Jul 3, 2009 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – It was anything but child’s play at the Greene County Historical Museum June 26-28, as the county’s historical society proudly presented a special miniature dollhouse show to the public. The show featured a number of dollhouses on display as well as a contest in which visitors voted for the dollhouse of their choice. The show also offered a door prize donated by Our Glass Creations. Bernie Fox, administrator for the historical society, said that though the majority of the presenters who displayed their dollhouses were from Greene County, there were a few who traveled from out-of-county and state to display their wares, including one from Ohio, who brought a miniature “Harry Potter” castle.

Dora Barclay of Waynesburg, explained the appeal of the show and why the museum decided to revive the show from its past.

“We wanted to reestablish interest in the dollhouse shows that occurred in the 1980’s,” she said. “These houses are filled with miniatures that interest children and adults. An inch in miniatures equals a foot in real life.”

The term “dollhouse show” gives the public a misconception that the event is for children. However, this is a miniature show that people of all ages can find interesting.

Melanie and Bob Rice of Jefferson brought their goods from their business, Melanie’s Miniatures. Bob Rice explained that they bought a miniature fireplace in Florida and they had nowhere to put it so they built a kitchen.

Bob designs and cuts the wood and Melanie does the rest. Melanie Rice said, “We started making centerpieces and everything miniature. We see it in human size and then scale it down the miniature.”

The Rices were involved with the dollhouse shows at the museum during the 1980’s.

Debbie Wilson, a board member of the Greene County Historical Society, said Sunday that she thought the show was a success.

“I think it went very well since we haven’t had a dollhouse show for a while,” Wilson said. “We had one almost every year in the 1980’s and then interest dropped. We thought we’d give it a try and see what happened.”

Wilson was on a subcommittee with Linda Rush, Gretchen Graham, and Dora Barclay to help arrange the 2009 event.

Mary Ann Stage, a resident of Kirtland, Ohio, came to the show after seeing an advertisement in Small Stuff Digest. Stage started designing miniatures with a five-foot miniature castle in 1999. She finished the project in 2000.

Stage and Judy Schneider came to the event to show their stuff. Stage said, “It’s been tough going to a different state. We normally go to sale shows to sell our stuff instead of shows. But we’ve enjoyed ourselves because we have met a lot of people here.”

Stage brought two of her Harry Potter displays. One project was a staircase scene from the first Harry Potter movie. Stage has four different pieces which she started after the first Harry Potter movie.

“I have never done a (regular) dollhouse because I have no interest,” she said. “The closest thing to a dollhouse that I have made is a front porch. My thing is castles.”

Judy Schneider was a vendor at the event. Schneider said she makes and sells miniature furniture, flower arrangements, and miscellaneous items to help everyone else’s miniaturist projects.

Connie Shaw and Marilyn Sullivan, residents of Amity, won first prize for their house, which is titled “The Cat House.”

“We have a big farmhouse, and one time we bought a dollhouse at a yard sale which was similar to our house,” Shaw explained. “We made it a fantasy house. We filled it with our porcelain cat collection.”

Dora Barclay won second place for the dollhouse she presented. The door prize was won by Miranda Eggars.

As the dollhouse show weekend began to wind down, Fox said there are other upcoming events scheduled to be held at the museum.

A Garden Party is scheduled for July 18. Women will wear hat and gloves. There will be flower arranging and making of hors d’oeuvres. Fox said, “We are hoping to have a variety of entertainment and a fun-filled activity day.”

Corn and wheat are being planted in a field at the museum.

There will be a threshing day scheduled for the last part of July. Also, a corn maze will be made for area children to walk through during the month of October.

For more information about the museum, call 724-627-3204 or visit www.greenecountyhistory. com.