The 2017 Antiquing Along the Allegheny concluded their annual event Saturday.
Even though temperatures were comfortable for the 17th annual “Antiquing Along the Allegheny” last Saturday, vendors said the crowd seemed to be slightly less than in years gone by.
The event draws many local vendors who do not necessarily have a business, but participate in area shows.
Such is the case with Emil Debnar from Walkchalk.
“If we had to depend on all this, it wouldn’t be very lucrative, but it’s fun just to do it,” Emil said about his retirement hobby. “We try to have some local stuff out here from Kittanning and Armstrong County area. A lot of this stuff we’ve collected over the years. You get stuff, you don’t realize you have so much.”
Emil’s wife, Rose, said she and her husband were the first type of dumpster divers.
“We would ride around trying to put the boys asleep on a Sunday afternoon and go for a little ride before we would visit our relatives. And, one time, we saw somebody had dumped/thrown a trunk out along the road that was in really good condition. It was a humpback. So, we took it home and restored it, and we stored clothes in it. So, the next time we went out for a ride, we past there and found out somebody had thrown some crocks out. So, we picked the crocks up and took them home to put flowers and things in them. And, then his stepdad and mother got involved. They started, we call it dumping, and then we started going to auctions and flea markets and started just accumulating.”
For Christina Nicoll, she plans to open a small shop in Smicksburg in September.
“Arts and crafts is something that is instilled in me. It’s been handed down from generation to generation, different family members. So, I’ve been taught since my childhood to be creative. And, I just pick up whatever I enjoy and work with it. So, right now I primarily knit and make ah jewelry with wire, so. So, my dad is an iron, a garden artist and my step-father paints. He does folk art. And, I have various artists within the family. My shop will include primarily handmade jewelry made by myself, vintage, ah some antiques, a few artisans from around the surrounding area um as well as different kinds of collectibles.”
Kellee Skrot is from West Leechburg, and doesn’t have a shop but sells over the Internet.
“I make handmade primitive dolls and stenciled, primitive, wooden signs. Everything is handmade by me in my home. I started doing it more as a hobby and because I liked it. Now, it’s just a very small, fun business.”
Stacey Matthews from Troy Hill in Rayburn Township enjoys taking old pieces of furniture and repurposing it.
“I took a class with my niece about two years ago and started doing stuff at home. And, I saw that I could do this. I just pick up pieces that, like at thrift stores or friends give me, and then I just give them new life.”
The event is sponsored by the Kit-Han-Ne Questers #408. Member Dixie Toy said their booth featured artifacts from around the area.
“It came from grandmothers and grandmothers and friends and auctions and that type (of) thing.”
Adam Walmsley did caricature drawings. One of his subjects included four-year-old Georgia Everhart from Kittanning. He described his artistry as “drawing what you see.”
“Every person’s different, so I just start with their eyes and you just draw what you see. I don’t really know how to describe what I do. After you do it a thousand times, you kind of figure it out.”
Georgia’s mother, Amber, said she appreciates events in the park.
“I think it’s really nice. It’s nice to have something to do on the weekends and everything.”
The event returns next August with more interesting craft items.
Four-year-old Georgia Everhart from Kittanning stands and models for artist Adam Walmsley at his booth at “Antiquing Along the Allegheny” last Saturday. Georgia’s mother watches the interaction from her seat.