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HUDSON VALLEY PIPE CLUB
HOSTS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
by Rob Denholtz
On December 9, 2006, pipe enthusiasts representing four pipe clubs from three different states gathered at the S.M.Frank Company headquarters in Peekskill, NY for the Hudson Valley Pipe Club’s sixth annual holiday celebration, highlighted by the Northeast Regional Slow Smoking Contest under the supervision of Vernon Vig and David Bull of the United Pipe Clubs of America, the group representing us in the International Committee of Pipe Clubs..
The festivities began in the early afternoon as members from the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club of Boston, the Pocono Intermountain Pipe Enclave of northeastern Pennsylvania and the New York Pipe Club arrived to reunite with old friends, make new ones, share tobaccos, show off new acquisitions, visit displays by pipe makers Bill Feuerbach, Rolando Negoita, Joe Skoda and Tim Hynick, and imbibe of the superb selection of Scotch, Bourbon and wine donated by members of the host Hudson Valley Pipe Club.Dozens of estate pipes and a selection of new and vintage tobaccos were offered for sale and trade.
Following the afternoon of camaraderie and excellent smokes, host Bill Feuerbach presented a sumptuous Italian buffet which was followed by the main event of the day: the first internationally-recognized Northeast Regional Slow Smoking Contest (which was also the sixth annual Hudson Valley Pipe Smoking Championship).The blend selected for the competition was No.14, a wonderful mild English mixture (Virginia, Latakia, Perique, and Turkish) newly developed by Paul Bonaquisti, who has just celebrated the first anniversary of his shop, Park Lane Tobacconist in Clifton Park, NY.The blend was light, sweet, perfectly tangy and enjoyable from match to ash.Prizes included pipes donated by S.M.Frank (Kaywoodie), Tim Hynick, gifts and tobaccos from Steve Monjure, Greg Pease, Cornell and Diehl, Bob Hamlin and Vernon Vig as well as other sundries from various of the participants.
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