NEW YORK - After a two-year hiatus, Americana & Antiques @ the Piers has returned to the calendar of events produced by Stella Show Mgmt. Co. Designed to coincide with Antiques Week in New York, the 2010 show is scheduled for January 23-24, 2010.

"We are very pleased to have this show again. It has been sorely missed by our exhibitors and our customers," said Dorothy Stella, president of Stella Shows. "The piers were not available in January for several years. Now that dates have changed, we can have Pier 92 for Antiques Week in New York again."

There is a wide variety of antiques events on the Stella Show Mgmt. Co. 2009/10 calendar. Coming soon is Antiques & Design in the Hamptons, a benefit for the Bridgehampton Historical Society, August 14-15-16. This stunning show is the summer outpost of Stella's chic and cutting-edge NYC shows held at the Gramercy Park Armory. Fifty smart, trend-setting dealers who exhibit at the armory set up extravagant booths in elegant big white tents on the lawn of the Historical Society, and bring their best to their Hamptons customers who look forward to this show each year.

BOSTON - Enchanted Village, a famous New England department store holiday display, will be sold at auction June 18. Stanley J. Paine Auctioneers will sell the attraction in its entirety as one lot. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.  

Stanley J. Paine Auctioneers will hold a three-day preview of the Enchanted Village from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 15-17 at the auction site, Three Dolphin Way in South Boston. Qualified bidders who put up a refundable $25,000 deposit will be able to closely examine the display on those days.

Occupying 8,000 square feet, the historic Enchanted Village is an animated re-creation of a holiday scene in a traditional New England town. The village inhabitants consist of 59 figures of both adults and children, as well as additional figures of bears, dogs, cats and horses. The average lifelike figure is 4 feet 8 inches tall. Scenes include caroling and sleigh rides.

Visiting the Enchanted Village has been a cherished holiday tradition for generations of New Englanders. In the 1930s, David Callahan, a buyer and vice president of the Massachusetts-based department store chain Jordan Marsh, negotiated with toy makers in Bavaria to bring to Boston the handmade electromechanical animated figures and items that comprise the Historic Enchanted Village.

Jordan Marsh installed Enchanted Village Christmas marketing enticement inside its flagship store in Boston's Downtown Crossing in the 1940s. Generations of New Englanders grew to cherish visiting Enchanted Village, making the pilgrimage one of their most beloved holiday traditions.

At the height of its popularity Enchanted Village took over an entire floor of the department store and was also spotlighted in its display windows. At one point, annual attendance reached 250,000.

Jordan Marsh closed the exhibit in 1972, but brought it out of mothballs in 1990.

In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were renamed Macy's. When Macy's discontinued Enchanted Village in 1998, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino moved it to City Hall Plaza. More recently it has been housed in the Hynes Convention Center and displayed by the city until 2006. The Boston Globe reported that dwindling attendance forced the city to close the attraction.

DUBLIN, Ind. (AP) - If you like yard sales, U.S. 40 is the place to be this week.

If not, you might want to steer clear of the highway: the Historic National Road Yard Sale will continue through Sunday along the route's 824 miles from Maryland through Illinois.

"It's bumper-to-bumper people all across 40," said yard sale organizer Patricia McDaniel, owner of Old Storefront Antiques in Dublin, about 50 miles east of Indianapolis.

Betty Skaggs of Richmond, Ind., and Beth Thompson of rural Fayette County will leave their families at home, empty Thompson's van of most of its seats and begin packing the van with their finds.

"It's a ritual for us," Thompson said. "This year, we're leaving on Friday morning and just working toward Indianapolis. We'll spend a couple nights there, see what we find further on the other side of Indianapolis."

It's not just for homeowners and bargain hunters. Civic organizations take advantage of the crowds by organizing food booths, and churches and other organizations will use the occasion for fund-raisers of their own.

"One of the things that is really unique about this sale is that each town is able to contribute whatever they want," McDaniel said.

Bill Gebhardt of Centerville, who's participating for the sixth year, has a cement wall in front of his house that he uses to display items.

"Just some odds and ends. Some collectibles here and there," he said.

Gene and Joanne Wallen of Dublin plan to sell bottomless chairs for potted plants, old wardrobes, furniture and an old playhouse.

