There's something extremely comforting about settling down in front of your TV on a Monday night to watch a bunch of folks hoping to hit it big with their antiques as high-brow appraisers check them over. The antiques, that is. The resulting series, Antiques Roadshow, is public television's most highly rated, and its upcoming 10th season features three consecutive shows filmed in Tampa. In celebration, WEDU-Ch. 3 hosts a fundraising Backstage Antiques Roadshow Premiere Party, where you can watch the first installment, meet some of the locals who had their treasures featured, have your own hand-held collectible or antique appraised for free, and generally commune with fellow collectors. Bonus feature: An exclusive blooper reel with new host, (not Marky Mark) Mark Walberg. Mon., Jan. 9, 7-9 p.m., WEDU Studios, 1300 N. Boulevard, Tampa, $40 (call or go online to make reservations), 800-354-9338, ext. 2241, www.wedu.org.
This article appears in Jan 4-10, 2006.
