Chicago Pipe Show 2015 Events

We invite all pipe smokers to the 2015 Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show.
This year the Show is on May 2 and 3, 2015. We will have over 300 exhibitor tables and spaces; it will be a great big pipe show! All of the 2015 Show’s tables have been sold out for weeks, but if you still want one, contact me ASAP to go on the waiting list for an exhibitor table. Every year we have a few last minute cancellations due to illness, family emergencies, etc., so we sometimes are able to provide a last minute table to those on the waiting list. Email me at porshcigar@aol.com
The Show starts on Wednesday the 29th of April and we have many activities before the big show on May 2rd and 3rd.
Over the next several days I will be posting here about many of events at the 2015 Show.
The Pipe Show begins with our Pipe Making Seminar. Twelve men and women have already registered for this hands on event. Each year we accept 12 people interested in learning how to make and finish a pipe. Our lead instructor is Lee Erck, of Von Erck Classic Pipes. This year he will be joined by Mike Butera, Rad Davis, Jeff Gracik, Rex Poggenpohl, and Hans Hansen who will all assist in the instruction of our participants.

The pipe making seminar is a two day intensive training session from 9 am to 5 pm.

The seminar is full this year, but if you want to be included in next year’s 2016 seminar, contact me in November or December of 2015 to register.
For the rest of us, the smoking tent opens on Wednesday the 29th of April around noon, or as soon as the tent is completed, and remains open around the clock until early on Monday morning the 4th. You will have many opportunities to smoke in the Tent, meet pipe smokers from all over the world, and talk about our favorite two subjects: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco.

The Friday morning event formerly known as the “Pre-Show” will continue as the “Smoke and Swap” again this year. 2014’s Smoke and Swap was a very popular event. It is an informal swap meet, in a place where it easy to hang out. This is an opportunity to eat, drink and smoke where pipes and tobacco are being sold and traded all day long. We expect another huge crowd this year!
The Smoke and Swap will be in the 6000 square foot smoking tent on Friday May 1st, 2015.
80 - ½ table places will be available on a first come/first served basis starting at 8 am (or as soon as the tables are set up by hotel staff) for those wanting to sell. Exhibitors have started lining up before 7 AM in the past. There will be no reservations, no numbers, and no charge. Just come in, choose an available chair, and set up your ½ table space. Use it until 4pm, or leave when you like. Once you leave, the ½ table space is available for another seller to take your place. We ask that you not set up to sell at other tables or locations in the tent that are set up for people to smoke and eat during the Swap and Smoke.
The Swap and Smoke will be open to the buyers from 9 am to 4pm. There is no charge to anyone. This is one of our great FREE FRIDAY events provided by the Chicago Show for your enjoyment.
Smoking is encouraged during the Swap and Smoke, and will also be a good opportunity to participate in THE CHICAGO BOWL tobacco contest for best Virginia/Virginia Perique blend
Don’t miss this opportunity to attend this free show, and to smoke free Chicago Bowl tobacco all day long while making your decision on the winning blend.
Pheasant Run Resort will have coffee early, and food and drink will be available in the tent during regular business hours at reasonable prices.

The Chicago Pipe Show will continue a new event started last year: THE CHICAGO CIGAR SHOW on Thursday, April 30, 2015, from 6 pm to 10 pm. Unlike most cigar shows, this cigar show is FREE! No tickets, you enter the show free, enjoy appetizers, visit great cigar retailers and buy the cigars you want at special show prices. This new event is in the tent, so you can smoke your new cigars, or your pipe. Pheasant Run is offering golf before the Show at special discount prices. Food and adult beverages will also be available at regular prices at the show.
Cigars? At a pipe show? Yes, we all smoke cigars, so let’s enjoy one night devoted to our alternative smoke and attend this event in the Tent. Eat, drink and smoke! Open and free to all.

Today’s post is about Pipe Displays. An important part of every pipe show is the display of pipe collections. Each year, the Chicago Show invites several pipe collectors to exhibit their collections in locked glass display cases that are in the front of the Mega Center hall.
This year the following individuals have graciously agreed to display a portion of their pipe collections in the CPCC Educational Glass Display Cases in the Mega Center, as follows:
Judy Flayderman, from N. Flayderman & Co., Inc., will display civil war pipes from the collection of her late father, Norm Flayderman. A presentation by Ben Rapaport on civil war pipes will be given on Friday May 1st at 2 pm. This Display is presented on behalf of the Doctors of Pipes, and is sponsored by a generous donation from SmokingPipes.com in celebration of its 15th Anniversary.
Cornelius Crans, President of the CIPC will display pipes from his collection of clay pipes from Holland and a special historical mould from Royal Goedewaagen. A presentation on clay pipes will be given by Mr. Crans at 5 pm on Friday.
William Hart will display pipes from his renowned collection of Von Erck Classic pipes. This Display is also presented on behalf of the Doctors of Pipes.
The Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club will display posters from the last 19 years of the Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show, and Chicago area shows that preceded the first CPCC show in 1996. This is the 20th annual Chicago Pipe Show. We are proud of our history and we hope that this display will bring back to you fond memories of all of our prior shows.
The Chicago Pipe Show thanks these individuals for all the time, work, and effort to bring these wonderful pipes to the Show so that all of us can see these great collections. Please be sure to make time during your visit to the Chicago Pipe Show to see these collections.
Also, don't forget to make your hotel reservations as soon as possible at Pheasant Run Resort. Be sure to mention the Pipe Show when you make your reservations so that the Show gets credit for you, and you get the show special rates.

