The 73rd annual Antiques Show & Sale was held Friday, March 14, through Sunday, March 16, 2025, at the Tanglewood Center in Butler Township. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

BUTLER TWP — Over the weekend of March 14 through 16, antique dealers and buyers flocked to the Tanglewood Center in Butler Township for the 73rd annual Butler Antiques Show and Sale, hosted by the GFWC Intermediate League of Butler.

This year’s show drew 39 exhibitors, stretching across three hallways of the senior center. The show draws a big crowd each year, according to chairwoman Anne Miller, with about 1,200 visitors attending the show in 2024.

“We have very loyal dealers who love to come back to the show each year,” Miller said.

Exhibitors came to the show from far and wide across the region, from as far west as Toledo, Ohio, and as far east as Harrisburg, and all places in between.

Eileen Richards, of Harrisburg, stands next to her exhibit during the 73rd annual Antiques Show & Sale at the Tanglewood Center in Butler Township. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

One of the most eye-catching exhibitors was Eileen Richards, who brought a collection of colorful antique glassware and pottery all the way from Harrisburg. Some of her collection dates all the way back to the 19th century.

“We’ve been coming here to this show for probably eight years,” Richards said. “We've been pleasantly busy for the last two days.”

Don Hackney of Hack-Wen Farm in Greensburg brought a collection which mainly consisted of antique coins and buttons, along with one Kodak Instamatic instant film camera from the 1960s.

“We’ve sold a lot of coins and other stuff,” Hackney said. “It’s been a very good operation. The committee guys run it well here and it’s a nice place to come.”

Anthony Buck, who runs Enigma Antiques in Allison Park, had a space at the show that certainly lived up to his business’s name. Among the items offered for sale were mint-condition Garbage Pail Kids cards, as well as squares of sheet metal cut from race-winning NASCAR vehicles for collectors.

Anthony Buck, of Enigma Antiques and Design in Pittsburgh, stands next to his exhibit on Sunday, March 16, during the 73rd annual Antiques Show & Sale at the Tanglewood Center in Butler Township. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

“I did a little research and I found out that they pretty much cut up the whole car if you win and then they'll sell the pieces of the car to the public,” Buck said.

Buck says that he doesn’t just sell at the antiques show, but he’s also been an active buyer for years.

“Last year I got a solid bronze frog head,” Buck said. “Pocket watches, clocks, paintings, portraits, all sorts of different stuff. Actually, half my furniture’s from here.”

Aside from the exhibitors themselves, proceeds from the antique show went toward a series of local nonprofits, including the Butler Area Public Library, the Butler County Symphony Orchestra, the Children’s Advocacy Center, the Community Health Center, Community Meals Ministry, Friends of Preston Park Foundation, Butler Intermediate High School Best Buddies, Isaiah 117 House, Kids’ Weekend Backpack Program, the Maridon Museum, Butler Musical Theatre Guild, NAMI Butler County, Butler City Shade Tree Commission, Take A Stand and the Tanglewood Center.

The antique show also featured a raffle which allowed visitors to purchase tickets for one dollar for a chance to win a special quilt donated by the United Methodist Women of Butler. According to Beverly Achesinski, the quilt was put together over the course of ae year and is valued at $600.

By Sunday, according to Achesinski, the raffle had sold “hundreds” of tickets.

“This (quilt) was handmade for us for the show,” Achesinski said. “They do all the pieces individually and then they piece them together.”

The antique show will take on a whole new look next year. For the 74th annual show in 2026, the show will move to the Tesla BioHealing Wellness Hotel on Pittsburgh Road in Butler Township, as Tanglewood is not expected to be available for use next year.

“We’re not moving because we don’t love this place,” Miller said. “We do love this place, but we were told it wouldn’t be available.”

A typewriter on display during the 73rd annual Antiques Show & Sale at the Tanglewood Center in Butler Township. William Pitts/Butler Eagle