Author: Mark Irwin

  This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Texas Pipe Show. For the first time in a few years, it was held indoors instead of on the parking lot in front of Tobacco Cabana in Cedar Hill (see Post #371). It looks me as if it's quickly becoming a major player in the US pipe show circuit, attended not only by those able to drive here in Texas and surrounding states, but across the nation by artisans and vendors alike. It was held this year at The Oasis, a dive bar in Midlothian, Texas, which allowed smoking all day as well as providing a bar at one end, an additional huge out building and an upstairs gallery. Seen above is artisan Trey Rice (blue t shirt). Behind him and just to the left, artisan Nate King, and in the straw fedora American legend Brad Pohlmann. Mark Domingues CPG of Lone Star Briars was also there with a table of his amazing pipes. Someday, I will have one of Mark's amazing stack dublin blasts, which look perfect for smoking my dark virginias, with chambers of about 18mm x 50. And speaking of tobacco . . . Just setting up, this vendor covered two full tables with McClelland tins and jars with dozens of amazing tobaccos. . . . as you can see in photos above, vintage tins were a big part of the Texas show. In fact, I've never seen so many for sale at a show before. In my first sprint around the show before I sat down I found two of my Grail tobaccos: The Pre-Preshow But I'm getting ahead of myself.  At any pipe show, there's always the "Pre-Preshow" and the "Pre-Show."  These three events need to be kept in mind, or you could end up like James Walsh at the Vegas Pre-Show, doing 130mph to get to the Palace Station Hotel and the vendor's room before said vendor sold That Special Pete to some unworthy lowlife.  James made it, barely. As for the Pre-Preshow, let me give you an example of the typical kind of trouble you can get in. My particular friend Ken Sigel CPG came from Way Down East to stay with Gigi and me for  a few days, bringing a number of Pete estates to sell on our table at the show.  He made two major mistakes.  First, he told a small group of Pete Geeks (a bunch of degenerates if you ask me) that he was taking some Choice Petes to the show.  Big mistake.  He was up until dawn texting (had to wear protective cotton gloves next day) and then spent most of the day at the post office mailing out said estate Petes before he ever got to the show. No wonder he complained of being tired the day of the show. But that wasn't all. Ken's second blunder was talking to another Pete Geek the night before the show.  "Silence is Golden" is the rule the night before a show.  Especially if…