Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

OCTOBER 2015 Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove • Page 5 • Personalized On-Site Event Coordination • Grand Ballroom can accommodate celebrations of up to 300 • Ceremony, Reception & Group Rooms • All-Inclusive Packages include: Centerpieces, Dance Floor & Head Table Décor • Book your event by December 31st, 2015 and receive a complimentary upgrade Y o u r H a p p i l y E v e r A f t e r B e g i n s H e r e . . . natalie.balistreri@brookfieldsuites.com www.BrookfieldSuitesHotel.com 1200 S. Moorland Rd. Brookfield, WI 53005 262.796.9123 = 243016006 Better than a sale, 14145 W. Greenfield Avenue, New Berlin | 262-649-3053 childrensorchard.com | Find us on Facebook! It's resale! New Berlin 245773004 246049003 2000 N. Calhoun Road 7:30am-Noon For more information call 262-784-7804 or info@brookfieldfarmersmarket.com EVERY SATURDAY thru October 31 st Fresh Flowers • Bakery • Produce Assorted Meats • Fish • Cheese www.brookfieldfarmersmarket.com www.facebook.com/brookfieldwifarmersmarket 244672015 TAKE ADVANTAGE of our WEEKLY SPECIALS at our featured Vendor of the Week • ARTS AND CRAFTS 3rd Sat. of Each Month • SNAP/Foodshare EBT, Debit & PayPal Welcome! • WIC Approved • Free Frequent Shopper Rewards Program • Gift Tokens & Market Bags for sale Q. I enjoy the antiques column regularly. A friend of mine retired to Arizona in 1980 and I purchased this desk that he had inherited. His uncle was pastor of Con- gregational Church in Wauwatosa and it's always been called the parson's desk. — Richard, Brookfield A. Your early-20th-centu- ry desk represents a vast amount of well-built furni- ture that is losing appeal for younger generations. The furniture industry has nick- named these well-built utili- tarian pieces "Brown Furni- ture." Antique malls and auction houses are seeing dwindling demand and items languish at consign- ment shops only to sell at a fraction of what they did five years ago. The way that families use modern func- tional built-ins has more to do with fashion than not wanting pieces similar to this desk. For our readers, now is the time to make an investment if you need a quality piece of wood furniture, including dressers, chests, tables and desks. Your quarter-sawed oak desk with slant drop- front has a hinged lid that provides a writing surface when open. Most homes never had an office; when this desk is closed it appears shallow and more fitting for the living room. Showing off the pith rays, it resembles a pronounced tiger-stripe look. The wood cut of tiger oak had extra unused wood pieces and was more expensive and difficult to craft, but achieved beauti- ful results. The front lid is decorated with applied- pressed design (using metal dies) that imitate carving. The front drawers, often called swell-fronts, have ornate capping. It has per- fectly matched veneers, short claw feet, 13 pigeon- holes and two drawers in the fitted interior. In its day, one could have ordered the stacking bookcase at addi- tional cost. Condition certainly indi- cates value on antique furni- ture and this desk has been given generations of TLC. It is a better-quality piece but relatively common. It has all the detail and is totally func- tional as the day it was man- ufactured. When tiger oak is refinished properly, it is breathtakingly beautiful. Value: $325 Q. This doll was owned by my mother-in-law and is over 100 years old. It has the original dress, shoes and socks. Markings appear from two different compa- nies on the doll. — Edith, Oconomowoc A. A common practice in antique doll making was for certain doll makers to sup- ply heads to other doll man- ufacturers. Simon & Halbig was one of the largest firms in Germany and supplied many heads for other doll companies. It was located near Thuringia, where there were large deposits of natu- ral clay, and operated from the late 1870s to mid-1930s. The doll-making firm of Heinrich Handwerck pur- chased heads made by Simon & Halbig. When bisque dolls began appear- ing with their skin-like matte finish, it offered a trendy realistic alternative to glossy china dolls. It was always the facial features with amazingly real-life beautiful faces that sold these beauties. Your doll is 23 inches in length, has ball- jointed limbs with composi- tion body and sleep eyes. Being restrung is not a detri- ment if done professionally. Her condition is above average; that gives this doll a value of $300. NOTE: Be aware that often original antique or vintage doll clothing, wigs and accessories are worth more than the doll. If you update your doll's wardrobe, always store the original items nearby with doll informa- tion. Have an item for appraisal? Tell us about it and it could be selected for a future column. Mail entries to Waukesha Antique Shop, 1427 E. Racine Ave., Unit E- 2, Waukesha, WI 53186. Send sharp, well-lit photos of front, back and underside of your item, and measure- ments are important. List any known history or even hearsay, length of ownership and all markings, even par- tial ones. Include your name, address and phone number. No photos can be returned and no purchase of antiques will occur. (Barbara Eash is a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America, specializ- ing in appraisals of antiques and collectibles and has extensive experience writing and speaking about antiques.) Desk, doll stand tests of time BARBARA EASH Antiques Appraised BROOKFIELD — Waukesha County's first case of West Nile virus for 2015 has been con- firmed in Brookfield. According to the Waukesha County Depart- ment of Parks and Land Use, the Division of Environmental Health was notified of a mosquito batch collected in Mitchell Park that had tested positive for West Nile virus. This test was conducted as part of Brook- field's mosquito and West Nile surveillance, prevention and control program. Mosquitoes are exposed to West Nile by feeding on infected birds. It can then be spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The majority of people — 80 percent — who are infected with WNV do not get sick. Those who do become ill usually experience mild symptoms such as fever, headache, or rash. Less than 1 percent of people infected with the virus get seriously ill. Residents should be aware of West Nile and take the necessary steps to avoid being bitten. The best way to avoid West Nile is to reduce exposure by wearing socks, shoes, long- sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors. Eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes such as getting rid of standing water where mosquitoes can lay eggs. Avoid being outside during times of increased mosquito activity, which is around dawn and dusk. Make sure to apply insect spray that contains DEET. Waukesha County will continue surveil- lance for West Nile until the end of the mosquito season, which is after the first frost. Testing will cease because a positive result has been identified in the county. Any cases of sick or dead crows, blue jays, or ravens should still be reported. To report a sick or dead crow, blue jay, or raven, please call the Dead Bird Reporting Hotline at 1-800-433-1610. — Freeman Staff County's first case of West Nile virus this year found in Brookfield

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