BOISE — It was a partly cloudy day at the Idaho Botanical Garden on Tuesday. Organizers and attendees were worried that the rain from Memorial Day would carry over, but “Antiques Roadshow” had near perfect weather.

“It’s a pretty great opportunity for people and our volunteers,” said Erin Anderson, executive director of the Idaho Botanical Garden, “and every single person that we’ve talked to is so, so excited that they’ve been able to be a part of it.”

Of the around 10,000 applicants, 2,000 received tickets to attend the event, and get their item appraised. If the item and its story was especially interesting, they get a chance to be featured in the 27th season of Antiques Roadshow, premiering in 2023.

“I’m always looking for a great story,” said Marsha Bemko, executive producer of Antiques Roadshow. “I will often pick inexpensive, less valuable items, because I love the story.”

At the beginning of the process, volunteers scanned attendees tickets, who were then directed to the generalist appraisers. Based on their item, they would be told to go to one of 15 sections, like collectables and paintings. Seventy appraisers sat at tables and under canopy tents throughout the gardens, like the meditation and rose gardens.

Two attendees, Cathy and Jason, brought in a collection of presidential campaign pins from Cathy’s late father. Only their first names are used in this article because of Antiques Roadshow’s media guidelines.

Cathy’s father collected hundreds of pins and she has boxes full of them at home. These pins range from Taft to Clinton.

“Before he passed away,” Jason said, “he didn’t tell us much about where he got them. So if we can get experts to tell us more about them, that’s what we’d like.”

If the appraiser thinks the item would be a good fit for the show, they call over one of the producers, or pickers, which includes Bemko. If the picker agrees, then the attendee, if they want to, will be on camera as they get their appraisal.

All of this is done without spoiling what the appraiser knows about the item.

“I have a poker face,” Bemko said. “We really want to know the owner’s honest reaction to what they hear. Are they happy about what we tell them? Are they sad? Does the story line up with theirs? Are they happy regarding the value? The minute we start to fake it — people will know. People are good at sniffing out fakers, especially fake TV.”

Jeff Tucker, general manager of Idaho Public Television, had several stories of the reality of the day. One of his friends brought in a watercolor they had bought for $5, which was valued at around $15,000. Another attendee had a watch they received from their father, who got it from a sheepherder in the Owyhee desert, who found it in a bag in the desert.

It was a Rolex worth $20,000.

This wasn’t Bemko’s and the rest of the roadshow’s first time educating the people of Idaho about their heirlooms. In 2013, they came to Expo Idaho in Garden City, but this time around, they were welcomed to the natural beauty of the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise.

“When we look at our celebrate component of our mission, we like to focus on cultural arts and history,” Anderson said. “Our site here at the garden is very rich with cultural history. So for us, working with an event that also connects to history makes a lot of sense for our mission and our connection to cultural arts, history and our community.”