Hudson Valley Bottle Club Show Better Each Year

25 August 2016

It was a busy weekend for me this past week as on Saturday I drove out to the Madison Bouckville Antique Week (Read: Madison Bouckville Tent Sale Still a Hit) to see the “Bottle Nuts” and Sunday I drove down to the Hudson Valley Bottle Clubs 29th Annual Show and Sale. I have been attending this show for years and I have to tell you, it seems to be getting better each year.

Mike Stephano explains to a local woman what her bottles are worth. Dana Charlton-Zarro listens in.

Mike Stephano serves as the chairman and Mike does everything he can to sell out. With just over 50 dealer tables, the show is always busy. The girls at the front table told me that there were nearly 200 paid admissions, which was up from last year. The show is easy to find and parking is great. One thing I noticed right away was the how much brighter the show room was. They have installed all new lighting and added windows all around the room. Great place to look at bottles for sure. The food served is great as far as bottle show food goes. All freshly cooked and served hot. Many people were eating it and all said it was good.

Part of the nicely lit show room.

I have to tell you, I met a young man named Alex Prizgintas who was there displaying his milk bottles. Alex is 16 years old and represents the future of our hobby. Alex has already given talks at the local library on the dairies of his area (see the Times Herald Record newspaper Monday, March 28, 2016). He also was given the Don Dannheim Emerging Leader Award this June at the National Milk Bottle Collectors Annual Convention held in Hersey, Pennsylvania. I started this hobby when I was around 13 years old and I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to see young people like Alex in the hobby. I know what is ahead for him. I don’t mean the bottles, I mean the long lasting good friends he will find along the way. This hobby will reward him with much more than pieces of glass. Great job Alex!

Alex Prizgintas poses for a photo in front of his milk bottles.

Part of Alex Prizgintas table display.

Alex’s award was proudly on display, which it should be. Great Job!

I bought a few things for the collection but most of the time I was there I was handing out contracts and flyers for the FOHBC 2017 Springfield National Antique Bottle Convention & Expo. We are just setting all kinds of records for contract sales. We have sold 20% of our tables in less than two weeks. Not bad for a 360 table show. Springfield will be the event of the decade in the Northeast and maybe the whole country. I have to give Louis Fifer and Matt Lacy their shot in Cleveland as the FOHBC Nation Convention is there in 2018. They are already working out things way in advance just like Bob Strickhart (Springfield co-chair) and I have been doing. It’s hard to believe it has been almost two years in the making and with less than a year to go we are still planning new things to do in Springfield.

Next year right after the National Convention, plan on visiting the Hudson Valley Show. These are some great people doing the hobby right. They need your support too.

Jim Bender
FOHBC Historian
2017 Springfield National Co-Chair