The Latest News

Sunday - Update - 7:30 AM - We have been checking the radar continually. The rain is starting to turn and most of it looks like it will go south of Walnut. We may have a good weather day after all. Sundays usually start out slow anyway. We are not calling the show yet.

Sunday Morning, June 20th, 2010 - Saturday's show was also very good. Attendance was good and the weather behaved itself by giving was light winds and pleasant temperatures. A rain system that we were watching in Nebraska fell apart before it got to us and gave was a nice cloud cover for about 3 hours that kept our temps down  for a few hours.

The forecast is for rain on Sunday. If it rains, some of our dealers will be forced to limit their showings. Of course the inside dealers will continue as usual.  About half of the outside dealers are equipped to conduct business even with light rain showers. Most of our food stands have shelter for eating without getting wet.

If it rains, we will be forced to close some of our parking areas, but with the anticipated  lighter Sunday crowd, there will be plenty of parking available on the side streets of Walnut without fear of getting stuck in the mud.

Anyone considering coming to the show will have good day even if it rains off-and-on. The fireman's breakfast is inside. With the free parking and free admission, you are out nothing for coming except your time and a little gas money.  Enjoy the day.

June 19th, 2010 - Friday's show was a huge success. The attendance was up significantly from all recent years. The weather was excellent after the brief rain event in the morning.

June 18th, 2010 - The Show Has Started - The 2010 show has started off wet. The dealers were setting up on the streets when a fast moving rain cell passed through. The rail lasted about 20 minutes and then blue skies arrived. The radar shows the system in Des Moines area already as I write this (10:15 AM) and there is no more rain behind this system. Our parking help is evaluating the parking lots before we use them to make sure no one gets stuck.

If you are still wondering about coming, don't delay. There is plenty of good shopping day left. See you at the show.

June 16th, 2010 - We are getting calls regarding when the dealers set up and start selling. As we advertise, we do not allow our dealers to set up or sell from their vehicles on Thursday. Due to a city ordinance which protects our residents, we don't allow set-up until 7 AM on Friday morning. They can not even park in their space until then. Most outside dealers are ready for business by 9 AM. The glass vendors take a little longer. Our inside dealers have it a little better since they are not on the street and not covered by the ordinance. We allow them to unload their wares into the buildings on Thursday to be out of the way on Friday morning, then let them setup indoors at 6 AM and opening the doors to the public at 8 AM on Friday.

Here's the perfect day at Walnut. Start early and get here early. Enjoy a great breakfast at the fire house from 6 - 8 AM, check out the inside dealers from 8 - 10 AM, then venture outside to start shopping the outside dealers. after a couple of hours, it's time for BBQ, a brat or a  Philly sandwich and top it off with a great piece of homemade pie form one of the many food stands on the streets. More shopping and when you need a cool treat, try out a Frozen Fruit bar from one of the roving carts. Thirst will not be your problem, because we allow 4 roving wagons of ice cold bottled water to be sold by some of our young entrepreneurs.  (hunger or refreshments will not be your problem, check our food page for ideas) After a long day of shopping, and carrying your found treasures or needing to take your vehicle right to the dealer to load the heavier or bulkier items, you can look back at a great day and/or plan for a return the next day to check all those dealers you didn't have time to see or maybe to check in on a few of the shops and malls downtown.

The latest weather forecasts call for a slight chance of rain showers all three days. This is simular to the forecast for the last few days and we have not had rain for 4 days. There have been  a few rain systems to the south of us, but did not make it to Walnut. We are hoping for more of the same. See you all on Friday, Saturday or Sunday   (Stay tuned for more updates)

June 15th, 2010 - Just checked a few websites regarding the weather forecast for the show. Most are now calling for good weather on Friday, a slight chance for rain showers on Saturday and a 50% chance on Sunday. It is important to note that these forecasts are for the general area and not a sure thing for Walnut. Like today, there was a 40% chance of rain and we got none. It was very pleasant all day. There were showers 50 miles south of us. Weather is still the "Luck of the draw". We will have a great show, rain or shine.

On the preparations front, the whole town is gearing up for the show. The city workers have been cleaning the streets and filling any low areas with fresh gravel. The street spaces are marked. We are getting many calls each hour asking for information. This website is still the best source of info. Gene has been doing radio interviews with many stations that we advertise on.

June 8th, 2010 - Just got word that a local man has opened a new iron working business in downtown Walnut. Tim Branan will have a old fashion forge operating in front of his building on Pearl Street just across from the Village Blacksmith Antique Shop and just east of the Granary Mall. He will be operating as an old fashion blacksmith during the Walnut Antique Show.

Other news: Upon pressures from the waning economy, the Villager Restaurant (north side of Exit 46, I80) has closed. Many people have in the past stopped at the cafe for breakfast before attending the show. We would suggest you come to the show early and have a great breakfast at the Walnut Fire Station located on the south end of town, right on Hwy 83 (Pearl Street). Or stop into Aunt B's Kitchen downtown Walnut (next to the Post Office) for a full menu breakfast.

Long range weather forecasts are not available yet, but you can get your current conditions and forecast  info right here each day leading up to and during the Show. Check back often and pass the word.

June 1st, 2010 - Radio spots are produced and distributed to 23 radio stations in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri. All spaces are filled with almost 310 dealers from 21 states. The only contracts for spaces now are for cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances. (They do happen). We have updated the Lodging Page to include more camp grounds and motels in the area. Check it out here.

May 2010 - Advertising is ordered for all of the antique related magazines and newspapers. Radio spots are ordered and we will develop the spots soon. The AMVETS will be renting tables this year instead of farming it out to an independent contractor. We have just heard from the Iowa Lottery folks and the Walnut Antique Show will be one of the events where lottery players can get a chance to will a $1000 by turning in their losing tickets at the show. Their booth will be located in the downtown block.

April 2010 - A change is in the works. We are discontinuing the newspaper style flyer and the postcards and replacing them with a 3-fold full color, glossy brochure. The brochures will be available to be picked up at the show in June and will include the dates for the next 3 years. These will take up less space on the tables and will be easier to mail.

March 2010 - The AMVETs have been working on the show for 2010. Most of our great dealers are already planning to attend. We have many new dealers who have applied to fill any vacancies. We will strive to select only the best dealers and expect a full show again this year.

July 2009 - We have to call the 2009 show a success. We had our best ever collection of dealers. Reports from many dealers were that they had as good or better sales than ever. We are striving to make the show better every year. We thank all of the great towns people who volunteered their time to make this event a success. The local organizations who had food stands reported good results also.

Free Admission

Free Parking