Today’s post is about our great speakers this year on Friday, May 1, 2015.
2 PM – 5PM The American Civil War and Soldier-Carved Tobacco Pipes. A talk by Ben Rapaport. As this country nears the end of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War this summer, many books have been published to honor it, each volume adding to the extensive trove of nonfiction and fictional literature about this bloody, divisive, four-year conflict. One of these new books is Tobacco and Smoking Among The Blue and Gray, released in late 2014. It is more than just another picture book on pipes. It’s an historical account about soldiers and their smokes, Union and Confederate troops and the tobacco pipes that these soldiers made in encampments and prisons, pipes that are a tangible link between this war and those who served. Collectively, they are a folk-art genre of creative artifacts that, until now, have gone wholly unnoticed, ignored, and overlooked as important Civil War memorabilia. Those that have survived the ravages of time represent an era during which unskilled—not factory-trained—men carved and incised some rather remarkable pipes using assorted woods. This book strives to elevate their stature, importance, and relevance as a proud chapter in U.S. tobacco pipe history! Complementing the talk is a rare opportunity to see, up close and personal, an exhibit of a quantity of these pipe bowls from the collection of the late Norm Flayderman, the most well known American collector of these relics. An added treat is that his daughter, Judy, has come from Florida to talk about her father’s life-long pursuit and acquisition of these tobacco trophies. Show your appreciation by welcoming her into our community of pipe smokers and collectors! Join Judy, Ben, and Gary Schrier of Briar Books Press who is hosting this event with light refreshments for all attendees.

Location: Mega Center
5:00 PM Cornelius C.N. Crans, M. A..

Chair of the Netherlands Federation of Pipe smokers (NFP) / President of the CIPC.

Will present:

FOUR CENTURIES OF (CLAY) PIPE SMOKING IN THE NETHERLANDS.

Through shipping, especially the successful (Dutch) East India Company, pipe smoking was introduced in European ports. There were also trade relations with the American east coast, more specific with the tobacco state Virginia. Also English mercenaries, who brought along their pipes, played an important role at the beginning of the 80-Years War.

Contrary to the wooden Indian pipe, pipes in Europe were made from white baking clay. From about 1600 we find a lot of pipe factories in Holland. In Amsterdam there were so many that they held a weekly pipe market. Also in other cities pipe factories flourish. The most successful were in Gouda. There they stressed the importance of quality and design.

The development of pipe smoking in the Golden Age in the Netherlands can still be seen in the world famous paintings of the Haarlem painter Adriaen van Ostade and Jan Steen from Leyden. In those cities you can, even today, find houses that used to be pharmacist and tobacco shops with figures of a pipe smoking Moor over the door. Tobacco was considered to be a medicine at that time.

Quite special is the fact that the pipe was also used as a means of political propaganda. A good example is the 300-year-old tradition (still upheld today) of issuing Royal pipes in the Netherlands. Caricature pipes were made of heads of state and other (European) dignitaries.

This presentation will include pictures and original clay pipes from Holland / the Netherlands. Cornelius hopes to see you all for this presentation!

Location: Mega Center
9 PM Mr Kevin Godbee, Publisher and Editor in Chief of PipesMagazine.com will present: One Thing Leads to Another – How the Stars Aligned to Grow the Pipe Hobby & PipesMagazine.com

We are truly delighted to have the greatest publisher in the modern pipe world join us for this presentation; Mr. Kevin Godbee. Kevin breathed new life into the pipe world when he created PipesMagazine.com in 2009. Since then the site is THE source for news, entertainment and information about all things pipe & tobacco. There is a weekly radio show hosted by Brian Levine. Master Blenders Greg Pease and Russ Ouellette both pen regular columns on tobacco & all its mysteries. The PipesMagazine forums are alive with the buzz of this vibrant pipe community. Kevin is truly the Hugh Hefner of the modern pipe world. He even has a monthly Pipe Babe featuring lovely ladies smoking fine pipes. Genius! Kevin has inspired fashionable pipe carver Steve Morrisette to write a regular feature on pipe attire for the well-dressed pipe man. We are delighted Kevin has accepted our invitation and this presentation promises to be fun and unforgettable. To top it off, Kevin is a wonderfully humorous and charismatic speaker enjoyed by all audiences. Please mark your calendars for what will be an interesting, entertaining, and fun multimedia presentation with slides, video, and audio clips.

