The United Pipe Clubs of America (UPCA) was organized in 2002 as a national federation of pipe clubs in the United States. Its purpose is to promote and protect the interests of the American pipe smoking community by encouraging and assisting in the formation of local pipe clubs and actively supporting their activities, including pipe shows and pipe smoking competitions.

UPCA's broader goals are to bring American pipe smokers together by serving as a liason to facilitate the sharing of information and ideas between its member clubs and to maintain smokers' enthusiasm for the hobby by presenting a positive public image of the culture and traditions of pipe smoking and collecting.

We welcome you to the UPCA website and hope you will use it both to learn what clubs are doing around the country (and abroad) and as a reliable source for news and information about upcoming pipe-related events and reports after they occur. We also encourage you to provide information in these categories for posting on the site.

Headlines

World Cup of Pipe Smoking in Debrecen, Hungary on October 11, 2009

The United States will be proudly represented by an experienced three-man team: Jeff Weiner (Miami) who won the U.S. National Championship the Chicago Show last May; Buddy Winemiller (Chesapeake Bay) the second highesrt placing American: and Vernon Vig.   UPCA will pay the registration/dinner fees for the team and is assisting Buddy with his travel expenses.

Please support our team by contributing towards these costs.  

International Pipe Smoking Day (ISPD)

February 20th has again been designated this year as International Pipe Smoking Day. Please click on http://www.IPSD.EU for more information regarding this event.

As you will see there, the ISPD goal is simple and straight forward: pipe smokers around the globe will unite by lighting up together that day - to celebrate the noble art of pipe smoking and the close fraternity of briar lovers across all borders. A world wide communion of pipe smokers!

Read the article published in the WALL STREET JOURNAL on Friday, February 20th.

The 2008 European Championship

The 2008 European Championship, held on October 5 in Wurselen, Germany was another fine festival for pipesmokers from around the world. Wurselen is a small town of a few thousand inhabitants  in southwestern Germany near the Belgian border. The local pipe club, the Rauchclub Haal, which hosted the event, is the oldest known pipe club in the world, having been formed in 1876 and operating continously ever since (except for the period 1933-45 when the initial antismoking Nazi was in power!).   Learn more ....

Support Pipe Smoking in the United States

UPCA resolved at its annual meeting in 2007 to raise funds each year to reimburse the U.S. Champion's travel expenses to the next international competition.  We making a call for contributions to all UPCA Member Clubs, Associate Members and all other members and friends of the industry, as well as to individual pipe smokers. Our modest aim is to raise $2000 each year.

For more information,   
Making a donation is easy - credit card or PayPal.

Must Read.... A Quiet Revolution 

At the annual Seattle Pipe Club banquet dinner Rick Newcombe was the keynote speaker and delivered an eloquent message on being a pipe smoker today.  He discussed pipe smoking of old and explored the fulfillment that our pipes bring...something unknown to 99+ percent of the world's population.

We thought you would like to read his speech in its entirety.... Just click here for a pdf version .