How Valuable Is It? John Marquis Appraisal on July 22

Returning to Manchester for one of his popular visits, well-known Vermont appraiser Jim Marquis will examine your family heirloom or flea market find (other than jewelry) and give you a well-informed opinion on what it's worth today. All sorts of things are subjects for the show: wooden toys, needlepoint, silver tea sets, china lamps, furniture, 19th-century books, framed art, knickknacks—you name it, whatever you've been wondering about, bring it to Jim Marquis on Wednesday, July 22, at 7 p.m., at the First Congregational Church in Manchester.

A third-generation antiques professional, Jim Marquis of Wallingford, Vermont, has been a dealer and appraiser for some thirty-five years. He has a raft of credentials in the field, having studied the relationship of valuation theory to market economics, along with statistics, and IRS standards. The Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Delaware, was the locus of his graduate work in American Decorative Arts.

Attendees are invited to present as many as three pieces for appraisal. The nominal fee for the service ($5 per item or $10 for three) will benefit the Manchester Historical Society. All are welcome to attend and admission is free. Refreshments will be served. This event is generously underwritten by Manchester attorney and MHS board member Bradley Myerson.

Taconic Avenue Walk July 15

In October 1899 a brand new road opened in Manchester Village. It extended west from Main Street (across from the entrance to the Ekwanok Country Club) up to Prospect Street. Summer visitors, who over the previous five decades had been catered to for as much as a month at local hotels, suddenly had the opportunity to purchase a fine country home with ample space for the whole family, along with servants and guests.

Join Architect Bill Badger and MHS Curator Judy Harwood on Wednesday, July 15, for this walk into last century's history along Taconic Avenue. The tour leaders will reveal the character and tales of the titled “cottages” of this distinctive Village enclave -- among them Bide-a-Wee, The Gables, and Edgewood.

Please park behind the First Congregational Church and join the walk at the foot of Taconic Avenue at 7 p.m. For information, call Judy Harwood, 362-3708 or send an e-mail to manchesterhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.