Good morning, Magazonia.
Last Saturday marked the annual end of summer pipe fest hosted by Michael Parks and put on, jointly, by the Lakeshore Smokestacks and Downtown Toronto Pipe Club(s). This is the second year of the event and we are seeing a steady increase in attendance.
The event ran from 10am - 4pm and included the following events: Swap & Sell; Best Canadian Competition (prizes for Collection Canadian Shape Pipe Made in Canada Pipe); Pipe Making Discussion directed by Michael, Giovanni Placentile, and Evan Wiseman; Raffle; Slow Smoke Competition; a Tobacco Smorgasbord and a catered lunch from a local Ukranian Deli. Whew.
We had rain, and unseasonably cold weather, but with two rain shelters we extended the roof-line of Michael's shop by another 300 square feet and had dry seating and standing area for everyone. This year we had 45 attendees registered in advance and another 7 or so drop-ins, so final attendance was over 50 pipers hanging out for the day.
What a wonderful way to spend a day! It would not have been as successful without the support of our sponsors who came to the table with door prizes, raffle prizes and cash donations to help us pull off the event. Special thanks go to... Mac Baren Tobacco, Smokingpipes.com, Briar Blues, Pipes & Tobacco Magazine, Old Dominion Pipe Co., Missouri Meerschaum, 4 Noggins.com, & BriarWorks International.
Every attendee went home with either a tin of tobacco from MacBaren or Cornell & Diehl, or a new pipe from Old Dominion Pipe Co. We raffled off a new in box Castello Sea Rock courtesy of Mike at Briar Blues, and a series of tampers from other sponsors as well as a tin of Murray's era Erinmore Mixture.
Everyone left the day with more in their pipe bag than they came with, with full bellies, and in good cheer. There aren't many places where a gathering of 50 men, of diverse backgrounds, ages and ethnicity, can and do gather without machismo or ego becoming an issue... this absolutely did not happen on Saturday. Respect, good will, and enjoyment were the hallmarks of the day.
Thanks to everyone who attended, and thank you again to our sponsors.
Here are the photos:
Putting it together in the rain.
Door Prizes:
Hanging Out:
Tobacco Buffet:
Michael, Gio and Evan Talking Pipes:
Best Collection/Pipe Contest Entries:
Slow Smoke Competition:
Big Ass Burl:
Briar Blocks:
Some Pipes from Evan Wiseman:
Pipe Makers Are Equal Opportunity Smokers:
Tobacco Buffet Just Keeps On Giving:
Slow Smoke Rules:
You Want a Bamboo Shank?
Crowd Shots:
Contest & Raffle Prizes:
Three Happy Organizers (Pruss, Michael Parks, Eric from DTPC)
Thanks to everyone in the pipe community who attended, talked up, or sponsored our event. We're already planning next year's hullabaloo.
-- Pat
Last Saturday marked the annual end of summer pipe fest hosted by Michael Parks and put on, jointly, by the Lakeshore Smokestacks and Downtown Toronto Pipe Club(s). This is the second year of the event and we are seeing a steady increase in attendance.
The event ran from 10am - 4pm and included the following events: Swap & Sell; Best Canadian Competition (prizes for Collection Canadian Shape Pipe Made in Canada Pipe); Pipe Making Discussion directed by Michael, Giovanni Placentile, and Evan Wiseman; Raffle; Slow Smoke Competition; a Tobacco Smorgasbord and a catered lunch from a local Ukranian Deli. Whew.
We had rain, and unseasonably cold weather, but with two rain shelters we extended the roof-line of Michael's shop by another 300 square feet and had dry seating and standing area for everyone. This year we had 45 attendees registered in advance and another 7 or so drop-ins, so final attendance was over 50 pipers hanging out for the day.
What a wonderful way to spend a day! It would not have been as successful without the support of our sponsors who came to the table with door prizes, raffle prizes and cash donations to help us pull off the event. Special thanks go to... Mac Baren Tobacco, Smokingpipes.com, Briar Blues, Pipes & Tobacco Magazine, Old Dominion Pipe Co., Missouri Meerschaum, 4 Noggins.com, & BriarWorks International.
Every attendee went home with either a tin of tobacco from MacBaren or Cornell & Diehl, or a new pipe from Old Dominion Pipe Co. We raffled off a new in box Castello Sea Rock courtesy of Mike at Briar Blues, and a series of tampers from other sponsors as well as a tin of Murray's era Erinmore Mixture.
Everyone left the day with more in their pipe bag than they came with, with full bellies, and in good cheer. There aren't many places where a gathering of 50 men, of diverse backgrounds, ages and ethnicity, can and do gather without machismo or ego becoming an issue... this absolutely did not happen on Saturday. Respect, good will, and enjoyment were the hallmarks of the day.
Thanks to everyone who attended, and thank you again to our sponsors.
Here are the photos:
Putting it together in the rain.
Door Prizes:
Hanging Out:
Tobacco Buffet:
Michael, Gio and Evan Talking Pipes:
Best Collection/Pipe Contest Entries:
Slow Smoke Competition:
Big Ass Burl:
Briar Blocks:
Some Pipes from Evan Wiseman:
Pipe Makers Are Equal Opportunity Smokers:
Tobacco Buffet Just Keeps On Giving:
Slow Smoke Rules:
You Want a Bamboo Shank?
Crowd Shots:
Contest & Raffle Prizes:
Three Happy Organizers (Pruss, Michael Parks, Eric from DTPC)
Thanks to everyone in the pipe community who attended, talked up, or sponsored our event. We're already planning next year's hullabaloo.
-- Pat
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