"We have a lot of miscellaneous stuff," Joanne Wallen said.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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BEVERLY HILLS - Even though the Michael Jackson King of Pop auction did not take place, the entire catalog is still available for viewing at LiveAuctioneers.com. Just click here to view the three collections of items.

Actual movie-used props are a rare thing - even more so when a prop is something as iconic as the "scissorhands" gloves used by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's 1990 classic, Edward Scissorhands. These items were part of Michael Jackson's collection, displayed prominently at his home at Neverland Ranch. Their provenance is from Stan Winston, the legendary effects creator who designed them.

BEVERLY HILLS - Even though the Michael Jackson King of Pop auction did not take place, the entire catalog is still available for viewing at LiveAuctioneers.com. Just click here to view the three collections of items.

A ranch may be a working location, but there's always time for leisure, as well. This impressive hanging swing must have provided hours of swinging pleasure for visitors and residents of Neverland. Carvings include wild animals and scenic vistas.

BEVERLY HILLS - Even though the Michael Jackson King of Pop auction did not take place, the entire catalog is still available for viewing at LiveAuctioneers.com. Just click here to view the three collections of items.

A standout group among the hundreds of items in the Michael Jackson Collection are western-style saddles. Clearly horseback riding was part of the regimen at Neverland Ranch, and this example of a brown-and-black leather hand-tooled saddle is representative. It includes sterling conchos and a nameplate reading "Brett."

NEW YORK (AP) - New York City is constantly being rebuilt, paved over and reinvented, so it's not easy to find remnants of the colony of New Amsterdam 400 years after Henry Hudson sailed up the river that bears his name.

But whether you're sitting on a stoop in Brooklyn, strolling through Harlem or wandering along the Bowery, you are connecting with the city's Dutch roots. There are place names, statues, and even a 17th century Dutch farmhouse in Brooklyn, all serving as proof of this early chapter in New York history.

"New York City being what it is, it builds on top of everything," said Russell Shorto, author of The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America.

But Lower Manhattan still bears the imprint of its first colonial settlers. "The Dutch laid out the streets there, and the street pattern is still the same," Shorto said. "And Wall Street was the northern boundary of New Amsterdam. The Dutch built that wall not to keep the Indians out, but to keep the English out."

BEVERLY HILLS - Even though the Michael Jackson King of Pop auction did not take place, the entire catalog is still available for viewing at LiveAuctioneers.com. Just click here to view the three collections of items.

Many of the items in this collection were presented to Michael Jackson by friends and royalty the world over. This carrousel horse, for example, was a gift from film icon Elizabeth Taylor, long noted for her steadfast friendship with the pop star. The saddle features an inscription, "To MJ, Love ET."

BEVERLY HILLS - As fate would have it, the Michael Jackson King of Pop auction didn't happen, but you can still see what the entertainer collected over many years of performing and traveling the world by viewing 3-day auction catalog online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Here's an article of clothing any Michael Jackson fan would immediately be able to identify. It's the custom-created red wool-blend costume jacket completely covered in red bugle beads that Jackson wore to the 1984 American Music Awards. At that event he was presented with eight awards.

Jackson was frequently photographed in this jacket at public appearances and photo shoots during the 1980s, and it is among the most iconic of Jackson's wardrobe pieces.

CLEVELAND - Antiques and collectibles expert Terry Kovel, whose popular Kovels - Antiques and Collecting column is a regular feature on Auction Central News, will be the guest auctioneer for WVIZ's annual fund-raising auction April 23-23. For the first time the auction will be streaming live online to Kovels.com, the popular Web site for collectors. To watch the auction live and to bid online visit Kovels.com and link to the WVIZ website. Kovel is a longtime supporter of WVIZ, Cleveland's Public TV station.

More than 4,000 items donated by listeners and businesses will be sold on air to the highest bidder - no reserves. Viewers are invited to call the station with bids or to bid online. The bidding phone number will be shown on the screen. So far, donations include a pair of 1950s Baker Furniture end tables, a satsuma bowl, a Meeks Victorian chair, a Jenny Lind bed, a French provincial 1960s dining room set, Meissen figurines, an early pair of Sheffield candelabra, a Lenci doll, Tootsietoy dollhouse furniture in the original box, paintings, comic books and baseball cards. More items are arriving every day.

