Tis fair season. The Central Carolina Fair in Greensboro, a tradition since 1898, closed yesterday. The NC State Fair opens Thursday, October 12th in Raleigh. It will be full of exhibits and carnival rides and games. For years, chalkware was de rigeur at carnivals- from the early 1900s to the 1950s. Before stuffed animals were prizes, chalkware pieces were given to those whose carnival game skills merited a prize. The above collection is on display at Antique Market Place on Burnt Poplar Road. Lori Gray assembled the collection into this wonderful vignette. With the top piece with lights and the drapes, it is as if you are at a carnival and get to select your prize from the lot. However, the collection is being sold together, not piece by piece.
Lori is a master vignette artist and nostalgia maker. She has a booth at the Antique Market Place and has a way of taking seemingly disparate items and pulling them together into a picture perfect scenes that evoke memories: Being in grandma's kitchen; hanging out in the living room of a dear family friend; sitting in a mod kitchen; preparing for a day of fun and games; and on, and on. We went this weekend just to visit this staging of her chalkware. Some lucky person will leave with a mighty fine collection. There is everything from the original kewpie dolls to Disney figures. We're wondering how many of these were won at the Central Carolina Fair. If you are local, head out and see this collection. The fair may have left town, but the collection is still here! Never again will you see so many pieces of chalkware in one place at one time!
Happy Monday!
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