NEWRY – A group that collects brewery memorabilia will open its collection to the public in a trade show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The East Coast Breweriana Association is holding its 36th annual convention at the Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River Ski Resort Thursday and Friday.

Most prior conventions have been held in Pennsylvania, said Will Anderson, co-chairman of the convention and one of the founders of the association in 1968. He said that state has a rich brewing history and many of the association’s 475 members live there.

The group decided to try a new venue this year in hopes of attracting new people to the collections. Two free memberships to the association will be awarded on Saturday.

“It’s hard to think of any one thing pertaining to beer that isn’t collectible to someone,” said Anderson. “We do get people who walk in and get enamored of it.”

Anderson, of Bath, estimated that local breweries were at their peak in 1958, when most large cities in the United States were putting out at least one brand of beer. With the advent of larger companies, those breweries often didn’t last.

Relics of breweries include coasters, cans, bottles, glasses, trays, napkins and signs.

Anderson said collections can be divided into pre-Prohibition and post-Prohibition eras based on their artwork. Pre-Prohibition artwork shows the brewery itself hard at work. Such depictions were not used in post-prohibition artwork.

Anderson said he began his collection in 1961 when he was a senior at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

“I and my college roommate thought we were the only two nuts in the world who collected beer cans,” he said.

Association members began checking into the hotel Wednesday, adorning their rooms with their collections.

Thursday’s events include a sold-out bus tour of the Shipyard brewery in Portland and Anderson’s personal collection in Bath.

Jeff Browning of Hamden, Conn., said he has been collecting since 1974 and has at least 30,000 items, including bottle caps.

“You get sucked in by the beauty of one particular piece, but you stay in for the social aspect,” Browning said.

John Vetter of Fairfax, Va., is in Maine between trips to shows in Iowa and Florida. Vetter, also known as the “King of Crowns,” has thousands of bottle tops that can be identified by era based on clues in their designs.

Ron Leese of Hanover, Pa., mainly collects Rolling Rock memorabilia. One of his items is a sign featuring a thirsty-looking Moon peering into a night sky of beer glass constellations.

Anderson said association members enjoy good brews during the convention, but its focus is more on the past.

“Most people value their interest in the hobby more than their interest in drinking,” he said.