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Event draws hundreds of vintage toy enthusiasts
By ROXANN MILLER
SCOTLAND — For many, the chance to recall fond childhood memories by holding a toy truck or admiring a Barbie drew more than 400 attendees to the 7th annual Toy, Train & Doll Show on Sunday.
Visitors from the tri-state region packed the Scotland Community Center to view the more than 90 tables of toys, Matchbox cars, Hot Wheels cars, Barbies, vintage dolls, trains and more.
The event — sponsored by the Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club and Sandy and Billy's Toybox — typically raises about $1,000 to benefit the model railroad club.
"It's only at venues like this can you see the type of toys that are being sold here. These are 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s toys you won't find anymore. This is the only place where you can find them," said railroad club president John Norris.
Linda Jensen, Fayetteville, bought a 1928 Baby Dimples doll from vendor Doris Bikle of Chambersburg to add to her collection.
"I'm so glad I came," said Jensen. "I appreciate vintage anything so that's why I bought her."
Bikle, who has about 100 dolls in her personal collection, understands why people love dolls.
"Growing up as a child myself in the Depression there was never money to buy the extra things. I always loved dolls. I only ever had one," she recalled.
Now, not only does Bikle have her own collection, but she has passed on the tradition to her granddaughter by giving her about 50 of her beloved dolls. "We're a great family for tradition," she said.
Joe Miller of Hagerstown, can remember the first die-cast car that his parents bought him — a
blue Volkswagon Beetle.
He got his first Matchbox car in the 60s and has been hooked on collecting ever since.
"I usually find something here," said Miller holding a bag containing about 20 of the miniature cars.
He has thousands in his house and considers it an investment.
"They are worth something, all right. If you look at some of the old Matchbox here at the show, ones that you paid 59 cents for are now worth $10," said Miller.
Like Miller, Dennis Hummel and his 15-year-old son Robert consider collecting an investment.
The Hummels collect model cars and trucks.
"I call it my semi-retirement," said Dennis Hummel, who has between 600 to 800 in a room in his home.
Some of the models they assemble, and some they keep in the box.
Dennis Hummel even bought an empty 1927 Ford Touring T box for $3.
"It's worth $3," he said. "I have a model for it at home."
"I like finding stuff that's hard to find," said Robert Hummel.
His father agreed.
"You just don't find what we're looking for — nobody has anything like that in a regular Kmart or Wal-mart," Dennis Hummel said.
But, for Lisa Stoner and her son Bobby Sedler, 7, of Chambersburg, it wasn't about collecting — it was about making childhood memories.
"He is a train fanatic," said Stoner. "He has always loved trains."
"Look at these," said Sedler as he proudly held up two Thomas the Train coal cars to add to his train collection.
His mother likes the fact that he is playing with trains.
"I feel safe when he's back there playing with his trains or watching a train tape," said Stoner. "It's not something that I have to worry about — it's a safe hobby."
Source:http://www.publicopiniononline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060227/NEWS01/602270312/1002
For most babies, discovery starts with their mouths
There have been times in my life when I have put my foot in my mouth and said something that I immediately regretted, and like most adults, it is something that I try very hard not to do.
But, for my 6-month-old daughter, Hannah, it is her current obsession. The recent discovery of her feet has led to the constant touching, grabbing and pulling of her chubby little piggy toes.
Her focus and determination paid off when she could finally bend her legs far enough so her toes could reach her mouth. Five piggies at once is quite a mouthful, however it still doesn't stop her from trying to fit 10.
Sometimes, she's even content with a simple mouthful of pretty pink sock. Mmm.
In fact these days, it seems as though anything that is within her reach goes directly into her mouth. It is her method of investigation.
In order to figure out what it is and what it does, it has become an essential task to explore its taste and texture. The rest is simply irrelevant.
Her choice in toys is predominantly those with the crinkle factor. That along with bright colors and a soft texture creates the perfect match for her oral fixation.
Of course, it is highly amusing to watch my daughter chew on the antennae of a Baby Gund caterpillar, it is also important to make sure that whatever she plays with is safe to go in her mouth.
Whenever I go to the store, I am always amazed as I enter the baby section. There are endless displays of colorful and noisy playthings all claiming to be stimulating and educational.
It's fun to pick out new things for her, but it can be overwhelming.
I try to choose toys that are appropriate for her stage of development and in addition to being safe and educational, I want her to enjoy playing with them.
As a child, my mom would often say, "All the money we spend on toys and that's what you want to play with?"
We would make a house out of a cardboard box or beat drums that were really pots and pans. We would even sneak spoons out of the silverware drawer to go dig up dinosaur bones in the back yard.
Even though it will be a while before Hannah can test her paleontology skills, for now she can have fun chewing away on toys with teething rings, rattles and of course there's always her piggies.
There have been times in my life when I have put my foot in my mouth and said something that I immediately regretted, and like most adults, it is something that I try very hard not to do.
But, for my 6-month-old daughter, Hannah, it is her current obsession. The recent discovery of her feet has led to the constant touching, grabbing and pulling of her chubby little piggy toes.
Her focus and determination paid off when she could finally bend her legs far enough so her toes could reach her mouth. Five piggies at once is quite a mouthful, however it still doesn't stop her from trying to fit 10.
Sometimes, she's even content with a simple mouthful of pretty pink sock. Mmm.
In fact these days, it seems as though anything that is within her reach goes directly into her mouth. It is her method of investigation.
In order to figure out what it is and what it does, it has become an essential task to explore its taste and texture. The rest is simply irrelevant.
Her choice in toys is predominantly those with the crinkle factor. That along with bright colors and a soft texture creates the perfect match for her oral fixation.
Of course, it is highly amusing to watch my daughter chew on the antennae of a Baby Gund caterpillar, it is also important to make sure that whatever she plays with is safe to go in her mouth.
Whenever I go to the store, I am always amazed as I enter the baby section. There are endless displays of colorful and noisy playthings all claiming to be stimulating and educational.
It's fun to pick out new things for her, but it can be overwhelming.
I try to choose toys that are appropriate for her stage of development and in addition to being safe and educational, I want her to enjoy playing with them.
As a child, my mom would often say, "All the money we spend on toys and that's what you want to play with?"
We would make a house out of a cardboard box or beat drums that were really pots and pans. We would even sneak spoons out of the silverware drawer to go dig up dinosaur bones in the back yard.
Even though it will be a while before Hannah can test her paleontology skills, for now she can have fun chewing away on toys with teething rings, rattles and of course there's always her piggies.
Source: http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/LIFESTYLE/602260343/1024 |
