Raise Your Hand, Mom!

Back in the late 1980s, I use to go to auctions to purchase glass pieces for my collections.  There are very few auctions that have Greentown glass for sale except around Greentown, IN.  I found that there was going to be an auction in Anderson, IN and they had a Teardrop & Tassel green pitcher.  The auction was on a Thursday or Friday morning - can't remember which.  My son, Robbie, who was about 4 or 5 years old at the time would go to auctions with me.   I collected carnival glass, too and he knew the pattern names as well as I did (he was so much fun).  I had never been to this auction house before so we left a little early just in case I got lost.

I'm sure we put the Patsy Cline cassette into the cassette player, Robbie's favorite is Walkin' After Midnight, and off we went.  No problem finding the place and I had plenty of time to look around.  The building was a huge, tall barn-shape building with a row of windows up around the ceiling.  When you walked in, there were some steps that you walked down to the auction area.  On the other side of the entrance was a food concession area.  The sun was out and it was going to be a nice day.  There were rows of tables with all sort of glassware that was going to be auctioned off, so I went to see the Greentown pitcher that I wanted.

Now, there were some older men standing around the entrance talking.  Appeared that they weren't all that interested in the auction items.  Probably just there with their wives who were.  Now, when Robbie was a little boy, he was pretty friendly and did not know a stranger.  He loved to talk...........So, off he went over to where the men were and joined in their conversation while I went looking.  Soon, it was time for the auction.  Robbie and I found a couple of chairs towards the back and sat down.  There were 3 older ladies sitting next to Robbie.  Robbie always behaved at auctions and paid attention to what was going on.

About 30 minutes into the auction, the auctioneer held up a Daisy & Button crystal clear large relish dish.  When he held it up, the sun shining through the window made that dish sparkle like you would not believe.  It looked gorgeous but it wasn't something that I would have bid on.  Well, Robbie saw that Daisy & Button crystal clear dish sparkling from the sunlight shining through those upper windows and yelled "Mom, raise your hand!  Raise your hand!"  He didn't take his eyes off the dish, he was so excited.  I could see the older ladies smiling.  Of course, I had to buy it and I wasn't going to let anyone outbid me either.

After the bidding, the runner brought the Daisy & Button crystal clear relish dish to us and gave it to Robbie.  He just sat there and looked it over and showed it to the ladies sitting next to him.  He was so excited and proud of that dish.  The love in my heart for my son was bursting that day.  And to top it off, I also got the Greentown Teardrop & Tassel green pitcher.  We were happy campers driving home listening to Patsy.
       

I use that Daisy & Button crystal clear relish dish on holidays and I think I tell the story every time I use it.
       

Greentown Festivities of June, 1973

Picture taken on Father's Day - 6-17-1973 at my grandmother's home in Greentown, IN. My great-grandfather, Ed (John Edward) Weisenauer with his 5 children (my grandmother and her 4 siblings). These siblings were the backbone of our family - they were very close and I was lucky enough to have known all of them during my childhood and into adulthood.
The picture above taken at my grandmother's house in Greentown, From left to right: Goldie Weisenauer Singer, Cliffie Weisenauer Shockney (my grandmother), Ed (John Edward) Weisenauer, Stella Weisenauer Hodson, John Weisenauer and Charles Weisenauer. Picture taken 6-17-1973. Great-grandpa was 91 in this picture.                                                                                                                                                                            

The weekend before, there was the 4th annual Greentown Glass Festival. The glass festival was a 3-day event and included carnival rides, food vendors, the antique glass show (lots of Greentown glass dealers), visits to the Glass Museum, pie eating and egg carrying contests, parachute jumps, square dancing and the glass festival parade. The parade went in front of my grandmother's house so we could sit inside the screened porch or in the yard and watch. The little kids always had such a fun time trying to catch candy and seeing the clowns. More than 100 units participated in the 1973 parade and it lasted for a good 90 minutes. The 3 grand marshals of the parade were Bob Gregory, John Lindsey and Don Hein, all newsmen from an Indianapolis television station. My grandmother had a house full 2 weekends in a row.

My grandmother, Cliffie Weisenauer Shockney, Aunt Goldie, Aunt Stella, Great-Grandpa and Chloe (his 2nd wife) visiting the Greentown Glass Museum in downtown Greentown, IN. during the Greentown Glass festival.