CONNECTIONS
MAR 2022 VOL. 10 NO. 3
GREAT FINDS! If you’re like many folks, you probably have a family heirloom or two stored in your attic and you’re just itching to find out how much it’s worth. Multiply that by thousands of hopeful people, and you’ll understand what ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Executive Producer Marsha Bemko is up against when she and her crew are searching for one-of-a kind pieces to put into a show. For their 26th season, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW producers were looking to film in smaller venues as part of their response to COVID-19, which made the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods the perfect setting for the show. Even the remnants of Hurricane Ida couldn’t stop the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW crew last August. “It rained, but it didn’t dampen our day. We had a terrific shoot!” said ROADSHOW executive producer Marsha Bemko. The production had an impressive 85 crew members including some local folks and filmed 91 appraisals in one day. They set up multiple filming sites around the historic hotel — some inside the resort’s beautiful ballrooms and many outside on its expansive wrap-around porch in the shadow of Mount Washington. “Not only were the Bretton Woods’ views breathtaking during our first New Hampshire stop with our visit to the Omni Mount Washington Resort,” said Bemko. “But my breath was truly taken away when we discovered that an unsigned light fixture, rescued after many years of being stored in a chicken coop, was actually a custom-made Louis Comfort Tiffany treasure!” Besides the Tiffany light fixture, another flashy piece that caught the appraisers’ attention was a 1994 Rolex Zenith Daytona watch and a 1909 W. Herbert “Buck”
Dunton oil painting that was stored in a basement for years. Dunton is famous for his illustrations and was a founding member of Taos Society of Artists. ROADSHOW wraps up its three-part visit to the Omni Mount Washington Resort with treasures including General James Longstreet’s captured shotgun, The Who concert photos & autographs, and an Amelia Earhart-signed pamphlet. While these treasures are all priceless to their owners, we can’t wait to see how the appraisers will value them. You may be asking yourself, “What pieces make it into a show? How many appraisers are on hand to look at these collectibles?” Well, if you’re curious then you’re in luck! New Hampshire PBS is hosting a special LIVE online conversation full of behind-the-scenes stories with Executive Producer Marsha Bemko and ROADSHOW appraiser Arlie Sulka, on Monday, March 21 at 7 PM. “There is nothing like traveling our country discovering the stories behind attic finds, flea market bargains and family heirlooms,” says Bemko. “We’ve got a season full of the quintessential ROADSHOW moments.” Get your tickets at nhpbs.org/events and join us for this special NHPBS INSIDER SERIES event as we get a glimpse and see how ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is produced. We hope to see you there!
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