RED WING, MN – Hundreds of stoneware and pottery collectors will return to the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites in Des Moines, Iowa for the Red Wing Collectors Society (RWCS) MidWinter GetTogether, Feb. 24-26.

“We are excited to be back in Des Moines, Iowa for our MidWinter and to kick off out 40^th Anniversary celebration for the Red Wing Collectors Society,” says Stacy Wegner, RWCS executive director. “Anybody who’s interested in collecting Red Wing should come out and see what we’re all about. Our members will have tons of great pieces for sale and it’s a great opportunity to learn from and network with fellow collectors. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!”

The Red Wing Collectors Society is made up of more than 3,000 members worldwide who collect stoneware crocks, jugs, churns, dinnerware and art pottery manufactured in Red Wing from the 1880s to 1960s. The February event helps tie collectors over until the next RWCS National Convention in Red Wing in July. Both events serve as great opportunities for members to connect over Red Wing and learn about the history of the potteries that once operated in Red Wing, their diverse production lines and the impact they had on the American pottery industry.

As with any large antique event, the opportunity to buy and sell is top of mind for

collectors and dealers. In this case, the RWCS MidWinter GetTogether never disappoints. Many attendees will prop open their doors and sell Red Wing wares from their hotel rooms during the event – some starting as early as the night of Tuesday, Feb. 21. A formal Show & Sale will run from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 followed by an auction at 5 p.m. – both of which are open to the public. Auction proceeds will benefit the Pottery Museum of Red Wing and more information can be found at www.houghtonauctions.com. Whether you’re new to collecting Red Wing or an experienced collector, anyone and everyone is invited to attend this fun event and find a new piece for their collection.

Education is also a major focus of the event. The RWCS will give a keynote presentation on the Society’s 40^th anniversary and breakout sessions will follow. RWCS Hall of Fame members Larry Roschen and Terry Moe will present on the Red Wing Dinnerware Mysteries & Reproduction. Mark Wiseman will present on Early Colfax Springs History and Stoneware. Bean Pot collecting has also become a hot interest topic so Yoshi Hoffman will his knowledge and passion for collecting them.

The RWCS recently recognized its first online chapter – the Red Wing Collectors Society Facebook Chapter. A special session with tips and tricks and a Q&A session for members will be led by chapter board member Yoshi Hoffman.

In addition, the RWCS KidsView education program will focus on the RWCS 40^th and the Red Wing Potteries anniversary celebration in 1953. Participants will create their own 40 project to put on display at the July Convention and learn about Red Wing Potteries Anniversary dinnerware and art pottery, along with lots of other activities to help celebrate.

All activities will be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites at 4800 Merle Hay Rd in Des Moines, Iowa, which is located at the intersection of I-35 and I-80 in Des Moines. Visit www.ERWCS.org to register or learn more about the MidWinter GetTogether.

Feb. 24-26 will be a fun weekend for antique lovers in Iowa, because in addition to the Red Wing event, there are several antique malls and indoor flea markets to visit.

The 41^st annual Red Wing Collectors Society Summer Convention is slated for July 6-8 in Red Wing, MN. Annual membership in the Red Wing Collectors Society costs only $35 and includes six 16-page full-color newsletters mailed to your home throughout the year. The RWCS was founded in 1977 in Red Wing and there are more than 3,000 members worldwide. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail membership@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.ERWCS.org. You can also join the RWCS on Facebook and follow it on Twitter at @RWCollectors

2017 RWCS Convention to be Held at Minnesota State College Southeast’s Red Wing campus

Minnesota State College Southeast Red Wing

RED WING, MN – The Red Wing Collectors Society Annual Convention, July 6-8, 2017 will do some “time traveling”  when the RWCS celebrates its 40^th Anniversary. The 2017 Convention will feature a new location: the Minnesota State College Southeast Red Wing campus.

The Red Wing School District informed the RWCS this fall that due to facility improvements and upgrades, Red Wing High School won’t be available to host the Annual RWCS Convention in 2017 or 2018. We can’t thank the district enough for its past support, as the high school has been a great facility for our event and the staff has been a pleasure to work with since we started holding the Convention there in 1996.

The move to the local college presents a perfect theme for the 40^th Anniversary – “Back to the Future” – as the RWCS held its Convention there from 1979 to 1995. Members who attended in those years have fond memories of what was then called the “VoTech”.

