Area man’s work mainstay at toy show

Richard Morgan, a Delavan resident and 1994 Elkhorn Area High School graduate, shows his toy trucks for the 25th consecutive year at the Whitewater FFA Alumni Toy Show. The show on Feb. 25 was the 26th year the annual event took place. Morgan, a truck driver, makes the toy trucks from die-casting or from scratch with plastic and old farm machinery parts at his home. (Ryan Spoehr photo)

By Ryan Spoehr
SLN STAFF

The Whitewater FFA Alumni toy show has been a fixture in the community for a quarter of a century. And Richard Morgan has remained a constant through almost the entire duration, displaying his custom-made toy trucks.

The Delavan resident was a 1994 graduate of Elkhorn Area High School. He started showing his trucks during his senior year of high school at the Whitewater FFA Alumni event, which was the second time the show took place. He hasn’t missed an edition of the show since.

“The Whitewater show, to me, is the best in the state. I really like coming to it,” Morgan said. “It’s kind of my home show. It’s the display; it’s the turnout.”

Morgan’s display was one of 19 in the showing area. The show also featured booths with tractors for sale.

Morgan started custom-making the toys shortly before his first appearance at the toy show.

“It has just grown from there,” Morgan said. “It just keeps evolving and evolving and evolving.”

Morgan, who travels across the country as a truck driver, displayed 68 trucks on Feb. 25. He has almost 450 toy trucks total.

“When I see something out on the road that’s really cool and I like, I’ll try to get pictures of it. I get home and I build that piece to make it as realistic as the real one.”

For more about Morgan and his passion for making toys, pick up the March 1 edition of the Whitewater Register or Delavan Enterprise.

Comments are closed.