CLARKSVILLE, Ind. — Dale Brown is a farm toy show promoter. He and some friends from his old job manage three shows every year: one is at the Lanesville, Ind., Heritage Weekend Celebration, one is an FFA-sponsored event in Taylorsville, Ky., but their longest-running show has been at a convention center in Clarksville, Ind., since 1986.

Clarksville is across the Ohio River from Louisville. Visitors, however, travel from further away than Indiana and Kentucky, to reminisce and to maybe find a toy model of their favorite tractor from yesteryear at the Kentuckiana Farm Toy Show.

The event has been in multiple meeting rooms of the Holiday Inn Lakeview ever since Brown organized the first one. This year is the 24th consecutive show and it will occur Jan. 13-14.

Larry Tharp and his wife grew corn in Franklin, Ind., from 1961 until 2005 when he sold out his business. He rents the farm now and just buys, sells and collects toys.

The couple have been traveling to 20 shows a year in Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.

Tharp began selling farm toys at shows 30 years ago. He knew nothing about farm toys until then. “I saw a toy tractor in Greenfield, Indiana, at an Oliver tractor dealership and bought it,” said the old farmer. “It got in my blood.”

Within a year he was selling and trading toys at shows as far away as Iowa and Pennsylvania.

“There were few shows then,” he said, “but today there are so many you could go every weekend.”

Brown, who also farms in New Washington, Ind., said his friend Tharp has been a vendor at the Clarksville show since the beginning and for 13 years, has also been a vendor at the Taylorsville show.

Brown first went to a toy show at Lafayette, Ind., in 1986 after being talked into it by a neighbor. That was when toy collecting got into his blood. Soon, he and buddies from the Ford plant in Louisville where he worked decided to organize a toy meet of their own.

Tharp said the way to make money at these shows is to go every weekend; however, he is happy to meet his expenses and make only a few dollars. He believes now that the best part of a toy show is meeting people and talking to new friends.

“You meet a lot of farmers,” he said, “and farmers are the backbone of the toy shows. Farmers try to go back and buy the toys that they had on their farms.”

Tharp said the weeks before Christmas is the best time to sell. People at that time are hunting gifts for the kids and wives buy models and other items for their husbands.

“I am getting too old,” Tharp said. “It is not real easy work setting up, then tearing down, and loading them back up when you are done. My wife goes with me. If it wasn’t for her, it wouldn’t be fun.

“She always helped me farm, and if she ever stops going, I will quit the business.” (However, he added that he might still collect some, then.)