“The college is excited to host the RWCS Convention in 2017,” said Katie Hardyman, Director of Business Relations at Minnesota State College Southeast. “I am excited to be working with the Red Wing Collectors again!” Hardyman is very familiar with the RWCS Convention, as she once served as the group’s membership services staff person. In addition, she also was an employee of the RWCS Foundation prior to joining the college.

The campus has since been renovated and will serve as an excellent venue for activities like educational sessions, hands-on pottery classes, Commemorative distribution and the always popular Convention Display Room. The only events that Minnesota State College Southeast can’t accommodate are the official RWCS Convention Auction on Thursday, July 6 and the Convention Show & Sale on Saturday, July 8. The RWCS is close to finalizing a new location for these activities and will provide an update as soon as possible.

Nancy Lambert, RWCS Historian and Anniversary Committee Chair, has been busy already planning for the 40^th Anniversary celebration with a freshened event schedule as well as the anniversary attendee pin members have come to enjoy. The RWCS has commissioned Scott Draves of Door Pottery to once again create a tile for the club’s milestone event. All RWCS members will have the opportunity to order the tile on their Convention order forms in the February RWCS Newsletter. This unique piece will be offered in addition to the annual Convention commemorative that the organization’s Commemorative Manager, Bob Morawski is busy finalizing.

RWCS members are encouraged to attend MidWinter, February 24-16, 2017 in Des Moines, IA to get all the latest information on Convention! Lambert and Stacy Wegner, RWCS Executive Director, will share more details about the 2017 Convention during the event’s keynote presentation.

Annual membership in the Red Wing Collectors Society costs only $35 and includes six 16-page full-color newsletters mailed to your home throughout the year. The RWCS was founded in 1977 in Red Wing and there are more than 3,000 members worldwide. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail membership@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org. You can also follow the RWCS on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RedWingCollectorsSociety and Twitter at @RWCollectors.

Red Wing, Minn – RWCS member Kent Williamson has graciously shared his Red Wing Bean Pot inventory list with the RWCS members.

As RWCS members read in the October issue Williamson, an enthusiastic collector of advertising bean pots, began indexing Red Wing advertising bean pots. His personal collection includes 300 examples and through the RWCS Facebook Chapter he began collecting a state by state list of Red Wing Advertising bean pots this spring. To learn more about the information collection task check out the newsletter tab on the Members only section and select the PDF of the October 2016 Issue.

Through the help of over 20 people, this list is growing and reaches nearly 500 advertising bean pots. RWCS member can now access this list right her on the RWCS website in three easy steps.

1. Log on the site with your membership number and password
2. Hover over the Members Only menu header.
3. Move your curser down to the Resource tab.

If you have another index, inventory list, or catalog of another Red Wing production line such as Advertising Beater Jar or Mixing Bowls, please let us and it can be posted on the resource.

Red Wing, MN – This year marked the 40th Convention of the RWCS. The article below and photos were reported in the August 2016 Issue of the RWCS Newsletter.

The RWCS Board of Directors wishes to thank outgoing Display Chair Laura Beall and her family for supporting the Display room for all these years. Laura Beall has been involved in Display for 13 years either on the display committee or as chair. Beall was instrumental in guiding display to the standards and program we have today.

At this time the RWCS would also like to announce that Tyler Green, a young member from South Dakota has agreed to serve as Display Chair in 2017. Tyler can be reached at 605-251-9944 or email at display@redwingcollectors.org

Red Wing, MN – A lot of great pieces have been sold at the Red Wing Collectors Society’s (RWCS) Convention Auction during the club’s 40-year history. This year didn’t disappoint, with the top earner being a 5 gallon Red Wing beehive jug with blue birch leaves and advertising for Straus Bros. Wholesale Liquors of Chicago. Two aggressive bidders pushed it most of the way to its $9500 gavel price.

At $2,200, a 6 gallon transitional Ice Water cooler with a Union Stoneware oval and a “Red Wing Stoneware Company” front stamp was a distant runner-up in the July 7 auction, which totaled just shy of $60,000 in total sales.

But the club’s official auction wasn’t the only source of excitement during the 40th Annual RWCS Convention, which attracted more than 1,000 visitors to Red Wing, MN during the week of July 4. Two independent auctions and the RWCS Foundation’s 5th Annual “Wine-ing for Red Wing” fundraiser took place before the convention even officially opened. Highlighting the Foundation’s event was a ceremony that celebrated paying off the mortgage of the building that houses the Pottery Museum of Red Wing. This year, the event generated nearly $14,000 in proceeds for the museum.

