Cantigny's Toy Soldier Show aims to educate kids

A Civil War soldier lays on his stomach, aiming his rifle at a small target. A tank sits near a bombed-out building during World War II.

A soldier stands atop a castle in medieval times, looking out for attackers as he defends his king.

This is not a staging of historic battle re-enactments, but scenes depicted by toy soldier collectors and vendors Sunday at Cantigny Park's 10th Annual Toy Soldier Show.

The soldiers can spark interest in history, said collector Paul Herrmann.

"It's really neat to see all of these kids here," he said. "It might encourage them to start reading about these soldiers."

That's what happened to Herrmann. He was given his first miniature figures in 1949. The figurines made him curious about the Civil War as he grew older.

He said he liked the setup of the Wheaton show because it offered a diverse group that could show off the hobby's many aspects.

That was no accident. Event organizer Nick Albanese said this was a goal of the show.

"It's a great cross-section of the hobby," he said. "It shows all aspects and gets the young ones involved in the history behind the figurines."

Albanese owns a miniatures store in Watertown, Wis. Originally from the South Side of Chicago, he returned to the area when he wanted to find a place for the show.

"The amount of young ones getting exposure (to the hobby) is great," he said.

Among the exhibitions were small three- to five-inch metal figurines, U.S. Army men standing about a foot tall, as well as dioramic scenes that offered a stage for tanks and other vehicles some vendors showed off.

Marcus Thorsen has built these scenes for roughly 10 years. He started as a wood carving street merchant but then found his niche in the dioramas, he said.

"It was new and unique," he said of his craft. "It was so different, people fell over to get to them."

As the show wound down and vendors packed up, Albanese said the show was a success. and hoped the children learned from it.

"They have got to give you reason to read more, to investigate more," he said of the toy soldiers. "Hopefully you're getting (children) into not only collecting, but creating them and reading about them; investigating them."