The 20th Annual Marx Toy and Train Collectors' Show will take place Friday and Saturday at the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum.
The show began in 1998 and continues to preserve the history of the Louis Marx & Co., a toy factory that operated in Glen Dale during the 20th century. The show will feature collectors from all over the country displaying "whatever Marx toys they bring that are rare and unusual," museum curator Jimmy Schulte said.
The show encourages vendors to bring items that have never been seen before, and event-goers can expect to find toys of rare colors, variations of toys that were never released and even the molds that the plastic toys were made from. Many of the items at the show will be available for purchase.
The Louis Marx toy company was founded in New York in 1919 by Louis Marx and his brother, David. It found early success and continued to grow throughout the 20th century, even expanding during the Great Depression in places such as Pennsylvania and West Virginia. By the 1950s, Marx was the largest toy company in the world.
In addition to its Glen Dale factory, the company opened manufacturing plants in Erie and Girard, both of which are in Pennsylvania. The company closed in 1980 because of years of competition and increasing labor costs in the U.S. Some of its most famous products were its playsets and its toy trains, many of which will be available at the Toy and Train Museum's show.
The event will feature speaker John Twarog, an Ohio resident that specializes in Marx Train products. Patrons also can expect to hear information about individual toys and trains from the 80 different vendors and collectors that will be in attendance.
The ticket price includes the cost of museum entrance. Vendors will be set up throughout the building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For details, contact the Toy and Train Museum at 304-242-8133.