OLDS — The latest edition of the Olds Gun & Antique Show, held Aug. 10-11, revealed just how popular it has become over the past 10 years of its history, says show manager Linda Toews.
“The first one we had had just over 100 tables. Now we have 250 tables, so it’s certainly grown,” she said during an interview with the Albertan.
The show supported Olds & District Special Olympics, Olds & District Family Voices Council, the Wildrose Go Getters Women’s Institute and Ecole Olds High School students.
Toews noted that initially, the show was only held annually. However, last year, due to demand, organizers began holding another one in April, so now it’s a semi-annual event.
There’s even demand for a third show each year.
“People keep asking for a third show but I think we’ll have to draw the line somewhere, because putting it in the middle would put it around Christmas, so that doesn’t really work,” she said.
Both guns and antiques have been a part of the show right from the get-go.
“I think they go well together. And I find that what happens a lot of times is that people that collect one will find that the other has items that are of interest to them as well,” Toews said. “And most people don’t collect just one thing. They collect more than one thing.
“There’s still more guns than there are antiques, so we’re probably maybe 30 per cent antiques now, where we were probably 10 per cent the first year, so it’s grown quite a bit.”
However, Toews said it’s pretty hard to get an accurate count on that because some gun dealers also display antiques and vice versa.
Toews conceded that a lot of work goes into staging the show, yet its organizing committee only has four members.
However, she said, “once you’ve got a system, you’re simply repeating the system, just (for) a different time of year.”
Besides, organizers also get lots of help from volunteers from groups like the non-profits and students that receive proceeds from the show.
Examples of that work by volunteers are providing security and taking entry fees at the door.
“We donate money to them and in turn they come and they help us with things,” Toews said.
