By definition cabin fever is “boredom, restlessness or irritability that results from lack of environmental stimulation from a prolonged stay in a confined indoor area.” That pretty much sizes it up for me by mid-January.
Once the tree is down and the tax accountant has all the needed paperwork, there seems to be nothing left to do but clean closets and watch Shark Tank reruns until spring. But not this year! Indiana abounds with activity for the collector and if, like me, you are looking for an alternative to hibernation, check these out.
The Indy Antique Advertising Show will fill the 65,000 square foot Champions Pavilion at the State Fairground on March 20th and 21st. Heralded as one of the best in the country, it will feature advertising from a wide variety of categories, including: Breweriana and Saloon, Political, Automotive, Drugstore and Country Store, Soda Fountain and Pharmaceutical collectibles. This year’s lineup has attracted vendors and dealers from 28 states, and as all of them know, at this show it is bring your best, or stay home. Whether you are an advanced collector or a novice looking to start a new hobby, this is a show you will not want to miss. For ticket prices and show times go to www.indyadshow.com.
Now in it’s 23rd year, The Collectors Carnival Antiques and Marketplace will hold it’s Winter 2015 show at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Fairgrounds just North of Evansville, January 31-February 1. Over 100 dealers are expected this year with quality antiques and collectibles, Mid-Century Modern furniture and decor items, primitives, dolls, silver and gold, sports memorabilia and up-cycled and re-purposed items. Visit them on the web at www.collectorscarnivalshows.com for more information.
An Indiana tradition since 1922, the Indiana Home Show takes over the West and South Pavilions and the Exposition Hall of the Indiana Sate Fairground for a 10 day run beginning January 23rd. From the centerpiece home and celebrity guests, to vendors covering every imaginable aspect of the home and garden, there is literally something for everyone. The lineup for this year’s show includes Ty Pennington (host of Trading Places and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) with his new line of fabrics and seasonal home decor, author and master gardener Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp and WTHR-TV’s “Queen of Free” savings expert Cherie Lowe. Full info, pictures and a list of this year’s exhibitors and events are now available at www.indianapolishomeshow.com.
If your husband is like mine, he tends to consider the Home Show a woman’s kind of thing. That’s OK. This year I have a strategy in place. He goes to the Home Show with me and I will go with him to the Nappanee Gun Show. This year’s show, on March 28th at the Event Center in Dutch Village Market, two miles from Nappanee, affords collectors not only the opportunity to purchase from vendors but also to buy, sell and trade amongst themselves. As an bonus, if I get bored I can go next door to the Antique and Collectibles Flea Market Mall and my husband and I will both enjoy ending the day with some of the great Amish food for which this area is known. Full information on the show is available at amgoa.org/NIGC-Nappanee-Gun-Show.
Antiques, collectibles, home decor, gardening tips, home improvement projects and a good dose of Hoosier hospitality! Sounds like a cure to me. Until next time……….Linda
Irvington resident Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-429-7887 or lkennett@indy.rr.com