Location: Hotel Atrium
9:15 PM Rob Cooper speaks to Young Pipe Smokers.

Rob Cooper has been an avid pipe smoker and collector for over forty years. He was intitially known to his fellow pipe enthusiasts from his world class collection of early W. O. Larsen "Straight grain" pipes. Rob has more recently been recognized as a top seller on the eBay pipe site, through his business "Coopersark", for the past fifteen years. Additionally, he has restored and refurbished about 20,000 pipes over his time in our pipe collecting hobby. Based on his extensive knowledge and experience, both from a personal perspective as well as his business perspective he has discovered a need for proper knowledge to be taught and explained to the newer and younger pipe smoking enthusiasts, so that they may more fully enjoy and appreciate the art of pipe smoking. Among the topics that will be discussed are: Selection of one's first pipe, what to look for in a pipe to help assure a good performer, and what brands of pipes represent the best values. Selection and progression of pipe tobaccos for the fullest appreciation of the leaf. How to properly pack a pipe. How to properly clean a pipe after it has been smoked for its long term continued enjoyment. How to store and cellar pipe tobacco. Etiquette for smoking a pipe in today's anti smoking times. Personal hygiene.

Mr. Cooper is going to hold a drawing that will be open to all young pipe smokers between the ages of 21 and 30 for a free Dunhill pipe! Additionally there will be a tin of a McClelland "starter" tobacco given away to all attendees of his presentation.

Location: Mega Center

This year we will continue with one of our new events from last year, The Chicago Bowl tobacco contest.
The Chicago Bowl is an annual award for the favorite blend in the tobacco category of the year. The winning blend will be chosen by pipe smokers attending the Chicago International Pipe & Tobacciana Show.
This year the category will be Virginia /Virginia/Perique blends.
The blenders were given the choice to submit one of their existing blends, or to create a new blend for the contest.
Contestant blends will not be identified to smokers by company name or blend name during the contest. All blends will be identified by a random number. After the contest, the winning blend will be identified by Company and Blend name. All other names will be identified to the public so that individual pipe smokers will know which blend was their personal favorite. No ranking will be given except for the winning blend, so there will be no second place or last place blend.
Blends will be available for tasting from 8 AM Friday until 3 PM Saturday in the smoking tent, and from 10 AM to 3 PM on Saturday in the (non-smoking) Mega Center Show Hall.
Forms will be available for pipe smokers to choose their one favorite blend from all of the contestant blends. Instructions to pipe smokers will provide that a pipe smoker can only choose one blend, and can make their choice only one time after smoking the contestant blends. When the contest ends at 3 PM on Saturday, the results will be tallied by the Show and the winner will be announced at the 7 PM Banquet Dinner on Saturday night. The Chicago Bowl trophy will be awarded to the winning blender at 12 Noon on Sunday in the Mega Center Show Hall.
Last year’s winner was the Arango Cigar Company, and their winning blend was Balkan Supreme, chosen by you as the Best English Blend 2014. Arango’s name and Balkan Supreme are memorialized on the permanent Chicago Bowl trophy, which will be on display at the Chicago Bowl 2015 table in the Show.
The Sutliff Tobacco Company is the Sponsor of The Chicago Bowl, and has made a generous grant to the Chicago Show in order to defray the costs of the contest, and will also be a contestant. The Sutliff Tobacco Company will have no special advantage or disadvantage in the contest because their blend will not be identified until after the contest.
All tobacco not smoked during the contest will be identified with blender and blend name, and will be available for sampling Saturday night and Sunday in the smoking tent.
Please add this event to your “must do” list for the Show. This is going to be great fun! Great Viginia/VaPer blends, from great blenders, and YOU are the judge.

PIPE MAKING SEMINAR UPDATE:
Due to the cancellation of a reservation for the 2015 pipe making seminar, we now have a position open for this year. If you are interested in making your own pipe, or improving your pipe making skills, you can still get into this year’s seminar. The cost is $100.00. The seminar will be on Wednesday and Thursday, April 29th and 30th. Both days are 9 to 5 sessions with Lee Erck, Mike Butera, Jeff Gracik and other pipe makers leading the sessions. Everyone gets a pre-drilled block, and you get all the supplies and help to finish the pipe that you make and keep. The Show has all the equipment, all you need to bring is eye protection for yourself.
Please let me know if you are interested for this year as soon as you can. The first one to contact me by email will get the open position. Email to: porshcigar@aol,com. Craig Cobine

Its time to talk about golf at the 2015 Chicago Pipe Show. The Show is held at the great Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois, which offers many activities. A spa, a swimming pool, a workout room, great restaurants, and a beautiful golf course are all there.
The Pheasant Run Golf Course is offering special rates to those who are attending the Show. A round of golf, with cart included, is only $35.00/player for 18 holes before 2 pm, and $25 after 2 pm on Monday through Friday.
In order to get this special, you must tell the Pheasant Run Golf Shop that you are with the Chicago Pipe Show and want the special rates.
Due to a number of circumstances, the Show does not have its own golf outing that we had for a number of years, but this year you can put together your own golf outing with your pipe and cigar smoking friends at these special rates.

