Medina FFA expects to make toy show a new annual event
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Les Segrist of Waterloo unpacks part of his collection of farm toys at the toy show Saturday morning sponsored by Medina FFA in honor of Medina farmer, the late Lee Roberts.
MEDINA – The first toy show sponsored by Medina FFA on Saturday morning will most likely become an annual event, according to FFA adviser Todd Eick.
The show at Medina High School was held in honor of lifelong Medina farmer, the late Lee Roberts, who was an avid collector of farm toys.
The day began with a pancake breakfast, during which Eick presented Ginny Roberts with number one in a set of 50 collectible Steiger Panther 111 PTA-310 tractors. The remaining 49 will be sold, Eick said. He plans to obtain a set every five years and then auction them off.
“All the money will go to benefit FFA,” Eick said.
Todd Eick, adviser of Medina’s FFA, presents Ginny Roberts of Medina with number one in a series of 50 toy Steiger Panther 111 PTA-310 tractors during a pancake breakfast Saturday at Medina High School. The remaining 49 will be sold to benefit FFA projects. Roberts’ late husband Lee was a collector of farm toys.
He said the kids will decide what is needed most for the miniature farm the FFA maintains on the southwest side of the high school property.
In the high school gymnasium, nearly a dozen vendors were set up with their massive collections of farm toys.
Les Segrist of Waterloo has been collecting toys since 1985.
“I got started after seeing a friend customize a piece of equipment, and the bug bit me,” he said.
John Seifert of Lyndonville started collecting farm toys about 10 years ago, after retiring as a farmer. His favorites are four-wheel drives, and he said his collection fills his basement and den. He attends four toy shows a year, including those in Brockport, Pavilion and Geneseo.
Nick Adams of Medina goes all over to toy shows. He has been collecting for the last 15 years and his collection includes race cars and semi-trucks. Two of his favorites are a 1965 and 1969 Mustang convertible.
William Nice of Medina got started collecting toys in 1979 because of a joke.
“I had a 50-acre farm across from the fairgrounds, but I didn’t have any equipment,” Nice said. “I had to borrow from other farmers, and I started telling everybody it would nice if I had some equipment of my own. So for Christmas that year, everyone gave me toy tractors.”
His collection includes John Deere, International, Allis-Chalmers and Massey Ferguson. A favorite of his is a Farmall Super M.TA tractor.
Nice owns a construction business, and spends six months in Florida and six months in Medina. He transports his collection back and forth and attends a four-day event in Florida which features 240 acres of vendors.
Donna Wolfe is one of the few women vendors. Her collection includes railroad cars, miniature buildings, army tanks and airplanes. She has been collecting for 10 years.
Saturday’s event also spilled over into the high school parking lot, where several vendors from the weekly farm market were set up. A display of antique vehicles included Farmall and John Deere tractors, a Jeep and fire truck.
The toy show was the result of a lot of work and planning by Eick, the FFA students and FFA alumni, including Cliff Barber, who one vendor said was instrumental in lining up vendors for the show.
William Nice of Medina was one of the vendor’s at Medina FFA’s first toy show Saturday. Nice holds a Farmall Super M.TA, his favorite toy in the collection.
