By Dave Tallon, Tallon Custom Collectables
As
if good food and spending time with family weren’t enough reasons to
look forward to Thanksgiving, Central Illinois farm toy collectors have
one more. It is over that holiday weekend that for the past thirteen
years the Central Illinois Farm Toy Show, formerly known as the
Crossroads Farm Toy Show, has been held. In addition to the
previously mentioned name change, this year also marked a change in
location. Throughout the show’s history, it had always been held
in Normal, IL. This year, the show’s organizers, Lee and Phyllis
Sorbel, moved the show to Peoria, IL. Lee worked with the Peoria
Convention and Visitors Bureau to find a facility that was well suited
to a toy show. The hotel that he chose offered more space and a
location close to the mall for those wanting to take advantage of the
after Thanksgiving sales. 
Understandably,
many involved with the show were nervous about the change in venue.
To further complicate matters, the hotel had changed ownership after
most of the advertising had already been printed. This confused
many showgoers that were looking for the Holiday Inn, which was in the
middle of being converted into a Ramada. Despite these challenges,
attendance was reported to be up significantly from last year.
Visitors were able to browse the wares of over 90 vendors from 11
states. Vendors occupied nearly 200 tables in the large conference
rooms and atrium, and around 50 individual hotel rooms. Many of the
hotel rooms featured access to both the hallway, and the atrium, which
made it easier for collectors to walk from room to room. 
While
certainly not as large as the National or St. Louis toy shows, the
Central Illinois show did offer most of the latest farm toy offerings,
and quite a few vintage items as well. There were also several
vendors with some nice custom trucks and tractors in various scales.
Most of the vendors at the show were smaller, part-time sellers or
collectors, although National Show regulars like Dave Beasley, Dale
Ackerman, Danny Gottman, Midwest Replicas and Toy Farmer were there as
well. The fact that Peoria is home to a large contingent of
Caterpillar and Komatsu employees seemed to be reflected in a larger
number of construction items than in years past. This year's show
also featured the addition of a farm layout on display. With the first year of the show at a new location now under their belt, Lee and Phyllis are already looking forward to next year. Several additional vendors have already expressed interest in being part of the show. The dates for next year’s show will be Friday through Sunday, November 25, 26 and 27.
 Christopher Burnett had several nice custom pullers and detailed tractors for sale. |
 Clarence Catton's impressive selection of custom 1/64 trucks. |
 Collectors looking to add a 1/16 scale Cockshutt to their collections had a nice variety to choose from. |
 A pair of young collectors admiring the farm display. |
