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Case weekend kicks off with variety of events
By RYAN FIRKEL
Era Reporter
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| Era photo by Francie Long |
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Case Collector Appreciation Weekend kicked off Friday on Owens Way with events, deals, a swap meet, demonstrations and an auction to welcome hundreds of collectors and guests from all over the country.
With pre-registration topping 850 people, W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Co. welcomed people to the biggest solo Case appreciation event in history. Organizers made the decision to keep the event in Bradford even though the hub of the Case Collectors Club resides in Tennessee.
“Having the event in Bradford allows us to display the pride we have for Case, which we displayed in our Case Collector Cards,” said Lisa Boser-Miller, Case Collectors Club administrator and event chair. “We are small-town America, and by having it here, we get to show those small-town values that we use to make our knives . . . Overall, it was a good decision, the collectors are closer to the production of our product, and we are doing our part to give a boost to the local economy.”
The Case Collectors Cards are one of many featured promotions of the weekend. Each card, styled like a wanted poster, displays a Case employee; on the back of the card are a list of answers from the highlighted associates on topics that include small-town America, small-town values and Case pride.
The debut of the Case Collectors Cards was complemented by the first-time unique Case trading pins in 18 designs. The pins can be purchased throughout the event as well as in the Zippo/Case Visitors Center and Museum and are made to be worn on lanyards supplied during registration. To promote attendees’ conversation and interaction, there are events and stations like the Case Corral to use as meeting places to trade pins lanyard to lanyard.
“The pin trading was a great hit — it allowed people another way to connect,” said Boser-Miller. “The turnout and friendly atmosphere of the event is a testimony to the type of people we have as collectors and employees. People generally care. It is good to see the passion that we put into our product creating passion in those who love Case products.”
Pins will be available for purchase today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Zippo/Case Visitors Center and Museum, who successfully sold out of them Thursday and Friday.
“The pin trading has been so much fun,” said Kathy Jones, retail marketing manager at Zippo. “Zippo and Case collectors have been so appreciative and pleasant. We had people waiting at the gates before 7 a.m., just happy to be here.”
Today, the Zippo/Case Visitors Center and Museum will continue to offer discounts, specials and tours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Visitors Center will also feature the 10-year anniversary of the creation of the Zippo Car and the Debut of the of the Traveling Museum.
“We will be ready for everyone in the morning,” said Jones. “We certainly appreciate all of them . . . they make what we do all worthwhile.”
With limited parking available, transportation has been made available with shuttle busses from the event grounds and the Center as well as local hotels.
“It is great for us old people to get easy transportation between the swap meet and museum,” said Councilmen Bob Onuffer.
The Case factory grounds is the site of the event which on Friday featured participation games, an auction, factory tours, Tony Foster’s Road Show and Appraisals, Tom Wolfe’s woodcarving demonstration, Making a Case for America and custom knife-making demonstrations from Tony Bose.
“All of our events were very well-received,” said Boser-Miller. “And the best part of the whole thing is tomorrow will have most of the same things.”
Today the Case Collector Appreciation Weekend will feature many of the same events with the addition of the 200 Club Breakfast for collector club members and a caricature artist instead of the previously scheduled woodcarving demonstrations.
Volunteer Kim Gore, Case employee said, “I volunteered . . . I don’t know and don’t care if I get paid, because I’m having a blast.”
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