It was hotter than Hades at the Wilton, Connecticut, outdoor antiques show over the weekend of June 25 and 26. On both days there was bright sun, a cloudless sky, and oppressive temperatures in the 90’s, making it very uncomfortable for dealers and visitors. The show benefited the Wilton Kiwanis Club and the Wilton Family Y. Volunteers from both groups helped stage the event, with Wilton Family Y members managing the food service tent and the Kiwanis assisting with admissions, porter services, and other functions.

There were 122 exhibitors from 18 states, one from Canada, and another from England. All of the spaces were under tents, providing some very welcome shade. There was also a large tent over the food service area, and during a four-hour visit on Sunday afternoon, this reporter went there three times to recuperate with cold sodas.

The show was held in Allen’s Meadows, one of Wilton’s public parks, a flat, open area that allowed plenty of space for wide aisles, which seemed quite empty, creating a false impression that visitor traffic was light. When the numbers were in, they suggested that the attendance was strong, but the crowd stayed in the shade of the tents rather than touring the aisles. Show manager Marilyn Gould reported that total attendance for the two days was just 40 less than last year’s figure in the 3000 range.

Although exhibitors said their sales were off somewhat compared to previous years, most seemed generally satisfied with their results. Particularly enthusiastic, and understandably so, was Victor Weinblatt of South Hadley, Massachusetts. He said the Wilton outdoor show was the second best since he became a full-time antiques dealer in 1979. He had sold eight major pieces of furniture, including two stepback cupboards, a two-tier stand, and two jelly cupboards. He also had orders for a blanket box, seven signs, a room-size hooked rug, two large mirrors, carvings, four game boards, a collection of chocolate molds, three 19th-century sconces, and a variety of other items.

Joy Shannon of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, reported selling two oil paintings, priced at $1400 each; a cherry stand, $1495; two tinsel paintings, $300 each; a small country style painted bureau, $1500; and two clock faces, $250 each. The best sale for Donald Heller of Heller-Washam Antiques, Woodbury, Connecticut, was an 18th-century cherrywood pipe box with lid and an inlaid drawer. Probably of Connecticut origin, it was tagged $7900. Susan Oostdyk of Andover, New Jersey, had buyers for a painted cottage chest, priced at $625; French ticking pillows in the $75 to $175 range; and a wicker rocker with ticking cushion, $475.

Steve German of Mad River Antiques, North Granby, Connecticut, said, "On Saturday morning, as the day turned extremely hot, I thought the whole thing would be over by noontime. But it kept on going, and we had sales right up to closing." By mid-afternoon on Sunday, he reported selling four pieces of stoneware priced from $750 to $1395 for a total of about $4000; a cupboard, $2250; a Currier & Ives print, $675; some reference books; and other smalls.

Robert and Patsy Hassert of American Memories, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, who were doing the Wilton show for the second time, said they had sold two tapestries at $550 each, a chintz piece in an eagle design at $650, and a circa 1846 lithograph at $795.

While many exhibitors said smalls accounted for most of their business, Wayne Pratt of Woodbury, Connecticut, was an exception. He sold six Windsor chairs as a set for a price in the $15,000 range.

Marilyn Gould was one of the customers for Teresa and William Kurau of Lampeter, Pennsylvania. She collects objects with eagle designs and bought an 8" x 7" tortoiseshell comb with that motif. Then, in her role as the director of the Wilton Historical Society, she acquired a red, white, and blue child’s carriage for the WHS museum’s collection. The Kuraus had also sold some Sandwich glass items in the $325 to $575 range, English pearlware for $200, and salt-glaze pottery for $200.

In a telephone conversation about two weeks after the show, exhibitor Victor Weinblatt recounted a curious sales experience involving two buyers at Wilton. On Saturday one of them bought three large furniture pieces from Weinblatt. He said he was interested in a fourth one but wanted to think about it and might call the dealer. On Sunday another customer purchased two other furniture offerings, including the one being mulled over by the first buyer. When Weinblatt got home from the Wilton show, there was a message for him from the Saturday buyer who said he had decided to take the additional furniture. Weinblatt called him back to let him know it was no longer available.

Then in one of those remarkable "small world" situations, it turned out that the two buyers knew each other quite well. In fact, they are business partners. When they came to work on Monday, they began telling each other what they had done on the weekend and discovered that they had both visited the Wilton show, not knowing the other was also going there. So their searches for antique furniture had intersected in Victor Weinblatt’s exhibit tent.