By Leah Justice
leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

In the heart of World War I and the year that the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote, Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale opened a small cottage to train young boys and girls to hand craft toys.

In 1915, Vance and Yale, co-founders of Biltmore Estate Industries, left Asheville for Tryon to establish Tryon Toy Makers and Wood Carvers.

Organizations in Tryon are now planning a celebration marking the Tryon Toy Makers 100^th anniversary in 2015.

Tryon Town Council heard from Christine Mariotti, who said Tryon Arts and Crafts, the Tryon Painters & Sculptors and the Tryon Downtown Development Association (TDDA) are working on a celebration scheduled for September 2015.

Mariotti said a committee has been established and the group is looking for support from all nonprofits. The celebration will be a tourist attraction and a fundraiser for the town.

“2015 is the 100^th anniversary of the Tryon Toy Makers and Wood Carvers,” Mariotti told council. “It is befitting such a milestone in our local history and in memory of these inventive and creative artists who settled in the little town of Tryon, N.C., that an event be planned to commemorate their efforts.”

Mariotti said at the time of the event she would like to encourage the galleries and display spaces in Tryon to coordinate exhibits and tie into the wood carvers and toy maker emphasis.

A scavenger hunt is also planned in town, which would encourage young and old visitors to search for reproductions of the toys created years ago, Mariotti said. The replicas would not be exact but copies of the style of the toys.

As a fundraiser for the town and the TDDA, the reproductions could be sold or auctioned to interested collectors. Local artists could be called in to help decorate or paint the various toys that would be set in various places around town, she said.

Mariotti also said in order to encourage searching for the “toys,” Douglas Chamberlain is writing a storybook that describes the early toys and brings the originators, Vance and Yale to life, as they would be the names of the characters in the story.

Mariotti said she is working on funding for the events in areas of publicity, marketing, manufacturing of toy reproductions and hiring assistants.

The committee, which is being formed, will consist of community planners, artists, writers, museum and gallery directors, budget planners and others who wish to see the project go forward, said Mariotti. Interested persons should contact Mariotti at mariottichristine21@gmail.com or 828-859-8392.

Mariotti also said she would like to put focus on the Toy Makers cottage in downtown Tryon which was the original manufacturing location for the toy makers and wood carvers.

The dates for the celebration will be during the month of September 2015, with the weekend of Sept. 25-27 set for major events, such as a toy enlargement auction, guided tours, open houses, etc.

Tryon commissioner George Baker told Mariotti if items will be sold to be aware of any restrictions on items that can be sold.

Mary Prioleau, who owns the trademark for Morris the horse said there should be no issues. Mariotti said she will work to ensure there are no issues.

Tryon Mayor Jim Wright said as the committee sees ways the town can help to please come back. Council appointed commissioner Happy McLeod to be the liaison between the toy maker committee and council.

Chuck Hearon, an original Tryon Toy Maker, is a member of the committee.