The 37th annual Tulare show was held on Friday and Saturday, November 5th and 6th in the big, pink Veteran's Hall on Tulare Avenue. The Simon Brothers, our show hosts, and The Sequoia Antique Bottle & Collectible Society did the same thing that they have done every year for as long as anyone can remember. They put on one heck of a show. This 80-table show boasts around 15 or 20 (8 foot!) insulator tables every year as well as a large volume of walk-in traffic on both Friday and Saturday. Even on rainy days, scores of people visit this show. Do you suppose that almost 40 years of date equity has anything to do with that?

There has always been a down-home feel at Tulare. Table rent is outrageously low, coffee is free, and dealer paperwork has always been kept to a minimum. Best of all, there is ALWAYS something exciting happening. Take three years ago for example: a fella and his lady walked in with a wonderful cobalt EC&M that was just chock full of green globs. That piece sold the next year in an Open-Wire auction for around $2,700. The following year stuff started disappearing off of tables until the show hosts collared the thief and escorted her away. A few dealers were left feeling pretty grumpy when they learned that their merchandise was gone for good. Then this year, a suspect from Kalispell, Montana, in the Yuhas collection theft, showed up and worked the show floor for over two hours before he was discovered. He traded and sold a few thousand dollars worth of Ron's glass before anyone caught on. When he pulled out a $15,000 green Crown LRI and handed it to me, I kinda figured that something was about half a bubble off plumb. The dealers who bought and traded for Ron's glass. were all very disappointed, but they were very gracious as well. Ron was immediately contacted to ID his glass. As things turned out, all of Ron's glass that was traded or sold at the show was returned to him. Unfortunately, the Crown LRI was not recovered, and the suspect could not be detained. Anyway, as I was saying, there's never a dull moment at the Tulare Show!

Bill Heitkotter - Fresno, California

As if that were not enough, this year was over the top for excitement in The Big Pink. At around 10 AM on Friday our show host, Richard Simon, announced to the gathering at large that the Sequoia club's board had voted to let this year's show be their last! Well, as Dave Brown put it, "I don't think I'm ready to see this show end." Left Coast Lines agrees: The Show MUST Go On!

Greg Bickford and his wife, Judy, share stories with Dwayne Anthony (center).

And so it shall. Thanks to Colin Jung and the gang at the Nor-Cal Insulator Club, this show has been granted a one-year-trial under new management. The new show-hosts for 2005 will be Dave Brown and Mike Doyle. Bob and Mark Merzoian will do everything necessary to advertise the show in the various local media, and help the fledgling staff manage the floor on show weekend. Additionally, Pastor Louis Sparks and The Tulare River of Life 4 Square Church have agreed to provide full cafeteria services both days as well as a sit-down dinner on Friday night right in the show hall dining room. Can you Dig It?!? Ladies and Gentlemen, The 38th annual Tulare Harvest Insulator & Bottle Show, presented in cooperation with the Nor-Cal Insulator Club, will be held on November 4th & 5th, 2005 in the Big Pink Tulare Veteran's Memorial Building on Tulare Avenue, just as it has for the past 37 years. Y'all Come!

OK. That takes care of the business part. Now, how about the cotton pickin' show report! Let's see ..... LCL counted about 16 tables covered with insulators at this bottle show. The dealers included Claudia & Erik Krusee, Pat Patocka, Dale Huber, Bill Heitkotter, Frank Feher, Tom Holbrook, Dwayne & Ofelia Anthony, Mark & Bob Merzoian, Don & Elaine Bayes, Norm & Doris James, Dave Brown, Pete Fortier, Mike Doyle, Joe Clements, Mike Stafford, and Mark Hilton. Numerous insulator collectors including Steve Marsh, Bill Rohde, Christian Willis, Lou & Dee Dee Hall.

Joe Clements and Pat Patocka just chatting and hangin' out.

Oscar Dunlap took home Best of Show 
for his NIA Commemoratives display at this Bottle Show!

Carver Mead & Barbara Smith, Ron Jenkins, Craig McLaurin, and Paul "Meter Lamp" Reberry showed up for the event. Even Bud Willis was there with his new bride, and very long time friend, Nancy. Congratulations you two!

The food was great and the glass was better. There were some great deals to be had at Claudia's table where she and her husband, Erik were downsizing their collection and slashing prices. One lucky threadhead bought a mint Pyrex 331 for $150! There were Yellow Cal Helmets, solid red McLaughlin commemoratives, and, OH! ......... Speaking of McLaughlin, did you know that The Fred Padgett Collection has been sold? That's right! Be sure to look for our exclusive interview with the witty, wacky, soft spoken, and often controversial McLaughlin expert in the next installment of Left Coast Lines.

Nice, yellow CD260 California helmet

Where were we? Oh yes, great deals on glass. LCL can't say how the glass flows in the Central and Eastern regions of late but, we can tell you that there are more collections changing hands out west than we have ever seen before. There is literally more glass on the market out here than there is money to buy it.

Nice smoke California egg is being guarded by a 
CD206 McLaughlin Rook on Glenn Adkins' table

LCL has personal knowledge of at least eleven collections that have changed hands in 2004. We don't pretend to know all of the goings on out here either. But if we know of eleven in the west then how many more are changing hands elsewhere? The point here is that all of this commerce leads to large dealer inventories, and many of the dealers with whom we speak regularly are glass heavy and have been for some months now. This inventory load translates to great prices at the show table, and folks are finding some killer deals at shows. If you can get out there to a local swap meet or tailgater, then by all means, go for it. If you have some spare change lying around, consider running a small "Insulators Wanted" ad in your local paper for a week and see what turns up.  It's a buyer's market! 

Some of the goodies on 
Dwayne & Ofelia's Anthony's table 

The Marigold Mile on Erik & Claudia (de Veaux) Krusee's table.

So, all you thread-heads listen up: Getcher glass and mud traders into a good, sturdy box. Getcher swap lists and price guides updated. Flip open yer Crown Jewels to Coming Events, and click in the Insulators.Com Show Finder for details on the next swap meet or tailgater in your area. Dig that dusty wad-o-cash out of the Fred Locke pinhole, and get all yer friends together for an insulator road trip because......IT'S SHOWTIME!