This Convention also boasted one of the best educational lineups in the event’s 40-year history. Attendees had 15 different educational sessions to choose from, with in-depth presentations given on a wide range of Red Wing’s stoneware and dinnerware products, finds from the pottery dump and after-market creations. Local history was also covered, including sessions on Red Wing’s rich brewing history, the city’s underground river – Jordan Creek – and symbolism of Victorian era gravestones in Red Wing’s Oakwood Cemetery. Local potter Richard Spiller also offered hands-on pottery classes for attendees.

Another unique aspect of the RWCS Convention is the participation of the younger generation through the KidsView and Young Collectors programs. The focus on these RWCS members is an important part of the vision of the Society to ensure its continued existence and growth. More than 50 kids and young adults participated in the interactive and challenging activities this year, which included learning how to haggle with dealers, how to bid at an auction, what to look for in an antique, and several hands-on pottery creation projects.

At the Society’s annual business meeting on Friday, July 8, Larry Birks (president), John Sagat (secretary) and Glenn Beall (education manager) were recognized for their years of service on the RWCS Board of Directors, while Paul Wichert, Angela Shefveland and Michelle Weisen were announced as their elected replacements.

The club also officially recognized the new RWCS Facebook Chapter as its 17th chapter. Like most antique collecting clubs, attracting young new collectors has been a challenge for the RWCS. But the RWCS Facebook Chapter has been a bright spot in the organization’s recruiting efforts. This is a highly active page where recent finds are shared, questions are answered and pieces are bought and sold by new and advanced collectors alike. To join the conversation, visit www.facebook.com/groups/RWCSChapter.

Later that day, the 5th annual RWCS Crock Fest celebration featured music, food and fun at the Pottery Museum of Red Wing. In addition to its regular displays, the museum officially introduced its “General Store” seasonal exhibit to collectors for the first time. The final day of Convention Week featured the RWCS Show & Sale on Saturday, July 9, followed by the RWCS Banquet later in the evening.

The next RWCS event is its Annual MidWinter GetTogether, which will be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines, February 24-26, 2017.  Visit the club’s website for more information.

Annual membership in the Red Wing Collectors Society costs only $35 and includes six 16-page full-color newsletters mailed to your home throughout the year. The RWCS was founded in 1977 in Red Wing and there are more than 4,000 members worldwide. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail membership@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org. You can also follow the RWCS on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RedWingCollectorsSociety and Twitter at @RWCollectors.

The 2016 Red Wing Collectors Society Commemorative is a stoneware advertising mini jug. Red Wing mini jugs with dated ink stamps can be found from the early 1900s through the 1930s. They were made to commemorate meetings and conventions, promote liquor dealers and other businesses, serve as Red Wing souvenirs and even celebrate a college football rivalry.

In 2016, the RWCS produced three different versions of its Commemorative. Version A advertises the RWCS 40th Annual Convention.  Versions B and C have vintage ads for conventions in Red Wing. Version B is the Redman in 1927 and C is the Postal Workers in 1939.

Version A made up 90% of the total production. Version B was 9%, and 40 Version C pieces were made to match the 40th Convention.

The jugs were slip cast in a three-piece mold. Jug handles were applied by hand. The decoration is a decal that was fired on. Production was done at Rowe Pottery in Cambridge, WI.

The RWCS also produced an accessory piece. For the first time it could be purchased along with mail order Commemoratives. In the past, members had to attend Convention to purchase an accessory. The accessory is a 2 1/4″ brass die-cut challenge coin.

The 2016 Special Commemorative is a mini shoulder jug. Eighteen jugs were hand turned. Half are decorated with a Union Stoneware oval and the other half has a “Souvenir of Red Wing” stamp. The Union Stoneware jugs were given to display winners. The “Souvenir of Red Wing” jugs were used for various drawings and prizes. One of each was silent auctioned in the Commemorative Room at Convention.

A small number of jugs were hand-decorated to represent the club’s youth programs. These jugs contain a coin slot on top. The pieces were auctioned off and proceeds benefited the youth programs.

