Antique & Toy Show set for this weekend

January weather has arrived in full force but there’s nothing like a little nostalgia to help you forget the bonenumbing temperatures. The annual Lethbridge Antique & Toy Show and Sale returns just in time to rekindle warm memories and bring out the child inside of us, taking place Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Italian Canadian Club, 1511 St. Edward Blvd. N.

Featuring farm toys, construction toys, trucking toys, antique toys, along with assorted displays and collectables, the event is open to all ages. Admission is $4 (12 and under free), with proceeds going to charity.

This year, in an effort to reduce facility costs, the event is returning to its roots by going back to the basics on which the show was founded two decades ago. The move from Exhibition Park to the smaller venue of the Italian Canadian Club has necessitated a scaling back of the show to focus on the “toys” aspect of the event.

“Twenty years ago we started out as a toy show,” says one of the longtime organizers, Brian Mitchell, who has been involved for 19 years. “Pretty soon we got antiques and it grew out of proportion. We’re trying to go back to the basics of the way we started.”

The show sprang from humble beginnings in Coaldale and eventually moved into the more spacious confines of Exhibition Park, where it grew to attract more than 2,000 visitors over the two days.

While the smaller venue means a return to the show’s original focus on toys, there will still be antiques on display as well, Mitchell notes.

The event is run by volunteers and proceeds, after expenses, go to benefit local charities. In the past, organizers have donated to causes such as STARS air ambulance, the Salvation Army Kids’ Camp, Harbour House and local food banks. Organizers decide after the event’s conclusion which charities to assist with the proceeds.

The show always produces fun for all ages, including adults who enjoy the nostalgia of seeing toys and other items that bring back fond memories of years gone by.

For more details, email lethtoyshow@gmail.com or visit Facebook at Lethbridge Antique & Toy Show and Sale.