FRANKLIN, Tenn.—The 2022 Civil War show season came to a close at 3 p.m. on December 4th as the 35th annual Middle Tennessee Civil War Show ended. It was a great way to finish up year, according to show promote Mike Kent, with basically the same size event as in previous years. This is a positive sign the overall health of the Civil collecting community. There are also new, younger dealers and participants appearing as some older collectors retire or slow down. As usual, dealers were spott in the local host hotel Thursda evening trading stories and get ready for move in on Friday morning. Vendor automobile tags from as far away as Texas, New York, Ohio, and Florida were seen as dealers unloaded for the year’s final show. Faci manager Kenny Wallace reported that some vendors were already in the parking lot when he arri at 5:30 Friday morning even though the official set up time
Minutes before the show opened, Show. 22– American Battlefield Trust 42 – Book Reviews 20 – Central Virginia Battlefi
America’s Monthly N 35th Annual Franklin Civil War Sh The Largest Civil War was not until 10 a.m. With mild temperatures and only scattered showers on Friday, the weather was ideal; by closing time at 7 p.m., all but a few tables were filled. Anticipation was high as peopl packed the lobby, then quickly flooded the arena floor, catching up with old friends, looking for the best deals and fresh material from vendors. Traffic was brisk all day and social media was abuzz with photos of dealers and attendees posing with old friends and new finds for their personal collections and inventory. Representatives from t Outdoor Channel program Shooting USA were on hand Saturday to interview dealers about their participation in the show, their most interesting firearms, and ideas on attracting younger crowd to the shows and collecting hobby. Brian Akins, Rafael Eledge, and promoter Mike Kent were featured and should appear on an upcoming edition of Shooting USA.
Larry Hicklen was honored with a special Lifetime Achievement Award that recognized his dedication and contributions to the Civil War community
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Award winners L to R: Bill Co Roxbury, Dave Gotter, Michael
over the last 35 years. Hickl is the founder and owner of the Middle Tennessee Civil War Show, nurtured it through its first few years, then tur over management to Mike Kent in 1991. As many long-time participants remember, the sh started with only 100 tables in the Vaughn Building at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds i 1986, moved to the Williamson County Ag Expo Park in 2010, growing to over 800 tables in the process, making it one of
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largest events of its type in the country. No show would be complete without displays, many of which represent lifelong efforts to fin document, label, and organize material for public presentation; the Franklin Show is no different For many dealers it is a labor of love as there is no monetary compensation for the time and effort required to put on a displ In fact, just the opposite is tru travel and show expenses easily run into hundreds of dollars per
show. For these special people however, their reward comes from the respect, admiration, appreciation expressed by fell collectors and the public when viewing their exhibits. Nashville native and wellknown Civil War artist John Paul Strain was on hand as always, hosted by Debi and Ken Robinson of DK Prints. Strain has become a Middle Tennessee Civil War Show mainstay as he is a popular celebrity, always shaking hands and greeting visitors while often working o his latest projects. Porter’s Battery was on hand again this year, although down two guns as the flu took its t several crew members. To make up for the loss of guns howeve the battery fired more shots e hour to keep the momentum going; the public loved it as always! Make plans now to attend Mike Kent’s Chickamauga Civil War Show on February 4 & 5, 2023, in Dalton, Ga., and next year’s Franklin Civil War Show scheduled for Dec. 2 & 3, 2023 For more information, visit
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