2019 FOHBC 50th Anniversary National Antique Bottle Convention | Augusta, Georgia | Team Augusta & the Ribbon Cutting
Augusta Convention Center | Olmstead Hall
Friday, 02 August 2019 | 12:50 pm
09 September 2019
It is no secret that in recent years it has become ever so difficult to find individuals that will step up and co-chair a national FOHBC convention. The workload is immense, and the challenges seem unsurmountable when you look at the big picture including site selection, events, workload, budget and operations to name a few. With this in mind, a group of extraordinary southern gentleman banded together to take on the task and make the FOHBC 50th Anniversary Southern Region Antique Bottle Convention, one to remember. Each member was dedicated to their assigned tasks while maintaining constant communication with the team and FOHBC board. This group called themselves the Augusta Consortium.
The genesis of this team concept came from Ferdinand Meyer V, then President of the FOHBC (2012 – 2018). Wanting something special for the anniversary convention, he first ran into Marty Vollmer at the March 2015 Baltimore Antique Bottle Show and then again, a week later on the west coast, at the 2015 Morro Bay Antique Bottle Show. This coincidence inspired the first discussions about the 2019 Southern National Convention. Both slept on the discussions and from there, over a number of months, a prospective team was seeded and grew. We should mention here that the FOHBC had no responses to the standard ‘Request for Proposal’ that was sent to all southern club contacts asking if they had a desire to host a FOHBC convention. The word on the street was that there was fear and apprehension, as noted above.
Fast forward to April 2017, Ferdinand and Louis Fifer (then FOHBC Conventions Director), announced to the FOHBC board that Augusta, Georgia and Myrtle Beach, Florida were on the short list of candidates to host the 2019 Anniversary “Southern Region” Convention. They had initially looked at many locales including Houston, Fort Worth, Galveston (Texas), Savannah, Georgia, Shreveport Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, Orlando, Florida among others.
Ferdinand at that time was a consultant to Augusta University and Augusta University Medical Center and traveled to the city often. While staying at the downtown Augusta Marriott one trip (his regular hotel The Partridge Inn was being renovated), he noticed that it was connected to a convention center, set in a historic area and on the Savannah River. He quickly scheduled a meeting with the hotel and had some informal talks. Needless to say, the meeting went great.
A month or so later, the proposed team met at the Marriott. It was a great meeting. In attendance was Bill and Bea Baab from the Horse Creek Bottle Club, Louis Fifer, FOHBC Conventions Director, Nancy Glaser, Executive Director, Augusta Museum of History, Sharon Koon, Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center, Ferdinand Meyer V, FOHBC President, Mike Newman, Horse Creek Bottle Club, Walter Smith, Horse Creek Bottle Club, Marty Vollmer, South Carolina Bottle Club, Eric Warren, South Carolina Bottle Club and representatives from Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau. The meeting was spectacular. The Consortium was official.
Shortly thereafter, Ferdinand announced:
Here is a surprise folks. Though we don’t yet have board approval, I’m going to gamble here and announce that our Southern Region 2019 FOHBC 50th Anniversary National Antique Bottle Convention will be in Augusta, Georgia.
A group of us visited Augusta on 19 April (our short-list finalist) for meetings and tours that were productive and positive. Some of the great things we saw were strong regional and local leadership support from antique bottle collectors such as, but not limited to Bill & Bea Baab, Mike Newman, Walter Smith, Marty Vollmer and Eric Warren.
If you don’t already know, Augusta is a southern charm city located within reasonable driving distance to strong bottle-collecting cities such as Atlanta, Birmingham, Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Columbus, Greenville, Jackson, Macon, Raleigh, Savannah and Tallahassee, among others.
Our strategically positioned Marriott Convention Center host hotel complex will house all amenities. With two hotels, this provides us our primary and secondary hotels. The convention center is also connected to both hotels and parking. I’m super excited as I love Augusta. I spend a lot of time there for business and just love that city.
Also, our opening reception will be hosted by Bill & Bea Baab at the Augusta Museum of History where we can see their outstanding bottle collection.
Ferdinand Meyer V
One of the honors of putting on a bottle show is cutting the ribbon to signify the start of the bottle show on the convention floor. Here the consortium, along with FOHBC president Matt Lacy, and FOHBC Conventions Director Lindsey Fifer, cut the ribbon to signify the start of the show. Bill Baab was selected within the team to make the actual cut. We understand Bill kept the cut ribbon and it was added to his room of great achievements for the FOHBC. Absent is Walter Smith who undoubtedly was getting the displays in final order for the start of the show.
We also wish to ask that any club, individual or group consider the ‘Consortium’ approach. You will have the full FOHBC backing and support, as was evident in Augusta.
We thought we would share a few pictures taken by our event photographer, Elizabeth Lacy who is also our Public Relations officer. We think she did a great job!
Read more about the 2019 FOHBC 50th Anniversary National Antique Bottle Convention in Augusta, Georgia
FOHBC Board Meeting • Mike & Julie Newman Open House • Augusta Museum of History Reception • Sweet Georgia Peaches Bottle Competition • Membership Breakfast • Educational Seminars • Banquet • Youth Corner • On the Tables • Augusta Educational Displays • People on the Showroom Floor • Augusta Prizes and Drawings • Augusta Souvenir Program.
12:50 pm. Here the Augusta Consortium, along with FOHBC President Matt Lacy, and FOHBC Conventions Director Lindsey Fifer, gathering to cut the ribbon to signify the start of the show. Absent is Walter Smith.
12:55 pm. Ferdinand, helps Bill Baab position the rather large and sharp scissors.
Bill still having trouble with the scissors, A mistake here could be costly! Wanting no lost limbs or digits.
Looks like Bill has it under control now!
And the cut.
12:58 pm. Follow-through is important for the clean cut.
12:59 pm. All the Indians wanting to enter the showroom!
Waiting for 1:00 pm. Contracted security guard (Sheriff Dept) ready to check identification.
First through the gate.
What a wonderful display and post-show coverage and it’s all Ferdinand’s fault! I was so proud to be a member of Team Augusta. Marty Vollmer, Mike Newman, Walter Smith, Eric Warren, Ferdinand and I worked our tails off in preparing for the first-ever national show held in Augusta (more known for golf) and Georgia, the Peach State.
The very best part of the show for me was seeing longtime out of town friends with whom I share e-mails. Dar Furda drove over from California, Butch Alley drove down from north Georgia, Dennis Smith from Buffalo, N.Y., Charles Head from South Pittsburg, Ala., and Tom Lines from a little place near Birmingham, Ala., to mention just a few .
The show wore out Bea, my precious wife of 53 years and key supporter of my antique bottle hobby, and I. It took more than a week to recover, but every minute of the show was worth it.
I must say (and I think the rest of the team will support me) that had it not been for the active presence of our dear friends, Ferdinand Meyer V, and his wife, Elizabeth, our get up and go would have gotten up and gone weeks ago. His knowledge and expertise based on his long association with many national shows really came in handy and smoothed an otherwise bumpy road, not only for us, but the hotel and convention center staffs. We had wonderful behind the scenes support from the latter folks.
And Elizabeth Lacy, bride of FOHBC President Matt: Look at the photos. . .just wonderful work! Thank you.
Thanks, too, goes to all of our out-of-town guests who had mostly positive post-show remarks and they are all appreciated.
Bill & Bea Baab, Augusta, Georgia