Today, let’s think about pipe smoking! Slow smoking to be exact.
The United Pipe Clubs of America will host the twelfth Annual U.S. National Championship in slow smoking at 1 pm, Sunday, May 3rd, 2015 in the smoking tent.

The UPCA has tables at the Show for registration.
The contest pipe this year is from Luigi Viprati; The tobacco is a Seattle Pipe Club blend, Deception Pass, blended by Joe Lankford. There are more contestants each year as slow smoking contests become more popular in the USA. If you have smoked in a contest before you know how much fun such competitions can be. If you have not yet been in a contest, you should try it. This contest is a great value. You get a brand new pipe and tamper, and you get a chance to win a great prize.
UPCA will have places for about 100 contestants this year. Registration in advance, or at the Show. Cost is $50.00 to members, $55.00 to non-members

Location: CPCC Smoking Tent
The United Pipe Clubs of America website for information and registration is:

http://www.unitedpipeclubs.org/

HOTEL RESERVATIONS. If you have not yet made your hotel reservation at Pheasant Run Resort, please do so now. The hotel has advised me that the last day the link for reservations will work is this Friday, April 17, 2015. Here is the link:

https://bookings.ihotelier.com/bookings.jsp?groupID=1134848&hotelID=2932

2015 Attendee code: PIPE201504

Starting Saturday, you will have to make reservations by telephone, and you may have a difficult time to get our Show Rates, so please make your reservations on or before April 17th.
For Charatan Collectors:
The International Charatan Collectors Society will meet at 4 PM, on Thursday, April 30, 2015. The International Charatan Collectors Society meeting will be moderated by Dennis Congos.
This will be a gathering of members of the International Charatan Collector’s Club (ICCS) on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 4pm in the Turquoise Room in the Pheasant Run Resort. All those with 5 or more Charatans to show are invited to attend. This is a chance for those interested to learn more about Charatan pipes and for current members to exchange Charatan information and lore. Some of the most beautiful Charatans will be on display. There will be judging and awards for the various qualities of Charatans and best collection.

Lets Eat!



On Friday, May 1st, from 7PM - 10 PM The Chicago Pipe Show will serve the Welcome Dinner Buffet. Each year we serve dinner to about 600 people attending the Show.
This is a 6 course buffet meal, including salad and dessert. Coffee and tea are also included. And it is all FREE.
This is your chance to have dinner with 599 other pipe makers, pipe smokers, and pipe collectors in the lovely St. Charles Ballroom at Pheasant Run Resort. Everyone attending the Show is welcome. No reservations are required. Free tickets are distributed on Friday at the Pheasant Run Resort.
This dinner is sponsored by the Sutliff Tobacco Company and the Chicago Pipe Show.
On Saturday, May 2nd, The Chicago Pipe Show will host the annual Pipe and Cigar Banquet. This dinner is limited to the first 150 people who reserve a ticket. The cost of this dinner is $65 per person.
This banquet features an outstanding filet mignon dinner, including soup, salad, dessert, potatoes and vegetable. Red and white wine are also served at the table.
This meal is well worth the $65, however, our many generous sponsors also provide every diner with a free “goody bag” filled with cigars, tobacco and accessories that has a retail value greater than the $65 cost of the dinner.
As of today, we have a few Saturday night dinner tickets still available, reserve soon so that you don’t miss this great dinner and goody bag.

The Smoking Tent. The Chicago Pipe Show will have a 6000 square foot smoking tent at the Pheasant Run Resort. The Tent will open around noon on Wednesday, April 29th and remain open until the early morning on Monday May 4th.
All are welcome to sit at one of the many tables, or in the comfortable lounge area, and enjoy a pipe or cigar. This is a very popular place to meet with friends or make new friends at the Show. The weather predictions are for daytime in the 60's and night time lows in the 50's. The tent will have heat to keep you warm on cool evenings. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual.
Pheasant Run provides a cash bar, stocked with beer, wine, hard liquor and soft drinks. The bar is open for business from 11 am until 1 am on most days. Food is also available in the tent 11 am to 11 pm on most days. Sandwiches, hot food, cold food, chips, cookies and soft drinks are available.
Come and smoke with us at the Chicago Pipe Show 2015.