Mid-West Tool Collectors Association

MID-WEST TOOL COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION AUXILIARY

Ladies – while your men are busy looking at, talking about or buying tools, we offer an opportunity for you to enjoy yourself, learn new things and meet fun people.  All women are automatically members of the M-WTCA Auxiliary and we hope you will participate.

At the national meetings we are fortunate to be able to see interesting and educational displays that women create showcasing their collections or other items of interest.  Each meeting has a theme and the ladies use creativity and ingenuity in their exhibits.  The displays are judged and prizes awarded.  It is an opportunity to view fabulous and interesting collections – and learn something new.

Our opening event at national meetings is usually a New Member Welcome with Show and Tell.  Members bring items they collect or craft or anything they might want to share about themselves.  Some ladies do not want to do a display but are delighted to share one or more items in a casual setting.  We have been fortunate to see and hear about many fascinating items and have an opportunity to get to know our members better. 

We also have a book club and try to read a variety of books.  This group continues to grow in size.  Discussions are always interesting and thought provoking.  The book for the Spring 2008 meeting is “A Place Called Trinity” by Delia Parr. Journey to Trinity Pennsylvania, 1833, and discover a town filled with People who will live in your heart and memory forever.  Meet Martha Cade, a midwife who comes from a long line of midwives.  She’s a woman on her own, with two grown children, whom she raised alone after the death of her husband.  Her hope is that her daughter will follow in her footsteps and take on the challenging life of a midwife-just like the Cade women have done for generations.  But when Her daughter runs away, Martha’s world is shattered.  And after months of searching Martha returns, heartbroken, to Trinity.  Still determined to do the work she knows God intended for her, Martha finds her faith sorely tested.  Soon she realizes she must draw on that faith to stop a town scandal, mend relationships, heal the women who need her and find her daughter. “A Place Called Trinity” is a novel of laughter, tears, faith and hope.  And when you come home to Trinity, you’ll come home to your own heart.  

Our Fall 2007 meeting was held in Springfield, Missouri.  There were eight very interesting and informative displays. The first evening we had our First Time Attendee Welcome and Show and Tell, and on the second evening we had a wonderful program on Missouri caves given by Matt Forir.  There was a trip through the Ozark Mountains to Bonniebrook, the museum and home for Rose O’Neill, creator of the Kewpie Doll followed by lunch at Hemingways restaurant. 

We hope you enjoy hearing about our activities and we hope you will come to our future meetings.   Our next meeting will be in Erie, Pennsylvania, June 12-14, 2008.  The auxiliary theme for the meeting will be “Fancy Things for Fancy Ladies.”   

Please ask your husband to let you see the M-WTCA publication “The Gristmill.”  There are several pages devoted to the Auxiliary that may be of interest to you.

For more information about the Auxiliary you may contact Jane Giese by email at auxiliary@mwtca.org.