2006 Kansas City Pipe Show Report  by Steve Fallon
(reprinted with permission) 

I was once again fortunate enough to attend the Kansas City Pipe Show this year and appreciate the opportunity to use this forum to offer a report for our fellow pipe hobbyists. The many members of the Kansas City Pipe Club who put their hearts and souls (not to mention blood, sweat and tears) into the event deserve all the kudos I can offer.The Greater Kansas City Pipe Show began in 1998. So, this year’s show (October 28-29, 2006) was their 9th. This was my third KC Show, but as good as the previous two I had attended were (2003 and 2005), this was absolutely the best one.

Sue Oswald, Whitewood Leather, and
Bob Callaway, coordinator of the St. Louis Show

I flew from Dallas to Kansas City on Friday, the day before the show, with one of my fellow Waco, Texas pipe club members Bud Price (Bud actually helped me start the Waco Pipe Club eight years ago). After getting checked into the beautiful new Airport Holiday Inn, we attended a scrumptious and belly stuffing barbeque buffet hosted by the Kansas City Pipe Club. After chow, Bud and I hooked up with old friend Ted Weidner of Omaha, Nebraska (who probably has the best table full of estate bargains at the KC Show every year), and did some room-to-room perusing as a lot of vendors were offering pre-show bargains in their hotel rooms. The Airport Holiday Inn’s fourth floor was their smoking floor and our only restriction was that we could not smoke in the hallways.

One of the funniest moments of the entire weekend occurred during the pre-show hotel room meanderings. Bud, Ted and I visited the room of pipe maker Bruce Weaver. Bruce has been carving pipes less than a year, but you wouldn’t have known it by seeing the masterpieces he had brought to the show. And his prices were terrific (mostly in the $100-$175 price range.)

Bruce Weaver pipe with special blends from
McClelland Tobacco available only at the show

Anyway, Weidner kept admiring one particular Weaver and finally whipped out a little cellophane baggy looking thing, covered the mouthpiece of the pipe with it and asked Weaver if he could “sample how it sits in the mouth?” Hoping to make a quick sale, Weaver nodded in the affirmative. After giving the pipe a test run in that manner, Weidner took off the cellophane wrap and said he sure hoped he wouldn’t infect anyone due to the fact he had some kind of virus. I think that pipe went unsold.

I made my first pipe purchase of the weekend in Ron Fairchild’s room. Ron lives in Houston, but attends Waco Pipe Club meetings on an irregular basis and sells a lot of his mostly classic creations at our meetings. When Ron comes to Waco with his pipes he always includes a beautiful, unsmoked 14 karat gold banded straight grain Lovat that carries a hefty price tag. Ron would never fail to tell me that the pipe and I were made for each other. I have always admired that pipe but it was just too expensive. Well, he made me a deal in Kansas City that I could not refuse. So, two individuals who are members of the same pipe club in Texas had to travel to Missouri to consummate a pipe deal. I am still scratching my head over that one. Anyway, I discovered that the pipe smokes as good as it looks as I finished off the evening in my room smoking that Fairchild loaded with some 20 year old Dunhill Royal Yacht. Once the final trail of smoke escaped from that pipe, I crawled into bed with dreams of what else I might find when the show opened up at 9:00 the next morning.

With 6,000 feet of show space in the beautiful new KCI Expo Center, conveniently located adjacent to our hotel, the Kansas City Pipe Show now has room for 75 exhibitor tables and I think they had 70 tables sold this year. The show began Saturday morning with a bang and the activity didn’t let up until 3-pm Sunday afternoon when the event officially shut down. I was simply amazed at all of the high grade new pipes (and some of the prices they commanded), as well as the brilliant display of estate pieces. Even more impressive was the amount of professional pipe makers who made the trip to Kansas City to display their pipes. I will talk more about them in a moment. 

As fun as the first day was, the highlight for me came afterwards at the Saturday night banquet. These professional carvers were kind enough to participate in a Q&A seminar that was simply amazing. Can you imagine being able to eat a steak and salmon dinner with all the trimmings and then pushing away your plate, grabbing your favorite briar and smoking to your heart’s content while getting opinions and insight into our hobby from the likes of Tonni Nielsen, Lee Von Erck, Ron Fairchild, Michael Lindner, Jack Hamburg and Bruce Weaver?

