hwy V, Deforrest, WI Bill Bass (608)-723-6138
4. The Bottle Club's First Bottle Show Committee has members Ashley Carlson, and Kevin Siegfried. We are looking for one more person to join the committee.
5. The Bottle Club is looking to form a Picnic Committee. This committee will work on the Second Annual West Michigan and Kalamazoo Bottle Clubs' group picnic, scheduled for Sunday: August 18, 2024. Need two to three members ?
Details to be announced.
THEME THIS MONTH, RECENT TREASURES!
There will be a $5.00 Table!
The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club
Meets At the
Otsego Historic Society Museum
The Museum is located at 218 N. Farmer St. Otsego, MI
Meeting starts at 7:00
Information
