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The black wood-and-coal-burning stove not only sheds warmth. It also welcomes memories.

"Every time I look at it, I think of my grandma," said Steve Gregory of Floyd.

The hefty, 5-foot-tall stove has been sitting in Gregory's kitchen for several years. His grandmother bought it in 1959 at a thrift store.

"It was neat to be able to put in my place," Gregory said after wheeling it into the Floyd County High School gym on Sunday. He took a number and lined up to have a professional appraiser study it and offer a historical and financial assessment during an antique show and appraisal event sponsored by the Partnership for Floyd.

For four years, this nonprofit group has organized this mini-antique road show, which on Sunday featured at least 10 vendors selling bottles, books, furnishings and other memorabilia.

The group's mission is to contribute to the beautification and enhancement of Floyd, which has a population of about 14,789, according to a 2006 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In a corner of the high school gym, four appraisers offered assessments of people's treasures -- from valuable jewelry to guns and paintings -- for $5 per item. The appraisers included Ken Farmer, who owns an auction and appraisal company in Radford and appears on the PBS television series "Antiques Roadshow."

"He's like an icon," said Faye Nichols of Copper Hill. She sat in a folding chair waiting for Farmer to appear and appraise. Nichols arrived with several items, including a colorful stuffed horse statue she bought for $2 at an arts and crafts festival in Fincastle 24 years ago.

Nichols wasn't sure that she wanted to sell it, but she was interested in finding out how much the horse was worth. She joked that she hoped its value would exceed $7, which is the total that she paid for it long ago plus the $5 fee for its appraisal.

Nanette Johnson, an organizer of the event for the partnership, said it began as a way to bring the town together during March.

"In the fall and until Christmas, there's so much going on, then it's just like everything dies," Johnson said.

But the group had a specific purpose for collecting a $1 admission at this year's event. The proceeds will go toward future improvements to the Warren G. Lineberry Memorial Park on South Locust Street in Floyd. It was named for a prominent Floyd lawyer whose family owns the land.

Kamala Bauers, president of the partnership, said the group wants to gather additional community input about what improvements to make to the park, but some of its plans include building an amphitheater. The group has collected an average of $1,000 each year through the antiques and appraisal show, she said.

About midafternoon, Gregory and his wife, Lynn, pushed their antique stove to Farmer's table.

"You're lucky to have something like that in your family," Farmer said as he examined the stove, built as early as 1880, by opening up several doors and studying the swirly designs on its exterior. Farmer declared that it likely is worth $600 to $800.

Earlier, Steve Gregory recalled the first time that his now 97-year-old grandmother saw the stove sitting in her grandson's kitchen. The look on her face was priceless. "She was blown away," Gregory said.