Antique Extravaganza

Three times a year, in January, February, and November, Renninger’s Promotions hosts their Antiques and Collector’s Extravaganza at their huge open-air facility in Mount Dora, Florida, and it’s an event we always enjoy attending.

We didn’t make it to any of their shows last year because of COVID, and my daughter and granddaughter were visiting from Arizona during the January show, so we skipped it. So we made up for lost time yesterday, taking our friends Jesse and Jennifer with us.

The three-day shows (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) are major events, drawing around 800 vendors from all over the country, and thousands of shoppers.

From vintage oil lamps and antique victrolas to wagon wheels and primitives, you’ll find all of that at the Antique Extravaganza and a lot more.

There are always a lot of interesting old advertising and road signs, everything from Mail Pouch Tobacco, Coca Cola, gas station signs, restaurant signs, and stop signs. If you’re looking for a sign, they’ve got it.

I was partial to this one, but Terry told me nobody wants to see me naked. I don’t care about that. It’s what I want to see that counts!

Miss Terry and Jennifer both like crystals, and there were several vendors selling them, along with other interesting rocks, minerals, geodes, and fossils.

Several of these baggage carts were on display at different vendors, and Terry would really like to have one. I keep telling her I’ll buy one for her, but we can’t figure out where we would put it. After living in a 320 square foot motorhome for 18+ years, I have no idea how we filled up this big three-bedroom house and 1,100 square foot garage so quickly, but we sure did.

If you’re looking for any kind of glassware or dishes, from Melmac to crystal, Fiesta Ware, or Depression glass, there is plenty to choose from.

When Jesse saw this fellow trying to take a picture, he quickly stepped out of his way, and it took all of us a moment to realize that he wasn’t real. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more realistic-looking mannequin, or whatever the heck he was, in my life, clear down to the skin texture and veins showing in his arms and hands. I would have loved to have brought him home just to put him in the front yard to keep my paranoid neighbors on edge.

We browsed the different vendors for several hours, and I’m sure we didn’t see half of everything that was on display. There were just too many vendors with too many cool things to look at that you can’t see it all in a day. By the time we finally called it quits we were all tired, but we had a lot of fun.

I would suggest going back again today to see the rest of it, but I don’t think any of us have the energy for that. I know I sure don’t. But we’re looking forward to going back when they hold the Antique Extravaganza again in November!

Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an audiobook of Undone, the first book in my friend Jason Deas’ Burt Bigsley mystery series. To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – You know how they throw the ball into the crowd at the end of the game when they win? That’s not allowed in bowling. I know that now.