Oktoberfest & Marching Bands Saturday, Oct. 3rd

It's time again for the annual Oktoberfest downtown. Sorry, I have to use the same picture from last year's blog. My computer died this summer, taking random unsaved photos with it. I wanted to show the wiener dog races that were so much fun. SO, you just need to come downtown and see for yourselves. The day begins with the marching band contest starting at 10 a.m. After the parade you can uhmpah till the cows come home, eat brats and, check out the races. We don't have any special activity at the store, but we do have a new shipment of dress-up in time for halloween. We are steadily stocking up for Christmas at this point even though you don't want to think about it yet. Come down and join the fun this weekend...the weather should be back to beautiful by then.

Car Show Saturday, Sept. 26th

This Saturday come down to Main Street for the annual Car Show. The weather is cooler, the cars are the coolest and the stores are open. Shop, dine, play and enjoy downtown at it's best. Several blocks of Main Street will be closed for this event until 4pm, but there is plenty of parking in the parking garage (free on weekends and after 4pm on weekdays). We just got in the new Carrera Go! set from the movie "Cars" in. The Go sets are 1:43 scale and great for kids ages 8+. Come in and see our selection.

Last Farmer's Market

This Thursday at Farmer's Market we will feature Calico Critters, one of our most popular lines. These little animals are just too cute for words. You have to come in and play with them. I found out today that our Critter display area was chosen as second best in the whole country by the company. Our sales rep took a picture in our store last time he was in town as part of a contest I didn't even know about. So.... a pat on the back for our little store out here in western Colorado. The last Farmer's Market is always bittersweet; Thursday is a really long day for us, but also a good one. We love seeing our "regulars" and I hope you keep coming. We are starting to buy for that holiday coming up in December and I will be highlighting new products as we come into the next season. Thanks for a good summer.

Holiday Weekend

We will be open both Sunday and Monday (Labor Day) from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. This blogger is going on a river trip, so I have to do the weekly update now. Thursday for Farmer's Market we will have a free take home activity, since we will be a little short handed. Please do stop by, shop, and take home an "eco house" courtesy of Plan Toys to make out of recycled cardboard. This project is recycled from earth day in April :)

Have a "Groovy" Farmer's Market

This week we invite you down to meet the new groovy girls dolls. Not all the new ones are here yet; they are coming in as available. We will have some groovy coloring pages and some groovy give-aways for our groovy customers. If you are not familiar with groovy girls, they are wonderful soft dolls that the kids really play with. They have clothing and furniture and a horse and little pets - all cute and fun.
We have carried them since they were first introduced - way before they were so popular. Some of the dolls come with an on-line code so you can go to their website and play games and download songs. Put on your grooviest outfit and come down to Farmer's Market this Thursday evening.

Giant Games & Puzzles

This week for Farmer's Market we will showcase our Giant sized demos for the Rush Hour Puzzle (our best selling brain teaser ever) and a brand new game called "Chickyboom" from Blue / Orange games. Chickyboom is for the younger set, but still lots of fun for all ages. It's a balancing game of fun and strategy. Rush Hour is for ages 8+, however some of the easier puzzles can be done by younger kids and I had a teacher tell me that she uses it as a "following directions" activity. The solutions to the puzzles are on the back side of the puzzle card and she would read the steps and have the child follow the directions.
We have plenty of brainteasers and games & puzzles for all ages. We have played most of them and have samples to play with customers if you have questions. In this economy, a game is a great investment. You can play it many times and it is a great way to interact with your kids and friends. Whether you like strategy or just a fun party game, talk to us, we ARE the Toy Guys!

Velvet Art on Thursday, Aug 20

The Klutz guys do it best. This book is full of fun pictures to color and includes bright markers to fill in the space between the velvet. Stop by this Thursday during Farmer's Market and color your own picture or bookmark while supplies last. This craft is pretty much foolproof because you can't really color outside the lines (thick velvet). Everyone's work of art will be picture perfect. Take a break from "back to school" and have some fun downtown!