Gayle Sallee, owner of Kremer's Smoke Shoppe, handed Jordan Humbert a measured amount of tobacco for the Jeffersontown Gaslight Festival pipe-smoking competition as fellow competitor Dan Griffin, of Jeffersonville, Ind., center, looked on.

A 37-year-old Kentucky man smoked a pipe of 3.3 grams of tobacco for 71 minutes and 30 seconds to win the Gaslight Festival Pipe Smoking Contest.

Coy Howard, 37, of Springfield, KY., smoked the pipe with a single light longest to best five competitors Sunday at the annual contest in Jeffersontown, the Louisville, KY.

Gorden Vogel, 71, took second place by making his pipe last 70 minutes and 45 seconds on a single light.

The Gaslight pipe-smoking contest took place on Sunday, Sept. 20 in Jeffersontown, Kentucky with six contestants.

Four younger men joined two old-timers in puffing and eyeing each other’s pipes under the columned portico that shelters Jeffersontown City Hall, each nursing 3.3 grams of tobacco, trying for the longest time on just one light.

Under the watchful eyes of a judge holding a stopwatch, the winner, Coy Howard, 37, coaxed his bowl of burley and vanilla-flavored Virginia tobacco to burn 71 minutes, 30 seconds. He snuffed out Gorden Vogel, age 71, who lasted 70 minutes, 45 seconds.

“I pray for two things,” said Howard, a factory worker from Springfield, Ky. “That mine does not go out and others’ do.”

Souvenir pins from many past pipe smoking competitions studded the red tobacco pouch on the lap of Griffin, a competitive puffer since 1984.

His collection included pins from pipe-smoking marathons at the Ham Days celebration in Lebanon, Ky.; the Steamboat Days Festival in Jeffersonville, Ind.; and the Kentucky State Fair.

This year, the International Association of Pipe Smokers will hold its 61st world championships near its headquarters in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

The association’s Web site lists Internet links to seven pipe-smoking clubs nationwide, including the Kentuckiana Pipe Smokers Club based at Kremer’s Smoke Shoppe in downtown Louisville.

Before the contest began, the owner of Kremer’s shouted to be heard over the keyboard and drums of a six-man gospel combo playing for festival passers-by on Watterson Trail.

This was the second year Kempf, 27, who also works as a clerk at a liquor store on Bardstown Road, competed in the pipe-smoking contest with his friend Jordan Humbert, 26, a musician.

Nate Keller, 18, said he took up pipe smoking under a tree in his Jeffersontown backyard last year to ease nerves jangled by his job setting bowling pins at King Pin Lanes on Taylorsville Road.

“After you have had a harsh day, it puts you in a mellow mind,” Keller said.

Pipe Smoking is Relaxing & Clears the Mind

Kremer’s Smoke Shoppe

Bjarne Nielsen, the owner and the founder of Bjarne Pipes, passed away in February 2008. The company was founded in 1973 and became Denmark’s largest pipe manufacturer of 100% hand made pipes. Bjarne Nielsen’s pipes are recognized as a great value. His goal was to make high quality Danish pipes at a reasonable price. Bjarne pipes are hand made of the highest quality Grecian and Calabrian plateau briar. Get one of his excellent pipes while you still can.

This is a Viking pipe, made by Bjarne. This pipe measures approximately 5 3/8″ Long x 1 3/4″ High with a bowl diameter of 1 1/2″ and a maximum bowl width of 1 1/2″.

Order this Pipe Now - Click Here!

I remember back when I bought my first pipe … I hunted high and low for one that felt just right and looked good too. I knew that it had to be a genuine briar and for some reason I wanted one that looked just like the pipes my father and grandfather used to smoke.

When I found the one that was right for me I thought that I was set for life. I had the perfect pipe and I was sure that, baring accidents, this was the pipe that I was going to use for the rest of my days. Sure I’d heard of guys who had a collection of pipes and used them all but besides being a collector, why do you need more than one pipe, and how many do you need?

