Putting on a Farm Toy Show!
Have you been to a farm toy show? If not, it is unlike any other event. There is room trading, where toys are set up in hotel rooms that turn into display areas, rooms are filled with vendors, and you will find a variety of new, old, and even at times scratch built (which means built by hand) toys. Others are custom made by tweaking toys that come off the shelf, converting them into something new and different. While scratch built and customizing in the earlier days was all done by the builder with tools, today 3D printing has revolutionized the industry and hobby and brought in many of the younger crowd.
My husband Keith and I just returned from the MId-America Gateway Toy Show held at the Sheraton Lakeside Chalet in Westport Plaza St. Louis. We have been attending for years, and this year I spoke with some people to get different perspectives on what it takes to plan, set up, and come to a farm toy show!
Planning
For years, the show has been hosted by the Baker family. The late Roy Lee Baker and his wife Audrey ran the show with their son Darrell Baker, and daughter Faye Baker Knoche. Faye said there is a lot to it. “You have the contract with the hotel, send contracts out to vendors, make phone calls. We advertise, get insurance, there is quite a bit of communication, and lots of paperwork!”
On Saturday mid-way through the show, Keith and I saw Darrell and he said, “Half-way through. The work of two-months.” So, putting on a show is not only a lot of work, but a huge time commitment. This is something done out of love for the hobby without a doubt!
Being a vendor
Wanda and Richard Chapman, from Bowling Green, Kentucky started out helping out at an International Harvester Collector club. Richard’s interest came from his first job at an IH dealership. “I started collecting toys. They took up a lot of room, so I started selling and buying literature and memorabilia.”
That is the mainstay of their sales today, the literature and memorabilia with an emphasis on Farmall Red with the Louisville plant and Cub Cadet being made close to home.
The Chapmans go to a variety of shows. “You never know what to expect,” Wanda said, talking about what will sell from one show to the next.”
It is fun to talk to the different vendors and see what sells from year to year. I had to laugh when one shopper commented, “I think you all just trade items back and forth.” Seeing Keith’s sacks, I have to agree.
Coming to the show
Collectors like Mark Berkel come to this event most every year. Mark, a John Deere tractor collector that is active in the Southern Illinois Green Club came with friends. This year Mark wasn’t shopping as much as helping his friends locate the collectibles they are seeking. “I came to meet up with old friends,” Mark shared.
He traveled to the show with Mike Timmons, who is heading up the 100 Years of Caterpillar at the upcoming Half Century of Progress. While “Come Feel the Earth Move” is the official theme, Conversion tractors are also being featured as well.
Family
This is a time when many family members come together. Often in years past, Keith’s brothers and friends would come to the show, and they would stop and share who bought what. Say who was looking for what, and compare.
This year we were blessed to meet up with Keith’s cousin’s son and see his wife, toddler and month old new baby! What a blessing!
Friends and camaraderie
Over the years we have made good friends at the shows and the friendships have lasted. Our good friends the Elliotts usually come, and we go out to dinner. They didn’t make it this year, but we were able to meet up with Calvin Elder and his friends and meet some new folks that welcomed us along the way!
A good part of the show is spent talking, finding out what’s going on in everyone’s lives, and checking in. That is what it is all about.
Farm layout and model contest
Besides seeing friends and family this is my favorite part of the show. I love to see the creativity that this show, and other toys shows that offer a contest like this brings about.
Many of the young people I have written about over the years that completed farm layouts have actually started businesses from their hobby. This year at St. Louis, there were a few first-time visitors competing for the first time, and one individual that had returned after decades.
There are farm toy shows that take place all winter long. Some last a few days like the Gateway show, and others are just a one-day event. However long the show is, it is a different event from any other that I attend. Toys for kids, toys for adults, and works of art that belong up on a shelf. Whatever the take is, it is a unique hobby that comes out of agricultural preservation. A way to keep farming memories alive, be creative, and elevate farming from generation to generation.
