Coverage by Douglas Phillips
The 44th Annual Bowmanville Antique and Folk Art Show, April 14 and 15, 2017 at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex, Bowmanville, Ontario
The annual show, marking its 44th anniversary, is held every year on the Easter weekend.
This year’s show was dedicated to Canada’s 150th birthday, and the Year of the Beaver. A special exhibit greeted visitors at the show entrance, which featured the enduring Canadian symbol, the beaver. The history of the beaver and Canada can be traced back to the 17th century to the fur trade and the fashion demands from the French and English courts. A royal charter was awarded to the Hudson Bay Company in 1670 who went on to build trading posts and gather beaver pelts from the indigenous people. This was the formation of our Canadian nation and the beaver is the symbol of the sovereignty of Canada, by Act of Parliament, which received royal assent on March 24th, 1975.
The doors opened on Good Friday at 6.00 p.m., and the attendance was excellent. The show has such a tremendous following that collectors came from as far away as Saskatchewan.
There were twenty-four dealers, and as always, they brought a wide range of very fine items, paintings, furniture and early folk art, many dating from the pre-Confederation era. Bill Dobson who presents the show along with a panel of experts, vets all show items for their authenticity and provenance. Each item carries a tag with a full description, the year, price, where it was found and if it came from a well-known collection. This is the hallmark of the Bowmanville Show and is one of the reasons it has been a great success over the decades for both dealers and buyers.
We hope you will plan to attend the show in 2018 for the 45th annual event. For details visit:
www.bowmanvilleantiquesshow.com or see the Wayback Times Events Calendar.