Questions from the audience included optimal air hole size, bowl thickness, what types of briar were best….. And yes, even whether it’s the brand or the briar that makes for the best smoke. (I quickly looked around the room to see if it was Fred Hanna or Rich Esserman who asked that question, but neither of those gentlemen was able to make the KC Show and it was actually someone else who posed the question). Although not a participant in the seminar, another well known pipe maker who had a display table during the weekend was the incomparable Alberto Bonfiglioli. Alberto not only goes to the KC Show every year, he donates pipes right and left for the show raffles and auctions.

Silent Auction donation from Lee Erck

Speaking of auctions, I was fortunate enough to be the high bidder on a Lee Von Erck pipe that was in Sunday’s silent auction. I also took home a beautiful Manuel Shaabi for a great price. Although I had previously never owned a pipe from this great German carver, I had coveted owning one as I think they are unique and beautiful. I had also been told that Manuel Shaabi has secured some of the best wood on the planet and his creations smoke as good as they look. I can now say with complete opinionated authority that they do! I scarfed the Shaabi from Maxim Engel of pipes2smoke. Maxim had a table full of beautiful pipes at simply terrific prices. What makes Max so entertaining is not only his unique sense of humor but also the fact that he just loves pipes, loves talking about pipes, and loves getting quality pipes into the hands of the pipe smoking community at very affordable prices. Check out his bargains at www.pipes2smoke.com.

Patrick Dennis was at the show with his Brotherhood of the Briar shirts, caps, coffee mugs, etc, and all were hot sellers. Patrick also had a table full of estate pipes that were simply magnificent. As you might imagine, the Kansas City based McClelland Tobacco Company had a display and Mary McNeil was selling a lot of their fine tobaccos. The affable Steve Monjure of Monjure International had all kinds of great pipes and tobaccos for sale, including some monster Ardor pipes that were super impressive. I swear, a couple of those big suckers could hold a 50 gram tin of tobacco. If you’re looking for a long smoke, give Monjure a call. I am sure he can find just the right magnum Ardor for you.

Jay Jones and his beautiful and friendly wife Louise had several marvelous display tables of pipes and pipe related items including more memorabilia from the Tom Dunn estate that were quickly taken. Cam Schutte, a great gentleman and one of the KC Pipe Show’s founding fathers, had his www.pipeshowonline.com table available for photos of pipes. Cam’s website may just be the hottest pipe related website on the internet. Check it out. There were many other exhibitors but I am not as young as I used to be and can’t remember all of them. Again, a who’s who of the pipe world attended and all had a great time.

Peter Prygelski

As I continue to think back over the three day whirlwind of activity in Kansas City, the one thing that impressed me most was simply the people. I was able to meet a lot of folks I had either heard of or read articles by in this publication and others. I was really impressed when I finally was able to meet a man whose pipes and tobaccos related articles I had been reading for years, Mr. Vernon Vig of Brooklyn, New York. He was in attendance representing the UPCA. That man is very full of pipe knowledge and I think he must be part Texan. Vernon was one of the speakers at the Saturday night dinner and during his speech, slung some bull that would have made any Texan proud. (Translation: He told some great jokes!)

Vernon Vig
President of UPCA

When not traveling all over the world attending pipe shows (actually, the KC Show is the only one I’m able to attend each year), I am the executive director of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Our museum puts on several big special events each year and I know first hand of the dedication and effort it takes for volunteers to assist in putting on a large production. Therefore, I can say with some authority that the ladies and gentlemen who dedicate themselves to putting on the Kansas City Pipe Show each year, go above and beyond in order to make the occasion a very memorable one for all who participate.

Whether or not you’ve ever attended a pipe show before, please consider going to Kansas City in 2007. You will be shown one heck of a good time by a lot of great people. I would like to offer my thanks again to the Kansas City Pipe Club for being so hospitable to me and my pipe loving friends during our stay in their fine city.

(Photos by Cam Schutte)