Presentation
This was the first time in years I have been able to attend any of the seminars. I was able to attend two this year and the Kola Wars seminar was my favorite, teaching so many things about Cola I never knew. The presentation was great, and the speaker, Dennis Smith, knew his Cola history.
Dennis Smith
Dennis discovered the thrill of bottle digging as a 12-year-old kid in Birmingham, Alabama, when he found his first straight-sided Coke bottle. He found more than Cokes and Pepsi’s. He also found Wiseolas, Rye-Olas, Cola-Nips, Celery-Colas, and many others and wondered what happened to these brands?
A trip to his local library ignited a lifetime of research into soft drink history. He has scoured many libraries, archives, courthouses, and private collections across the United States seeking first-person accounts and previously unpublished records. With degrees in Archaeology and History, he once wrote a graduate thesis: Soft Drinks and Dopes: Changing Perceptions of Soda Water in America.
An avid bottle collector, he has exhibited at bottle shows across the United States. He has written for and been the subject of articles in newsletters and magazines, and written numerous books. He currently is working on additional books regarding soft drink history and culture and will publish additional titles in the near future.
publications
- KolaWars Feature Article https://journalofantiques.com/features/kola-wars/
- Soda Labels 1905
- KolaWars: Atlanta 2nd Edition
- The Original Coca-Cola Woman: Diva Brown and the Cola Wars 2nd Edition
- KolaWars: Dr. Pepper and Deacon Brown
- KolaWars: Birmingham
- KolaWars: Atlanta
- There's None So Good: The Story of Chero-Cola
- Mobile Bottlers
- Tuscaloosa Bottlers
- Anniston Bottlers
- Gadsden Bottlers
- Selma Bottlers
- Alabama Coca-Cola Bottlers and their Bottles
- Montgomery Bottlers
- The Original Coca-Cola Woman: Diva Brown and the Kola Wars
- Soft Drinks and Dopes: Changing Perspectives on Soft Drinks in America
- Alabama Bottler's 1850-1920
- The Alabama Bottle Collector 1978-1885
current projects
- Kola Drinks Before the Courts
- Soft Drinks and the Pure Food Act
- Chero Cola Book Update
memberships
- Antique Advertising Association of America
- Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors
- Alabama Bottle Collectors Society
presentations
Dennis is available as a speaker on various topics:
- The Kola Wars
- Soda Pop and the Pure Food Laws
- Soft Drinks and American Culture
- Other Topics can be Arranged