PIPE SHOWS in Canada?
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I haven't heard of any pipe-shows in Canada, and I suspect there are a few reasons why. First, our inter-provincial and international shipping laws in regards to tobacco would make it prohibitive for any blenders who don't already reside in the province the show was being held in to attend with any amount of their product. Due to our strange taxation system, it isn't actually legal to transport large amounts of tobacco (read: more than can be justfied for personal consumption) across provincial lines.
I've also heard that in order for a new blend to be certified for Canadian sales, the CFIA has to approve each ingredient, a process that can take months. From my own dealings with the CFIA, I can tell you that they are always looking for recipies and processes when they are testing new products - and I can't imagine guys like Gregory Pease or Craig Tarler happily opening his notebook for a random beaurocrat in a foreign nation.
Then you have to take our so-called "clean-air" laws into account. We can't actually have smoking-tents at venues in B.C. (I think the Ontario and Quebec laws read the same, I haven't looked them up), and god forbid we want to smoke indoors! Heck, half of our hotels don't even offer smoking rooms any more. Not exactly attractive to a group of smokers...
Add to that our low population numbers when compared to the U.S. - and take into account the distribution of our population (most of us reside within a few hundred km of the 49th), and it just doesn't make sense economically.
Fortunately, if you're near a major population center you can usually still attend shows pretty cheap...especially Vegas in the fall (assuming you can cross international borders, of course).
I've also heard that in order for a new blend to be certified for Canadian sales, the CFIA has to approve each ingredient, a process that can take months. From my own dealings with the CFIA, I can tell you that they are always looking for recipies and processes when they are testing new products - and I can't imagine guys like Gregory Pease or Craig Tarler happily opening his notebook for a random beaurocrat in a foreign nation.
Then you have to take our so-called "clean-air" laws into account. We can't actually have smoking-tents at venues in B.C. (I think the Ontario and Quebec laws read the same, I haven't looked them up), and god forbid we want to smoke indoors! Heck, half of our hotels don't even offer smoking rooms any more. Not exactly attractive to a group of smokers...
Add to that our low population numbers when compared to the U.S. - and take into account the distribution of our population (most of us reside within a few hundred km of the 49th), and it just doesn't make sense economically.
Fortunately, if you're near a major population center you can usually still attend shows pretty cheap...especially Vegas in the fall (assuming you can cross international borders, of course).
Thanks schmitzbitz, that answer makes a whole lot of sense to me.
I was thinking it might be nice if there is any interest in getting a Canadian contingent together and maybe travel to a pipe show in the US. I know the logistics would be rather large at this point, but just wondering if there was any interest in such a thing? Now, schmitzbitz mentioned Vegas as a possible location and I think that is an excellent choice given the deals on air fares, rooms, food, entertainment and such. If there was a show there in the winter, it might me a nice break. Would anyone be interested in such a thing?
I was thinking it might be nice if there is any interest in getting a Canadian contingent together and maybe travel to a pipe show in the US. I know the logistics would be rather large at this point, but just wondering if there was any interest in such a thing? Now, schmitzbitz mentioned Vegas as a possible location and I think that is an excellent choice given the deals on air fares, rooms, food, entertainment and such. If there was a show there in the winter, it might me a nice break. Would anyone be interested in such a thing?
Just book a ticket and go. It will never happen if you wait for others to get on board. Wishing for a perfect date/location combination is not realistic. They happen when/where they happen. The shows need walk in traffic for them to survive. 8O
I knew I had seen a thread about this recently. :
: Long post coming...
I don't know about all the other Canucks on here, but as much as I'd love to travel to the States for a pipe show (and I do hope to attend one eventually) I really think we could pull one off here. Of course it would have to be a scaled down version for many reasons, like those noted above, but what if we started small just to see what the interest would be and to see what format it could take? "Test the limits" in other words. For example, CanAsianPiper recently stopped by my house to drop off the box pass. We had a great conversation about our pipes, showed off a few of them, and talked some tobacco. Essentially it could be considered the first meeting of the new Ottawa Pipe Club, or whatever we would call it, even though it was just two in attendance. These things have to start somewhere.