You’ve got to fight for your right to paaaaahhhhteh! The Beastie Boys song goes through my head as I think about how "You’ve Got to Fight for Your Right to Party" isn’t just about youth rebellion. It’s about living your life the way you want to without someone else telling you what to do. It’s about personal freedoms. Any business owners in the audience raise your hands. Ok, home owners raise your hands. Apartment dwellers ? Now let’s pretend I’m going to come into your house or apartment and go through the pantry and refrigerator and confiscate your potato chips, cookies, sugary cereals, I am going to block the naughty channels on your TV remote, and we have a new earlier bedtime for you.

What’s wrong? You don’t like that? But it’s for your own good. These things are all bad for you. Oh, and by the way, you business owners out there. We didn’t forget about you. Since you don’t know any better, we’re going to decide for you if you should allow smoking in your establishments. This is what the tobacco dealer’s trade organization is arguing against in Topeka Kansas right now.

Even though retail tobacco stores will be exempted from the proposed smoking ban, this is not good enough.

Topeka city council members plan to act on the ordinance September 29. They will hear public comment about it at forums on September 21 and 28.

"We want to go on record opposing this ordinance for many reasons, not the least of which is that the statistics and so-called studies being cited by the pro-smoking ban forces need to be thoroughly vetted for accuracy. People tend to ccept these generally false or misleading claims without challenging them. For every claim against smoking, secondhand smoke or the positive economic impact of smoking bans, there is at least one survey or scientific study that says otherwise," said Chris McCalla, legislative director of IPCPR. "For example, even the Federal Reserve Bank says smoking bans can hurt businesses."

McCalla cited obesity as the nation’s number one health problem, including many of those generally attributed to smoking. According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control, medical costs associated with obesity have increased from $78 billion in 1998 to $147 billion in 2006. Two-thirds of adults and some 20 percent of children in the United States are now overweight or obese.

"Does that mean government should prevent fat people from overeating or consuming high calorie foods? Of course not. It is not government’s place to tell us how to live or how to run our businesses. A business owner, not the government, has the right to decide if smoking will be allowed on his premises. When government interferes with that right, it begins sliding down the slippery slope of constitutional compromise which leads to the continued and growing loss of rights across the board," said McCalla. "Just look around you to see growing erosion of our rights as United States citizens."

In addition to proposing to tax food items such as sugary soft drinks, the CDC suggests banning television sets from children’s bedrooms.

"That’s just as intrusive, ridiculous and dangerous as legislative smoking bans. If you don’t want to be exposed to smoke, don’t go places where you might expect it. Patronize businesses that don’t permit smoking. That’s their right… and that’s your right. But government does not have the right to tell a business that it should or should not ban smoking. The constitution is on our side on this one," McCalla said.

Peterson Rock of Cashel Rustic Pipe #b10. This pipe measures approximately 5 1/8″ Long x 2″ High with a bowl diameter of 1 5/8″ and a maximum bowl width of 1 5/8″.

Bjarne Nielsen, the owner and the founder of Bjarne Pipes, passed away in February 2008. The company was founded in 1973 and became Denmark’s largest pipe manufacturer of 100% hand made pipes. Bjarne Nielsen’s pipes are recognized as a great value. His goal was to make high quality Danish pipes at a reasonable price. Bjarne pipes are hand made of the highest quality Grecian and Calabrian plateaux briar. Get one of his excellent pipes while you still can.

This is a Viking pipe, made by Bjarne. This pipe measures approximately 5 1/2″ Long x 1 3/4″ High with a bowl diameter of 1 3/8″ and a maximum bowl width of 1 3/8″.

See a Listing of Bjarne Pipes for Sale Here

The Corn Cob Pipe is an American icon and known the world over. They have been around for over 100 years and are still popular today.

This is the story of the Corn Cob Pipe with the history of it’s origin, the founding of Missouri Meerschaum, it’s manufacturer, and a step by step photographic guide showing how they are manufactured.

Wisconsin now has the fifth highest tobacco tax in the nation and the most expensive tobacco now among neighboring states.

Todd Ferch was purchasing a pouch of loose tobacco at Book World when he stopped to comment.

"It must be time to quit. Smoking is just too expensive. I roll my own," he said.

Local retailers said they are hearing from customers peeved about the hike.