Kovel will be auctioning antiques every evening, from Thursday, April 23, through Sunday, April 26. The auction starts at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and at noon Saturday and Sunday. Watch it all or just the antiques, art and collectibles segments. There are always bargains and great surprises.

Viewers can preview auction items or register to bid online now. Go to the WVIZ Web site, WVIZ.org, or call the auction office at 216-916-6154. Donations will be accepted until April 23. When a donated item is auctioned, the donor's name will be read on the live TV auction.

Terry Kovel, with her husband, Ralph, has written more than 98 books about collecting, including the best-selling annual price book, Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide. Terry publishes a subscription newsletter and writes a syndicated newspaper column that appears in more than 150 newspapers and digital publications. She and Ralph starred in the weekly HGTV program, Flea Market Finds with the Kovels. The Kovels website, Kovels.com, offers 700,000 free prices and other information for collectors, including books, special reports, a weekly e-mailed letter to collectors, and an archive of other informative material. Since Ralph's death in 2008, the Kovel brand has been continued by Terry Kovel and her daughter, Kim Kovel. This fall they will go on a lecture tour to promote the 2010 edition of Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide.

NEW YORK - Sunglasses are a fashion statement to watch for at the upcoming Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show, April 24-25, at the Manhattan Pavilion, where you'll find all of the great vintage styles that celebrities made famous. Here are the oh-so-chic classics plus those campy club-scene party glasses that will have the whole room checking out your style. And that's the point. How you wear these fashion icons says more about who you are than your star sign.

Take the Aviator. This is one of the slickest pair of sunglasses ever designed. First made popular by World War II generals like Dwight Eisenhower (and you know how everyone liked Ike), they re-emerged in the '60s to become the sunglasses with masculine sex appeal, worn by the likes of Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood and the Doors lead singer Jim Morrison. Peter Fonda made them legendary, cruising the highways with Dennis Hopper in the 1969 film classic, Easy Rider. Their popularity never waned, exploding with Michael Jackson and Tom Cruise in the '80s. Wearing these shades signals that you are an ultracool lady killer. "Make My Day," anyone?

Remember the old classic Ray-Bans called Wayfarers? These shades will take you back to the days when Grease was the word and not a musical. The glasses were made popular in the '50s by blues legend Cab Calloway, Motown great James Brown, and a whole generation of young alternative writers and intellectuals called beatniks.

They enjoyed popularity again in the early '60s when the Beatles donned their Ray-Bans to dodge hoards of swooning young female fans. And who could forget Jack Nicholson who made the Wayfarer, along with his furled eyebrow, synonymous with "Sophisticated Hollywood cool?"

Wearing these glasses today says that you are in the know - cool and collected. Pop star Lady Ga Ga was given a pair by Access Hollywood to add to her giant collection of more than 100 hundred sunglasses. She was more than thrilled. If you are still saying "Give peace a chance," you are probably still wearing the small round granny glasses from the '60s. These shades were known for their multicolored lenses - standard gray, blue, purple, green, yellow, pink, orange and red. This style of sunglasses followed the Grateful Dead on tour and was worn by the late, great John Lennon. It is still popular today with hip musicians and city artists. They're truly psychedelic and way cool, man.

Next, an alluring style that pops up again and again - the Cat Eye. These were the sunglasses of choice for the well-loved '50s screen actress Grace Kelly. Today's pop sensations Katy Perry and Gwen Stefani are known to wear colorful Cat Eyes. The Cat Eye has lots of personality and is far from demure and retiring. Wearing these, says that you're flirty and oh-so sassy. The Big and Round, also known as the Bug Eye, are a mainstay classic made famous by the elegant and tasteful Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the lovely gamine Audrey Hepburn. They have remained popular since the '60s. Today, you will see them on such celebrities as Paris Hilton, Nicole Richey, Mary Kate, Ashley Olson, the very glamorous Julian Moore and the fabulous Julia Roberts. These sunglasses just ooze sophistication and style. Wearing these means that you have arrived.

Designer sunglasses are the gilded stallion of the sunglass world. These gems are worn by the world's jet setters, A-listers, spoiled Long Island girls, those chic Upper West Side couples, and East Side Manhattan divas. Designer sunglasses by Chanel, Dior and Lapadis are the hit of the Hampton's summer social scene. Sunglasses just sing out "Get ready for summer."

