The Virginia Highlands Festival's Antique Market offers everything from furniture to baskets to paintings and more.
When many people throughout the region think of the annual Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon, they think of the Antiques Market. It has been the centerpiece of the Festival since its inception in 1949-and this year is no exception.
At the first festivals, the Antique Dealers Association organized shows in the ballroom of the Martha Washington Inn. Their purpose was educational; no items were for sale. Dealers answered questions and specialists lectured.
In 1950 Ruth Webb lectured about glass at the Zephyr Movie Theatre, and in 1951 Milby Burton spoke about the "Place of Antiques in Contemporary Living." During the decades of the 1950s and 1960s, there was an expansion of exhibits, lectures and displays. A major attraction in 1955 was an exhibit of French furniture from Brook Hall in Meadowview, Virginia, by Dr. and Mrs. Bly Garnand.
Beginning in 1968 an Antique Flea Market was held on the lawn of the Martha Washington Inn. By 1971, a tent was rented with 20 spaces sold to dealers and outside space was made available.
By 1986, the number of brightly colored tents had outgrown its expanded space on the Barter Green, so the decision was made to move the Antiques Market to the campus of Virginia Highlands Community College. There it has remained for the last 20 years.
This year there will be 53 dealers from a dozen states. Many antique shows have folded in recent years, but the market at the Virginia Highlands Festival is staying strong. It continues to attract many regional dealers as well as several from around the country.
David and Mary Lee Snuffer of Bedford on the Square Antiques of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have Tiffany glass, 19th-century American and European furniture and 19th-century American landscape portraits.
Hoot & Nana Antiques of Paris, Kentucky, (Roy and Joyce Williams) bring early to mid-19th century American furniture very carefully restored and refinished.
Nancy and Woody Straub of Umatilla, Florida, also bring 19th and early 20th-century American furniture and art.
Buyers looking for specialty items will find fine Victorian jewelry from Marilyn Angel Estate Jewelry from Willoughby, Ohio; and Sharon Kurschner from Camden, South Carolina, specializes in English and American silver.
The Antiques Market opens on Saturday, July 30, running daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Sunday, Aug. 7. Admission is $5 daily or $15 for the run of the show. As has become the tradition, there will be an opportunity for early bird shopping Saturday, July 30 from 8-10 a.m. for a fee of $20.
For a detailed listing of all of the dealers at this year's festival, consult the website, www.VaHighlandsFestival.org.
