Published: September 27, 2009 08:02 pm      

A Vintage Day

Event features doll collections, basket weaving at the Prairie House

DUNCAN — It’s not often that the activities of a doll collector, a basket weaver and the founder of a restored historic home will overlap.

But Sunday, not only did their activities overlap, but they each highlighted some part of the second annual Vintage Day at the W.T. Foreman Prairie House.

Gail Loafman, founder of the Prairie House Foundation, came up with the idea for Vintage Day as a program last year. It didn’t take Loafman long to realize she wanted to do it again.

“I knew I was going to do it again,” Loafman said.

While last year and this year both featured an antique car display to the east of the Prairie House, Loafman chose to do something more with this year’s program.

“Ever since April, I’ve been working toward it,” she said.

One of the biggest focuses of this year’s event was the introduction of a doll show with dolls belonging to area residents. To help highlight the doll segment of the program, Loafman brought in guest speaker Denise Van Patten, who is somewhat of a doll specialist. Van Patten is the author of the “Official Price Guide for Dolls.”

Van Patten traveled from Chico, Calif., to speak on the subject of dolls and to provide assessment of the values of dolls on display. She talked about the evolution of dolls, starting with those made in France and Germany, prior to World War I.

She talked about the different materials dolls have been made of, including porcelain, cloth, celluloid plastic and the more durable plastic used today.

Loafman said she liked having the doll display for the day because it gave people a chance to show off something they’re proud of, whether the doll was old or unique or just beautiful.

“They can bring things that are their most prized possessions,” Loafman said.

In addition to Van Patten and the dolls set on display for the event, Karen Scott of Duncan was set up to demonstrate basket weaving.

Scott said she’s been basket weaving for 20 years and has been teaching the trade for 19 years.

Loafman said she was happy with how the event went. She said the initial idea for Vintage Day was to find a way to highlight the Prairie House, while relishing in the history the home had to provide for the area.

“I dreamed it up,” Loafman said. “I thought if it’s a vintage house with vintage automobiles, we should have a vintage day.”

She said the primary objective of the event was to bring people to the historic house.

“We just want to get the public to use their Prairie House,” Loafman said.