Check out the great buys on other warm-weather staples such as '50s sundresses and bathing suits, '60s floral A-line shifts, '70s wedgies and platform shoes, and '80s accessories (belts, bags and more) at the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show. For more iformation call 212-691-7297 or visit www.manhattanvintage.com.

PHILADELPHIA - By popular demand, the American Art Pottery Association's annual convention will return to Philadelphia on April 22-26, 2009. The event's success last year prompted a repeat visit, and this year's 29th annual gathering will include entirely new tours, seminars, and educational exhibits - many of which highlight the Arts & Crafts movement and its pottery - as well as an outstanding art pottery auction produced by Belhorn Auction Services of Columbus, Ohio.

The convention will again be headquartered at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel in Langhorne, Pa., located near I-95 and Route 1. Spotlight events include a two-day pottery show and sale, an author's book-signing opportunity, and the auction, which features several hundred lots of vintage and contemporary art pottery. The auction will be held Friday, April 24 at 5 p.m. EST, at the Radisson Hotel Philadelphia Northeast, located at 2400 Old Lincoln Highway, Trevose, Pa. Real-time Internet bidding will be available from anywhere in the world through www.LiveAuctioneers.com. The auction preview, reception, and book-signing event will begin at 3:30 p.m.

The annual reception and banquet held on the evening of April 22 will include a keynote address by Dr. Martin Eidelberg, professor emeritus of Art History at Rutgers University and noted author on American ceramics and glass. His topic will be Arts and Crafts Pottery: What's In A Name?

NAPA, Calif. - Creativity among the common people, past and present, has been a driving force in shaping the spirit of the American folk art. On Saturday, May 2, this creative spirit will be evident at the 2009 edition of the American Folk Art Festival.

For one day only, a group of knowledgeable dealers and talented artists will come together to showcase wonderful examples of both antique and contemporary American folk art on the grounds of the beautiful Laird Family Estate Winery. The event's hours are noon to 5 p.m., with proceeds benefiting The Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco.

The festival is open to the public, with a $7 admission. A wonderful array of folk art dealers and folk artists will be on hand displaying their collections of unique Americana, ranging from whirligigs, gameboards, tramp art, and dolls, to braided and hooked rugs, paintings and papier-mâché creations.

Self-taught sculptor Liz Mamorsky will be at the festival, exhibiting her unique recycled-material sculptures along with other pieces of her work. Liz's work resides in numerous public and private collections and can also be seen at LizLand.com and at her San Francisco Studio of Functional & Dysfunctional Art.

Laird Family Estate wines, refreshments and light appetizers will be served throughout the afternoon, with live music provided by Pacific Chamber Jazz. Admission includes the food and entertainment. The Laird Family Estate is located at 5055 Solano Ave., in Napa.

About the event's beneficiary: The Museum of Craft and Folk Art provides innovative exhibitions and educational programs that are designed to connect with and inspire diverse communities. As the only folk art museum in Northern California, the museum is known for a rich offering of focused and unique exhibitions of traditional and contemporary folk art and craft from around the world, demonstrating how folk art, contemporary craft, and fine art are all part of the same continuum. The Museum of Craft and Folk Art is located at 51 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco, CA 94103.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hundreds of items from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch may still go on sale after a judge on Friday rejected a bid to have the King of Pop's one-time possessions returned to the singer. But the ruling probably won't be the last word on who ends up with them.

Jackson's production company was seeking the return of the collection of art, MTV Video Music Awards, crystal-encrusted gloves and nearly 2,000 other items removed from Jackson's former home before the sale begins on April 22. They have another motion for an injunction to stop the sale, slated to be heard on April 15.

Auctioneer Darren Julien and his attorney claimed victory after the hearing, saying they do not expect other efforts to block the sale to succeed.

"We have to proceed because we have no choice," Julien said.

His firm, Julien's Auction House, has spent more than $2 million arranging the sale of the Neverland items and could go bankrupt if the sale was stopped, his lawyer told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brett Klein.

Klein's ruling will "have no impact whatsoever" on the injunction motion, said Alan Gutman, who is representing Jackson's company, MJJ Productions. That hearing will come before a different judge.