Organizers of the annual Chatham-Kent Toy Show and Sale expect another record-breaking event.
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Last year’s show, back after a two-year COVID-19 pandemic hiatus, drew more than 2,000 people and 190 tables, both records.
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The 21st show is set for the John D. Bradley Convention Center Jan. 21 from 10 am to 3 pm Vendors already have spoken for more than 190 tables and there is still time and space for more to come on board.
“We get new vendors every year from new places with a variety of different toys,” said Rob Sterling, who organizes the show with his parents, Carl and Julie Sterling.
“I think they hear we’ve got a good show going on here and a beautiful venue to have it in,” Carl Sterling said of the Bradley Center. “People love it.”
The spacious convention center could accommodate 250 tables, he added.
Rob Sterling said it is great to see the event growing.
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“Last year, we didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
Before COVID, the show typically attracted 1,400 to 1,500 people, pre-COVID.
Rob Sterling said last year’s surge in attendance “showed us that people are certainly interested in the hobby.”
“Everybody has something they want to collect,” he said. “For some people, it’s a model of a track or a car, and for others, it’s an action figure.”
The show will feature a wide variety of collectibles including farm toys, trains, sports cards, trucks, construction vehicles, model shops, planes, cars, action figures, dolls, books and coins.
There will also be displays and hands-on activities from many organizations, including Chatham and Essex model railroad clubs, CK 4-H Toy Club, Essex Steam and Gas Engine Museum, CK Cyber Pack Teams Robotics and the Chatham Aeronauts, with its radio- controlled aircraft and boats and a flight simulator.
“It’s a good family event and people can come out all afternoon,” Carl Sterling said.
They have been asked to expand the show beyond a single day, but the family says it is already a lot of work. “We enjoy doing it, but it’s not something we’re looking to expand.”
“We do this for charity,” with proceeds going to the Chatham-Kent 4-H Farm Toy Club and Chatham Outreach for Hunger.
Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for students and free for children six and under.
For more information, email [email protected] or call 519-352-8365.
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