Here's my thoughts. Even though I'm in Ottawa I would be willing to volunteer to help put on a Pipe Show somewhere around the GTA, say for Summer 2013. This way we can draw pipers with easier driving/travel distances from Eastern Ontario through the Horseshoe, and hopefully not be affected by weather. Even though we would have limitations compared to the US shows, why can't we put something small together? All we would need is to rent a banquet or meeting room for a Saturday. Of course there's nowhere here would allow smoking inside, but maybe if we are outside the city in the 'burbs or the boonies that we could find a place with an outdoor sitting area. It doesn't have to be anything slick, it could be just informal and take the shape of a swap meet, a flea market, or just a really big pipe club meeting.
If it happens, and it works, we can then have a framework to do future shows that could be bigger. We'll be able to work out a lot of bugs or issues so that similar events in BC/Alberta/Maritimes, or wherever our fellow pipers can congregate, could happen.
When I was younger, and with zero experience, I booked punk rock shows at cheap community centres with no budget whatsoever and it worked. I'm sure this could work as long as we start small. Any thoughts?
: Long post coming...I don't know about all the other Canucks on here, but as much as I'd love to travel to the States for a pipe show (and I do hope to attend one eventually) I really think we could pull one off here. Of course it would have to be a scaled down version for many reasons, like those noted above, but what if we started small just to see what the interest would be and to see what format it could take? "Test the limits" in other words. For example, CanAsianPiper recently stopped by my house to drop off the box pass. We had a great conversation about our pipes, showed off a few of them, and talked some tobacco. Essentially it could be considered the first meeting of the new Ottawa Pipe Club, or whatever we would call it, even though it was just two in attendance. These things have to start somewhere.
Here's my thoughts. Even though I'm in Ottawa I would be willing to volunteer to help put on a Pipe Show somewhere around the GTA, say for Summer 2013. This way we can draw pipers with easier driving/travel distances from Eastern Ontario through the Horseshoe, and hopefully not be affected by weather. Even though we would have limitations compared to the US shows, why can't we put something small together? All we would need is to rent a banquet or meeting room for a Saturday. Of course there's nowhere here would allow smoking inside, but maybe if we are outside the city in the 'burbs or the boonies that we could find a place with an outdoor sitting area. It doesn't have to be anything slick, it could be just informal and take the shape of a swap meet, a flea market, or just a really big pipe club meeting.
If it happens, and it works, we can then have a framework to do future shows that could be bigger. We'll be able to work out a lot of bugs or issues so that similar events in BC/Alberta/Maritimes, or wherever our fellow pipers can congregate, could happen.
When I was younger, and with zero experience, I booked punk rock shows at cheap community centres with no budget whatsoever and it worked. I'm sure this could work as long as we start small. Any thoughts?
The last pipe show in Ontario that I am aware of is the joint show that Burlington Pipe Club and Toronto Pipe club put on back in I believe 2003. A lot of people worked very hard on it and there was still a lot of politics and some in fighting. The show was held at a pub in Burlington within there meeting room but you could not smoke in the room. The no smoking indoors laws here have virtually shut down pipe clubs in this province. Burlington closed its doors because it had no place left to meet. It was a great group of guys and I was proud to be associated with them. The guys in Toronto are still hanging on but just by a thread and meeting in peoples houses. For how much longer I'm not sure. I can personally see a resurection of the pipe clubs and shows in Ontario until such time as the laws are changed. Don't hold your breath for that in our life time.
It's a shame really that it's come to that.
To be honest, every hobby or scene I've been involved in (music, paranormal, or whatever) always has some sort of infighting or drama involved. It just comes with the territory when you deal with people. Maybe the secret is to not have too many cooks in the kitchen? I'm going to keep this idea in my head. It would be a lot of work, but I'm pretty confident it could be pulled off even if I do it on my own. I was looking at banquet hall rentals online outside the GTA, but on the 401, and I think the odds of putting something together and breaking even are pretty good. Some rooms are less than $100 to rent. Set up a few tables and displays, maybe a workshop or two, and there you go.
