KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a small woodshop near Happy Rock Park in Kansas City, Missouri, four men gathered Tuesday morning as they do each week of the year.
Their goal is to create as many wooden toys as their hands can whittle.
"When we are not here, we are working at home," John Hiatt said. "That’s probably part of the reasons we have the numbers we do."
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The Knights of Columbus toy makers created more than 1,300 for the 2023 holiday season.
Each was crafted by hand by one of the four toy makers: John Hiatt, Aaron Walden, Pete Wilkinson and Charles Schroder.
"As we have room in the shop somebody, decides they want to retire and next thing you know, somebody comes along as says, 'I want to make toys,'" Hiatt said.
Schroder said he talked to Hiatt at church one Sunday and found himself in the shop shortly after.
Their backgrounds are as diverse as the toys that line the shelves. Hiatt is the only person with a former career as a craftsman; Walden was in the Air Force, while Wilkinson worked as an air traffic controller; and Schroder spent his days as a counselor before he turned to toys.
"I am a doer. I’ve always built things, but nothing like this, so it’s been fun," Wilkinson said. "I definitely enjoy the people here, plus I am learning something. If you stop learning, it’s time to quit."
The Knights tinkered with toys since before the four friends joined the crew. The shop’s shelves are a landing place for toys of past years and ideas for the future.
“People had all kinds of wild ideas of what to make and they’d try them out," Hiatt said. “A lot of the older ones, I have no idea how many they made or how they went over, but they are fun to look at.”
The toy makers don’t make it a habit to be present when kids are receiving their creations, but they know the impact of a toy with connections to the past.
“I think it’s very needed just because it is something that brings in the past and is something people can enjoy because you don’t see much of this anymore,” Schroder said.
As the self-proclaimed old man of the group at 92, Walden said there’s something to their weekly routine.
“I enjoy being here with these young lads,” he said. “Makes me feel younger.”
The Knights are already constructing toys for next season.
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