33rd Annual Toy Show fills gymnasium at Western Reserve
COLLINS --The Western Reserve Ruritan Club presented its 33rd Annual Toy Show in Western Reserve Elementary with around 500 visitors.
Organizer Rich Ruess said 47 vendors used more than 100 tables on March 3 to display their goods, which filled the gym and overflowed into the cafetorium for the first time. He added vendors come from Michigan and all over Ohio, and many return year after year to display, trade, sell and buy merchandise.
Among the items on display were farm and construction toys, miniature vehicles such as cars and firetrucks, NASCAR toys, sports cards, books and manuals, stuffed toys, license plates and a wide variety of other collectibles.
One veteran vendor said he thinks the show has grown because the table rents are reasonable and the club does a good job of advertising.
Two first-time vendors said their motivation to give it a try was to start downsizing a collection they had for many years.
The Ruritan Club is a community service organization made up of members who present the show each year as both a community event and also to raise money for their service activities.
These include scholarships for Western Reserve students, volunteering for the Salvation Army, assisting Grange activities at the county fair, sponsoring the fair petting zoo, supporting the Hartland Harvest Festival and other events.
Ruess thanked everyone involved in this year’s successful show, including visitors, vendors, the school, door prize donors and anyone else he may have missed.
Ruritan members are always happy to welcome other service-oriented individuals to attend a meeting and see what the club is all about. Meetings are 6:30 p.m., the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Hartland Township Hall.
Club officers are Steve White, president; Jeff Barnes, vice president; Steve Zimmerman, secretary; and Ruess, treasurer. For more information, contact White at 419-6561363 or Zimmerman at 419-744-0796.