The 40th annual Madison-Bouckville Antique Week is slated for Aug. 15-21 in Bouckville, N.Y.

BOUCKVILLE, NY, June 10, 2011 (Press-News.org) This year marks the 40th anniversary of Madison-Bouckville Antique Week, slated for Aug. 15-21 in Bouckville, a town located in central New York state, not far from Syracuse and Utica and right on State Route 20. The event will play host to over 2,000 dealers and vendors and is expected to attract 45,000 people or more to its many fields.

Madison-Bouckville Antique Week is the largest antiques and collectibles show in New York state. It has often been compared to Brimfield, the tri-annual colossus in Massachusetts. Both are many shows combined into one week-long mega-event. In the case of Madison-Bouckville, there are about seven large fields with many dealers and vendors, plus smaller fields.

Featured will be quality antiques and collectibles from centuries past, displayed for sale by the many dealers and vendors offering them. There will also be a wide array of excellent food vendors and plenty of parking at several show fields. Some of the show fields and vendors will be open for business as early as Monday, Aug. 15. All fields will be open by Thursday, Aug. 18.

Many year-round antiques shops and co-ops will be open daily during the show. Folks familiar with Bouckville will know the town is home to around 20 antiques and collectibles shops, most of them dotting State Route 20. But that wasn't the case 40 years ago, when it was mainly a sleepy farming community. All that changed, thanks to the vision of Jock Hengst.

"We owe a large debt of gratitude to Mr. Hengst, who launched the Madison-Bouckville Antique Show as one field on a strip of airport property and grew it into what is today," said John Mancino, president of Madison-Bouckville Promotions, formed just last year to actively promote the show. "Jock recently made the decision to retire, but his legacy lives on."

He added, "Madison-Bouckville Antique Week has, for many years, been a travel and business destination for thousands of vendors, customers and tourists from around the globe. We formed Madison-Bouckville Promotions in December as a not-for-profit, to revitalize and promote the economic, trade and cultural experiences of Madison-Bouckville Antique Week."

Mr. Mancino also said the board was formed to address "the current state of the recession, changing markets and concern for our local economy and tax revenues." He said the overall goal was to "promote and organize a week-long event, as a unified group represented by local government, restaurant owners, the lodging sector, antiques shops and show field owners."

This year's event is officially titled Nice n Easy Madison-Bouckville Antique Week. The title sponsor is Nice n Easy Grocery Shoppes, a chain of about 80 convenience stores based in Madison County. "It was important for us to be underwritten by a locally based firm with a strong presence, and John MacDougall (Nice n Easy's owner) filled that bill," Mr. Mancino said.

Bouckville, N.Y., is the seat of Madison County, an area filled with quaint villages, country inns, bed and breakfasts and, of course, antique shops. It retains its rural charm and still is home to many farms (and farmers' markets). And for people who equate August with intense heat, have no fear: Bouckville is pleasant and mild in the summer - perfect weather for a show!

While in town, visitors might want to take a boat ride on the historic Chenango Canal, spend time with the family on horseback, experience the local corn mazes and pumpkin patches, enjoy fine dining at any one of a number of award-winning restaurants, or pack a picnic and find a special place in God's country to relax and unwind. Bouckville has all these things and more.

For more information about this year's Nice n Easy Madison-Bouckville Antique Week, please log on to http://www.madisonbouckvilleantiqueweek.com. Or, you may call John Mancino, the president of Madison-Bouckville Promotions, at (315) 427-5094 (e-mail: jmancino@aol.com). Or, you can send an e-mail to Jim Dutcher, the group's treasurer, at jimdutcher01@aol.com.