At the recently completed NASPC Pipe Show in Columbus, Ohio I spent a lot of time talking pipe tobaccos with many of the attendees and vendors. I especially enjoyed the new and enhanced smoking tent that was larger than last year’s tent. And since the weather was far superior to what I’ve been having to tolerate down here in Texas, I did spend a lot of time outside where the temp was in the low 80’s and nothing but sunshine and just enough of a light breeze to help my pipe stay lit whenever I wasn’t puffing. Since I’ve been putting tobacco in pipes and then smoking the contents for over 45-years, and because I run a website that features pipe tobacco, and especially because I look old and harmless, people just seem to gravitate towards me when they want to share their pipe tobacco experiences at pipe shows. And I love that. Seeing how excited so many of our fellow hobbyists seem to be when discussing pipe weed gets me excited too! I was especially thrilled to discuss pipes and tobaccos with so many younger people who attended the NASPC Show. Those young folks are the future of our hobby, and to be able to share in their youthful enthusiasm made even me feel more youthful. My only regret is that it didn’t help me look more youthful, too (insert heavy sigh here).
The NASPC Show was once again held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. They are very accommodating and the rooms were very nice and clean. The show opened on Friday from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and across from the show room was a nice buffet that got a lot of action from the attendees, including me! The smoking tent seemed to be full the entire weekend of the show, as everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the aforementioned weather. The tent was not sided, so there was plenty of ventilation and I loved that cool light breeze out there!
On Saturday, the show ran from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and there sure was a lot of action. A lot of the newer pipe makers attended to show off their wares, and of course, everyone was happy to see some of the well known pipe makers in attendance such as Lee Von Erck, Jesse Jones, Tim West, Premal Chheda, Dr. Bob (Dr. Robert Kiess), and several others. Those looking for good wood sure found it at that show!
Jeff Knoll, President of the NASPC, along with his volunteer staff which included Eddie Fliess (who had several different tasks during the show and did them all very well), NASPC Secretary Michael DiCuccio and many others did a great job of making sure that the packed show room (vendor tables all sold out), operated smoothly and that questions were always answered quickly whenever someone needed help.
I know that I say this after every show report that I do, but I’ll say it again; if you’ve never attended a pipe show in person, please consider attending one. Being able to see so many pipes and related items offered for sale in one place, and hundreds of fellow pipe smokers visiting together and puffing on their pipes can be an exhilarating experience and I promise that you’ll make many wonderful memories.
Happy puffing to all,
Steve