"They’re going after all tobacco products. Cigarettes went up 75 cents a pack and roll your own prices will be raised by our wholesaler. The price for a 12 ounce can of Captain Jack pipe tobacco went up $10. It’s now around $45 a can. This is going to make it too expensive to smoke. Then where will the state get their money," said Book World manager Kathy Orlikowski. "I think they’re going to start taxing the air we breathe, so I’m going to breathe slow and not get excited. Do you know, are they still subsidizing tobacco growers?"

Dennis Annis at the House of Spirits said the price for a pack of Marlboros is now $6.72.

"We saw a run on cigarettes before the tax went into effect," said Annis. "The biggest thing was many didn’t know about the increase. It’s gone up two bucks in the last year."

"We had a pretty good run before the tax went into effect," said BobbiSue Hampton at Monster Mart on Stevens Street.

She agreed with Annis regarding customers’ reactions.

"People weren’t happy. The cheapest brands are Grand Prix and Maverick at $5.95 a pack. And you do pay sales tax on top of everything. So a pack of cigarettes that sells for $5.64 is $5.95 with the sales tax.," Hampton said.

Customers at Monster Mart were willing to speak their minds.

"I’m very angry," said Jan Jakuvowski. "Everything keeps going up except wages. They’re taking away my right to smoke, as an American. We’re cutting way back, way way back. Soon there’ll be more tax on booze, on each bad habit."

Novalee Jaeger kept her argument simple.

"It’s outrageous. Any higher and I’ll stop. And sales tax on top of the rise in cigarette tax? It’s a tax on tax."

"It’s hard on people that smoke," said Mark Pelletier. "I quit. I’ve gone years without now. My wife still smokes but something’s got to give."

Securing the tax was part of a one-two punch secured by anti-smoking advocates this year. The other was convincing the Legislature to pass a statewide anti-smoking ban that takes place on July 5, 2010. All money raised from cigarette and tobacco taxes goes into the state’s general fund, which is then tapped to pay the majority of expenses related to running state government.

Groups representing Wisconsin grocery and convenience stores, along with gas stations, estimate that the tax increase will cut 25 to 40 percent of their non-fuel sales. Ironically, many of the stores are replacing the revenue lost from tobacco sales with healthier alternatives like salads and fresh foods.

By: John St. Mark

There are literally hundreds of wineries in the Napa Valley, and although I will be mentioning a few landmark wineries as points of reference, my goal here is not to make specific recommendations (we’ll leave that for future columns) but rather to offer some general information that should be helpful wherever you choose to go.

If you’re starting from San Francisco, driving to Napa should take roughly an hour and a half to two hours, assuming traffic isn’t too bad (allow more time if you have a scheduled appointment; it may take longer to get further up the Valley, and traffic delays are not uncommon.) The more scenic route would be to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and take Highway 101 north to Highway 37 east, and then Highway 121 through the Carneros District (where a number of notable wineries, such as Artesa and Domaine Carneros, are located) to Highway 29 north and the town of Napa.

On Friday, May 1 at The 2009 Chicagoland Int’l Pipe & Tobacciana Show, Dr. S. Peckus gave a 45-minute presentation entitled, "The Weird, Unusual, Imaginative and Curious Pipes".

The Program for Dr. Peckus’s talk read as follows; "Limitless imagination leads to limitless opportunities and creation of pipes that were never meant to be, but are. Human imagination has no boundaries and what one person sees as a piece of wood, a rock or convoluted deer antler, another person sees a pipe hiding in disguise. They willl maintain that a pipe was there all the time, you just had to knock off the superfluous bits. These pipes are one of a kind, created by a inquisitive few, to not necessarily look like pipes, did not even look as if they could be smoked, yet they were pipes and yes, they could be smoked and enjoyed.

On hand is a number of examples of such pipes and we will try to unravel their secrets and show their utility. One pipe in particular, besides being a piece of sculpture, is a complete smoker’s traveling companion. It’s a pipe and has compartments for extra tobacco and matches. Come, see this one and another bunch of weird creations. Some of these may be defined as folk art and some others as primitive art."

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For your viewing convenience, we have split the presentation into 9 clips of 5 minutes each. We would like to thank the Chicago Pipe Collector’s Club for the exclusive rights of publishing their videos from the show.

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