Back when I was promoting shows, we would always charge less at the door if you brought a donation for the local food bank. In this case, I would put the event at free admission with a donation. Get some good vibes happening...
To be honest, every hobby or scene I've been involved in (music, paranormal, or whatever) always has some sort of infighting or drama involved. It just comes with the territory when you deal with people. Maybe the secret is to not have too many cooks in the kitchen? I'm going to keep this idea in my head. It would be a lot of work, but I'm pretty confident it could be pulled off even if I do it on my own. I was looking at banquet hall rentals online outside the GTA, but on the 401, and I think the odds of putting something together and breaking even are pretty good. Some rooms are less than $100 to rent. Set up a few tables and displays, maybe a workshop or two, and there you go.
Back when I was promoting shows, we would always charge less at the door if you brought a donation for the local food bank. In this case, I would put the event at free admission with a donation. Get some good vibes happening...
I don't know how to respond to this. On the one hand I think it's a cool idea, but on the other hand, I can't help wonder if pipe shows died in Canada for real reasons that are increasingly exacerbated (increasingly restrictive smoking laws, crazy tobacco taxation, decreased popularity in pipes [which may be on the upswing, but not like it was years ago], etc.) and not simply because of ego. It's hard to get vendors to come without an expectation of it being worthwhile; it's hard to get customers to come without an expectation of it being worthwhile.
Mick, I hear you on that. That's why I'm trying to think of a different way to work it out. If anyone has any ideas floating around please share them. At the very least, maybe we can just have a PM forum meet up/swap for Ontario guys?
We can't do anything about the laws in place, and I certainly wouldn't want to risk any legal issues, but if the whole idea (supposedly) of the laws is to make it difficult for us to enjoy our pipes then I wouldn't mind at the very least thumbing my nose at them in defiance for one day. Lol!
We can't do anything about the laws in place, and I certainly wouldn't want to risk any legal issues, but if the whole idea (supposedly) of the laws is to make it difficult for us to enjoy our pipes then I wouldn't mind at the very least thumbing my nose at them in defiance for one day. Lol!
Well seeing as not a lot of people in ottawa are pipe smokers, it'll be difficult.
Maybe if we talk to the owner of Ottawa Cigar Emporium, we can see if he will allow us to go on a Sunday (normally closed) and meet in his store. More than likely no smoking in the shop, but at least it will get a local vendor in the scene. It would be nice just to talk pipes and tobacco, show off each others collection and possibly buy some stuff.
Maybe if we talk to the owner of Ottawa Cigar Emporium, we can see if he will allow us to go on a Sunday (normally closed) and meet in his store. More than likely no smoking in the shop, but at least it will get a local vendor in the scene. It would be nice just to talk pipes and tobacco, show off each others collection and possibly buy some stuff.
Ghost if you are serious about it PM me and I can get you in touch with the guy that was organizing the last show to give you a heads up on what he went through and best ways to avoid the pit falls. I would be willing to help out where I can as well.
I host a pipe show once in awhile. Only one or two pipes, usually, and usually no one comes (no one is invited). But the shows usually include single malt Scotch and sometimes football or hockey on the radio.
Anyone in central AB is welcome to attend, at almost any time.
Anyone in central AB is welcome to attend, at almost any time.
Hey Guys , this sounds very interesting indeed. I'm in Northern Ontario & would love for some kind of Pipe Smokers event to become a reality somewhere here in Ontario. Right now I only know of one other pipe smoker up here where I live & we try & get together every week & enjoy a bowl together. We also trade & try new blends , talk about pipes & just enjoy a nice relaxing time together. We both are new pipe smokers & didn't realise how rare pipe smokers have become. Any event that could happen we certainly would support as it would be a great way to meet fellow pipers & hopefully be a good way to introduce some of our friends to this great hobby.
Careful what you ask for............lol. I live in Central Alberta as well. Thought it would be like hen's teeth to find another pipe smoker around here.
If there was some sort of a decent "pipe hobby" show in either BC or ON, for a weekend, I would be interested in possibly attending.
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