Red Wing, MN – Fads come and go and interests often fade away, so it’s no surprise that very few collectors’ clubs have been around for 40 years. The Red Wing Collectors Society (RWCS), however, bucks the trend. The organization will mark its 40th Annual Convention “Ruby Red Wing” when more than 1000 members assemble in Red Wing during the week of July 4th. The 2016 Convention will kick off a year of celebration, as the club’s 40th anniversary will be recognized in 2017.

RWCS President Larry Birks attributes the club’s long-term success to Red Wing’s diverse product lines and the strong bonds that RWCS members share.

“The stoneware and pottery companies of Red Wing made such a wide variety of wares between 1877 and 1967 that they appeal to collectors of completely different periods,” Birks says. “Whether a person gravitates to country primitives, Arts & Crafts, Art Deco or Mid-Century Modern, Red Wing made it. And as we say, the stoneware and pottery is what first brings collectors to Red Wing and the RWCS, but the camaraderie, friendships and the beautiful City of Red Wing are what keeps them coming back.”

Like most antique collecting clubs, attracting young new collectors has been a challenge for the RWCS. A bright spot in the organizations recruiting efforts has come through the RWCS Facebook Chapter, which is a highly active page where recent finds are shared, questions are answered and pieces are bought and sold by new and advanced collectors alike. To join the conversation, visit www.facebook.com/groups/RWCSChapter/.

The RWCS Convention will unofficially begin on Wednesday, July 6 when the RWCS Foundation holds its “Wine-ing for Red Wing” fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Pottery Museum of Red Wing at 240 Harrison Street, Red Wing. Admission for the fundraising event is $20; it will feature food and beverages, silent and live auctions and live music by local Red Wing band Flatt and Square.

The RWCS Convention officially kicks off the next day with a welcome from the city’s mayor and a keynote presentation on the earthenware made in Whitewater, WI, which predates Red Wing’s earliest salt glaze stoneware by about 20 years. The official RWCS members-only auction, which features more than 250 pieces consigned by members, will take place in the Red Wing High School gym at 4:30 that evening.

RWCS members will also have their lineup of usual favorites to attend during Convention, including street sales held at Red Wing’s historic Pottery Place, auctions held on Tuesday and Wednesday, educational seminars and the official RWCS Show & Sale at Red Wing High School that begins for members at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 9. It opens FREE to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

In addition to these activities, the 5th annual Crock Fest celebration will feature music, food and fun from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8 at the Pottery Museum of Red Wing.In addition to its regular displays, the museum will introduce its “General Store” seasonal exhibit to collectors for the first time.

Other Convention activities include a “Crock Hunt” scavenger hunt around Red Wing, the opportunity to create a piece of pottery with local potter Richard Spiller, and a special display room at Red Wing High School where members create their own unique displays of Red Wing items for the education and enjoyment of attendees.

An annual commemorative will be unveiled and distributed to members beginning Thursday, July 7. The commemorative piece is a closely guarded secret and there is much speculation as to what the piece will be each year. It is a miniature replica of a Red Wing pottery item with a limited number made. Last year’s commemorative was a stoneware canteen.

The breakout education sessions scheduled for Friday, July 8 at Red Wing High School will offer some of the most diverse topics in quite some time. The presentations are listed below; check out the “Education Seminars” page on the Convention section of the RWCS website for more detailed descriptions.

• Ebb Tide and Ceramastone, Provincial and Concord line patterns (three different sessions) by RWCS Hall of Famers Terry Moe & Larry Roschen.

• Is That Right? Aftermarket Dinnerware & Art Pottery by Display Room Chair Laura Beall.

• Red Wing Art Pottery by Ray Reiss, author of two books on the subject.

• Red Wing Salt Glaze Stoneware (Parts 1 and 2) by RWCS Newsletter Editor Rick Natynski.

• Symbolism on Victorian Era Gravestones by Goodhue County Historical Society Executive Director Dustin Heckman.

• Crafting Beer in the Desirable City: Red Wing’s Brewing History by Scott Kolby, owner and founder of Red Wing Brewery.

• Updates from the Pottery Museum by the RWCS Foundation.

• Privy Digging by RWCS Hall of Famer Steve Showers and fellow digger Mark Youngblood.

• Dump Finds by Red Wing dump diggers Paul Boudin and Connie Mathison.

• Collecting Zinc Glazed Red Wing Stoneware by RWCS Hall of Famer Larry Peterson and Steve Poeschl.

