When Paul “Ponzi” Polce and Stephen White, two well-regarded Central New York dealers, agreed to take over the management of the Kerr Museum show in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, they invited Linda and I to make trip from East Aurora to visit the show at the Oakmont Country Club. The pictures from years past promised a high-quality show.
I had an added incentive to attend. Oakmont is a suburb of Pittsburgh, which is my birthplace, so I scheduled a little extra time over the weekend to potentially see the home where I spent several years of my early childhood before moving to Western New York. I also have my grandmother’s “farm” on old Route 8 in Butler County as a possible stop.
There’s always a danger in “going home” after many decades. Things change. I recall a road trip years ago with Linda and her parents when we visited Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania. Linda’s mother, in her youth, had spent some summers with her grandmother there. She had fond memories of the summers and of a home with big porches in this small town. Unfortunately, the house had deteriorated, the porches were gone and a bowling alley had been built nearby. So now, anytime fond memories of a place are recalled, the temptation to visit is tempered with two words: Sugar Grove. Sometimes you shouldn’t go back.
I am forewarned, however. Google has made a virtual visit possible and I am prepared for a “Sugar Grove” moment. So, I’m looking forward to the antiques show and debating the side trip.
One show we are missing this year is, of course, the Kiwanis spring show in Geneseo, New York. The twice-annual show has been a favorite in the region for decades. Unfortunately, the show lost its Armory venue and had relocated to a vacant shopping plaza store. That arrangement wasn’t possible for the spring show. We hope the show will return in the fall. In the meantime, antiquers still had their early spring fix at the Genesee dealers show in Pittsford, New York. The two shows were often only a week or two apart, giving collectors two chances to shop and many dealers who displayed at both a marathon of packing and unpacking their offerings. Tough on dealers, great for shoppers!