With all the passion of Indiana Jones on a hunt for artifacts, the Hinsdale Antiques Show delivers rarities from around the world to suburban treasure seekers. Consummate craftsmanship and artistry have always been at the heart of the benefit event, which this year celebrates some history of its own with a 50th anniversary bash.

“It’s a big show, and it has a national reputation,” said Ly Hotchkin of Burr Ridge, who is the former longtime executive director of The Community House in Hinsdale, for which the antiques show is a major fundraiser. She co-chairs the gala Preview Party Thursday evening, Sept. 11.

The show’s highlights include dealer displays, high tea, Sunday Champagne Gospel Brunch featuring Bryant Jones and his gospel choir Chosen of Chicago’s House of Blues, plus free educational seminars by leading design talents. This year the organization aims to introduce the excitement of antique collecting to a new generation.

Among Saturday’s speakers will be Mary Anne Herring of Western Springs, an interior designer and former owner of the Robin’s Egg Blue shop in Hinsdale.

“My seminar is ‘Recipe for a New Collector,’” she said. “We’re trying to attract the younger buyer ... to bring individuality to their homes. They have found a comfort level by opening a catalog — you see how a room looks, you pick up the phone and it’s easy to put things into place because you’ve seen things in place.”

Herring will teach ways to combine standard items from catalogs with the unique design touches afforded by antiques.

“It’s knowing how to come up with the right mix,” she said, adding it doesn’t take a big budget to get started.

Part of her talk will be a demonstration of table setting artistry, an easy entry into the allure of antiques.

“My own recipe is to start with a table and add a touch of blue and white and a touch of Majolica, the vintage pottery from France,” she said.

The antiques show, the longest running in the region, is renowned for attracting the country’s top exhibitors in period English, Continental, American and Oriental pieces. Co-chaired by Regina Melbourne and Carole Quick, it presents 1800s and 1900s furniture and accessories, including jewelry, with each collection screened for authenticity and integrity.

Herring said one area will offer changing vignettes of antiques set against Farrow & Ball color schemes from the London paint manufacturer. Participants include faux artist Caryn Akins and trompe l’oeil artist Robert Ryan.

Each year, community supporters donate items to the upstairs Attic.

“It used to be the Blunder Shop; we changed it to the Attic,” Hotchkin said. “It’s kind of a side thing which I always enjoy, with very nice bargains.”

She said hundreds of people volunteer to help put on the show or donate items, a testament to the work of The Community House it supports. She notes its services span every age, with programs including nursery school, counseling, crisis intervention, active senior lineup, basketball, language classes and after-school activities. It serves eight communities: Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, Westmont and Willowbrook.

“There are many, many people in this community who know what stewardship is all about,” Hotchkin said. “And they are very supportive of The Community House.”

For the anniversary bash, even more flowers will adorn exhibits, and guests will discover a fresh new floor plan. Also added is an Afternoon Traditional Tea from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, with tickets available. Each tea table will have its own “personality,” where light finger foods from Jean True Catering will be served, complemented with music by a harpist from the West Suburban Symphony.

The Antiques Café and Coffee Shop will further tempt appetites at the show, where 7,000 visitors are anticipated.

A look back is being created by Carolyn Stillman of Clarendon Hills, whose Memory Hall will capture the event’s own storied history.

If you go

What: The 50th Anniversary Hinsdale Antiques Show, “Celebrate!” is a fundraiser for The Community House in Hinsdale.

When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14.

Where: The Community House, 415 W. Eighth St., Hinsdale.

Info: A $10 ticket is good all three days. Tickets to special events are available online at www.hinsdaleantiquesshow.org or by calling (630) 323-7500.

Luncheon showcases Dallas designer

Cathy Kincaid from Dallas will present “Livable Luxury: The Art of Making a House a Home” at the speaker’s luncheon Friday, Sept. 12. A leading designer, she is a frequent contributor to Southern Accents.

“She is known for her beautiful interiors around the country,” said author and psychiatrist Dr. Brian Coleman, fellow speaker at the show. “And I was fortunate to be able to include some of her designs in my book, ‘Farrow & Ball: The Art of Color.’ Comfortable, calm and sophisticated, her forte is her eye for color. Her expert weaving of tones gives rooms a common thread with unexpected and exciting accents.”

The reservations-only luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m., and Kincaid will speak from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. A book signing by Kincaid and Coleman follows.

Gala nears

Reservations are being taken for the Preview Party from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11. Sponsored by Harris Bank, the elegant event is chaired by Sally Porter and Ly Hotchkin and catered by Chicago’s Calihan Catering which, again in 2007, won the Jean Banchet Award for Best Chicago Caterer.

“We appreciate that, for the first time ever, many of our exhibitors are generously donating 10 percent of their preview evening sales back to The Community House to support our valued programs,” said Theresa Forthofer, executive director.

Free style

Saturday offers a lineup of free design presentations.

• Furniture restoration will be explored by Bill Belmonte of Best Way in Hodgkins and Tom Wisshack of Oak Park from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Field House (also presented at 10 a.m. Friday in Kettering Hall).

• From 1 to 1:30 p.m., Dr. Brian Coleman will present “The Psychology of Color,” demonstrating ways color can alter mood and ambiance.

• Designers Mary Anne Herring, Anthony Stavis and Marilyn and Shary Akins will present 30-minute lectures from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

• Author David Lindquist will talk about “Antique Furniture Analysis: How to Examine and Value Each Piece” from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. He has participated in 35 HGTV programs, and served as president of the National Association of Dealers in Antiques.