• The River Underground: Finding Red Wing’s Historic Jordan Creek by Goodhue County Historical Society Curator Casey Mathern.

• White Ware & Kitchen Ware From the 1930s by RWCS Hall of Famer Dennis Nygaard.

Another unique aspect of the RWCS Convention is the participation of the younger generation through the KidsView program. The Society is on the leading edge of creating engaging and educational ways to get the younger generations involved in collecting. The focus on these RWCS members is an important part of the vision of the Society to ensure its continued existence and growth. There are many interactive and challenging activities and seminars for children ages 3-12 to get involved in, such as learning how to bid at an auction, what to look for in an antique, and several hands-on pottery creation projects.

To further complement KidsView, the RWCS Young Collectors is entering its fourth year of helping Red Wing collectors ages 13 to 20 grow their interest in Red Wing. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Red Wing, develop new friendships through peer-to-peer discussion groups and participate in hands-on activities.

To learn more about all the events and activities of the RWCS Convention, visit the RWCS website event page for the Convention. The RWCS can also be found on Facebook and followed on Twitter.

Annual membership in the Red Wing Collectors Society costs only $35 and includes six 16-page full-color newsletters mailed to your home throughout the year. The RWCS was founded in 1977 in Red Wing and there are more than 4,000 members worldwide. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail membership@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org. You can also join the RWCS on Facebook and follow it on Twitter at twitter.com/RWcollectors.

Red Wing, MN – Richard Spiller, RWCS Convention Resident Potter, is getting into the #40 spirt with hands-on classes and items for sale. The 2016 Convention “Ruby Red Wing” will be the 40^th time that Red Wing Stoneware, Dinnerware, and Art Pottery Collectors will gather in Red Wing, MN.

The Red Wing Collectors Society and local potter Richard Spiller are once again working together at the RWCS Convention. Spillers Hands on Classes are open to all Convention attendees to try create their own memorable #40 or Wing. A limited number will also be able for purchase and custom order for members as well. In addition to these large #40 and Wings that can be used as door decorations and trivets, smaller version ornaments will be available for purchase. Spiller is also working on wing earrings and tie tacks that will be ready in time for the Convention.

A resident of rural Wisconsin, Spiller was educated at Western Michigan University and the University of Wisconsin – Madison. An Emeritus Professor of Art at Eastern Carolina University, Spiller has been a practicing potter and ceramic artist for nearly 50 years. His expertise includes kiln building with firing experience from corn cob raku to Tozan Noboigama and firing to cone 10 reduction. The RWCS has partnered with Richard Spiller since 2012 offering pottery demonstrations, hands on pottery classes, and other educational opportunities.

The Red Wing Collectors Society 40^th Convention is slated for July 7-9 in Red Wing, MN at Red Wing High School. The three-day event includes a members-only auction, educational seminars, pottery and stoneware Show and Sale, Displays and much more. Visit the Convention Page to learn more about events and activities.

The RWCS was founded in 1977 in Red Wing and there are more than 3,000 members worldwide. Annual membership in the Red Wing Collectors Society costs only $35 and includes six 16-page full-color newsletters mailed to your home throughout the year. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail membership@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org. You can also join the RWCS page on Facebook and follow the group on Twitter at twitter.com/RWcollectors.

The Goodhue County Historical Society would like to offer a special opportunity for members at the Red Wing Collector’s Society Convention this July.  Gather up your friends or your chapter members and schedule a tour of Oakwood Cemetery!  The tour is appropriate for all age levels and would last 90 minutes.  Tours can be scheduled for July 5, 6, 7, or 10.  Tours can start as early as 8 AM or as late as 7 PM.  Alternate dates and times may be scheduled depending on staff availability.  Cost is $10 per adult and $5 for kids aged 18 or under.  A minimum of five people are preferred for tours to be scheduled.

The Oakwood Cemetery in Red Wing has long served the area as a beautiful and peaceful final resting place for loved ones. Tour through a historic section of the cemetery and visit the graves of many notable Red Wing citizens, including Reverend Joseph Hancock and the Civil War hero A.E. Welch. Learn about Victorian mourning practices, cemetery symbolism, and more.  Along the tour, Red Wing Pottery gravestones will be pointed out.

Contact Dustin Heckman, Executive Director, Goodhue County Historical Society at (651) 388-6024 or via email at director@goodhistory.org.

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