Pineapple Antique Show hits the road

Picturing Sally Altman wearing a vibrant, beaded, Seminole Indian chief dress adorned with layers of fringe is almost like imagining Santa Claus in a bikini.

Altman found her prized purchase last year at the First United Methodist Church Pineapple Antique Show and Sale. Every year, she chairs the event, which began 34 years ago to help families in crisis.
“I tried the outfit on and bought it, thinking it was for a larger lady,” she said. “When I took it to a shop to get it authenticated, they told me it belonged to a Seminole Indian chief. I just thought it was a fun dress to wear to a Halloween party.”

Church volunteers have been hard at work stocking boxes with crystal, collectibles, local artwork, jewelry and gift baskets from the Pineapple Gallery Boutique. It will take them eight hours to transport the goods, along with several props, to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium. There, they will unload the items from five trailers and transform each booth into an inviting boutique.

The show is set to feature 40 quality antique dealers with American and English antiques, Civil War memorabilia, collectibles and porcelain, among other items. The show’s pantry and market area will have homemade cakes, pies, cookies, fudge, jams and jellies available for purchase.

New to the show this year is the First United Methodist Church’s cookbook, “Heavenly Delights,” which contains more than 300 pages of recipes from parishioners.

Proceeds from the show and sale will be donated to nonprofit organizations such as All Faiths Food Bank, Children First and Mothers Helping Mothers.

“This is our first year to try a weekend show,” Altman said. “We have always held it mid-week. We’re hoping attendance will be really great.”

BOX
If You Go
What: 34th annual Pineapple Antique Show and Sale
When: Preview party and sale will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 11; show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 12 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 13
Tickets: $15 for preview party ($10 in advance); $6 for antique show ($5 with coupon or ad)
Information: Call 408-5444 or 955-0935 or visit www.firstsrq.com.

Contact Loren Mayo at [email protected].