Antiques Appraisal Day June 3rd in Lexington   Lexington, Virginia - If you enjoy the nationally-acclaimed PBS series Antiques Roadshow and wish that it would come to your locality, you will want to journey to Lexington, Virginia, on Saturday, June 3rd. On that day, Historic Lexington Foundation (HLF) will sponsor its second annual Antiques Appraisal Day to raise funds in support of its historic preservation work. Noted appraisers from throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia will provide antique owners with accurate information about their objects¹ age, history, and value, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Washington & Lee University¹s Evans Hall, located on Washington Street, one block west of Lexington¹s historic business district. Ken Farmer of Ken Farmer Auctions and Appraisals in Radford, a frequent guest appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow, is expected to lead the HLF team of appraisers. "Ken has been particularly helpful to us as we have grown our annual event in support of historic preservation in Lexington," notes Anne Riffey-Buckner, HLF Trustee and Appraisal Day co-chair. HLF is also pleased to announce that one of its trustees, Patricia Loughridge of Loughridge Appraisals Ltd. in Richmond, will participate in the appraisal. A former Graduate Fellow at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, and Curator at the Stonewall Jackson House, Ms. Loughridge specializes in antiques and decorative arts. Gordon Lohr graduated from Bridgewater College and has been an antiques appraiser for 30 years. He co-authored Eastern Shore, Virginia Raised-Panel Furniture 1730-1830 and has written articles for the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts Journal and other publications on Virginia antiques. In addition to his broad knowledge of furniture and decorative arts, Mr. Lohr has a special interest in military artifacts. Robert K. Miller is an appraiser and cataloguer with Ken Farmer Auctions and Appraisals in Radford. He graduated from Virginia Tech and North Carolina A & T State University. He has been a Fellow of the American Foundations program at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and of the Reynolds House American Art Museum. Mr. Miller is particularly interested in American furniture and 19th-century paintings, antique silver, and flint glass. Michaux Tayloe Chopski will evaluate jewelry of all kinds. Ms. Chopski graduated from Mary Washington College and received the prestigious Graduate Gemologist Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America. Her Roanoke-based firm, Octagon Gemological Services, is the only Independent Certified Gemologist Appraiser in Virginia. Wilma Burke, who writes about antiques for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, will also serve as an appraiser on June 3. Her areas of expertise include pottery, crystal, fine art, and collectibles. She makes her home in Midlothian, Virginia. Elizabeth N. Gladwell of Goode, Virginia completes the team of appraisers. With years of appraisal experience Ms Gladwell specializes in appraisals of estates in central Virginia, is a certified member of the International Society of Appraisers, and holds the MA from Hollins University with a thesis focusing on American regional decorative arts. Her personal interests include furniture, Virginiana, material culture, and fine arts. HLF urges owners to bring along any known information about their items‹such as letters, family records, or receipts. Those who are seeking furniture appraisals may bring photographs and a drawer or door, rather than the entire piece. Anyone transporting a large or cumbersome object may park in one of several designated spaces in front of Evans Hall, where an appraiser will examine it. Owners must register each object, so that it can be given a number and assigned to the most appropriate appraiser. Appraisals are oral, rather than written, and private. If an object proves particularly interesting and the owner agrees, an appraiser may choose to exhibit it and explain it to the public. Anyone interested is welcome to attend Antiques Appraisal Day, with or without an antique or collectible. A fee of $35 will be charged allowing owners to have three antiques appraised, or $15 for a single item. The event is made possible in part through the generous support of Duke¹s Lexington Antiques Center, on Rt. 11 north of Lexington, and Old South Antiques, located in the village of Brownsburg. All proceeds from Antiques Appraisal Day benefit the programs of Historic Lexington Foundation, Inc. Founded in 1966, HLF promotes preservation of Lexington¹s historic buildings and spaces through direct action and educational programs and publications. The non-profit foundation has saved important Lexington landmarks such as the Stonewall Jackson House, the McCampbell Inn, and the Alexander-Withrow House. Most recently, HLF stabilized downtown Lexington¹s oldest timber-framed dwelling, the Roberson-Phalen House, located at 111 S. Jefferson Street. For further information about Antiques Appraisal Day or the historic preservation activities of Historic Lexington Foundation, contact the HLF office at (540) 463-6832 or hlf@rockbridge.net .

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