Johnny West Returns to Glen Dale
Crisscrossing North America on a TEN THOUSAND mile journey, a road-weary
vintage Marx Johnny West action figure will make a stop at his birthplace,
in Glen Dale, West Virginia. Johnny will reside at The Official Marx Toy
Museum throughout his visit. Johnny will take in the sites of Marshall
County including a stop at the former Marx factory and visits with the
former Marx employees.
Hosted by The Official Marx Toy Museum in Moundsville, Johnny will be on
display at the museum's 2nd Street location, along with a visual account of
his voyage, which began in Las Vegas, NV, in October 2003. The 'Johnny Hits
the Road' exhibit is part of the museum's 4th Annual Celebration of Marx
Toys during the weekend of June 18th - 20th, in conjunction with the Toy and
Train Museum's 6th Annual Marx Convention to be held in Wheeling.
'Johnny Hits the Road' was initiated by the
CIRCLEXRANCH Group on Yahoo.com,
as a way to create a sense of community and family among members. The
CircleXRanch is an Internet-based forum for collectors of the Marx Johnny
West-type action figure line from the 1960s and 70s! The group exists to
discuss, buy, sell, and trade figures & accessories, and to build a
community with other collectors through the sharing of personal stories and
experiences about these much beloved classic toys.
Suzanne Hackett, one of the group's founders, donated a somewhat deficient
Johnny West to the project (it was noted by one member that he'd never seen
a one-armed, backwards handed cowboy with so much style!). After letting him
loose on the streets of Las Vegas for a few days, Johnny was shipped off to
the group's co-founder, Noah Coop of Marxman Bros. Creations in Fort Scott,
Kansas, for a brief stay at the 'Best of the West Hospital' for needed
repairs. The patched-up plastic adventurer was then off on his trek,
crossing the United States several times, and even venturing north of the
border, to Canada!
Johnny travels light: a small suitcase to haul home souvenirs and a
leather-bound journal. He never arrives empty-handed to his hosts and
hostesses. At each stop, a piece is added to his gear, to hopefully create a
complete set by the end of his travels.
Johnny's adventures have been documented along the way by photo and can be
followed at the group's sister site
www.circlexranch.com.
Johnny arrived at The
Official Marx Toy Museum on Friday, June 18, 2004, just in time for the
annual celebration of Marx weekend. Johnny was able to find his case
and set up camp, just minutes before fellow collectors, reporters, and
visitors of the museum were on the scene to shake hands, ask questions, and
take photos. Johnny was able to share some photos from his journey
along with some of the souvenirs he had collected along the way.
In addition to a weekend
of activities at the Marx museum, Johnny was able to make a visit to the
former Marx factory in Glen Dale to walk the tracks and kick up the dirt at
the old factory. In addition, Johnny took in some of the local
attractions, including the Grave Creek Mound and former West Virginia
Penitentiary, made a trip to Wheeling to visit Wheeling Downs and Gaming
Resort, along with a visit to the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum.
Johnny took plenty of photos along the way and has requested that the museum
share the photos from his visit with our visitors.
Johnny hopes you will
enjoy the photos below, along with some memorable moments and comments he
wanted to share!
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Welcome
Home Johnny West!
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| "Nice to see
a few friendly faces from the Circle X Ranch..." |
Johnny travels with not only his
traditional accessories, but a number of souvenirs from
his journey! |
"So you're
the sheriff in this town"
Johnny meets Francis Turner,
owner of the Marx Toy museum |
Johnny Take
A Tour of the Museum
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Hey, why are
you all up on the
top shelf, and who stapled
you to that board... |
I just want
to take my gun and shoot down them there figures...
Has anyone else thought of that? |
Johnny admires a number of the
Marx playsets from the 50's & 60's |
Johnny Meets
With Tom Heaton
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Johnny meets with Tom Heaton
author of "Marx Action Figures"
www.vintagetoyroom.com |
Tom, would
you like me to
autograph your book? |
Tom shares some info
with Johnny from
his book... |
Johnny
Visits Wheeling
The Capitol Music Hall - WWVA Jamboree
- TJ's Sports Restaurant
www.jamboreeusa.com
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"Now That's
My Kinda Music"
The Capitol Music Hall is the "home"
of
Country Music
and the home
of Jamboree in the Hills |
"Best
Fixin's in Wheeling"
A stop for many museum and
convention visitors,
including
members of the Circle X Ranch! |
Kruger
Street Toy & Train Museum
www.toyandtrain.com
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The Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum
displays an impressive collection of antique toys,
dolls, playthings and other artifacts of childhood from
every generation... |
Johnny meets Alan Miller,
owner and curator of the Toy and Train Museum and host
of the Annual Marx Convention... |
"'King of the
Western Plains',
I like the sound of that..."
Alan Miller shares with Johnny a Marx
prototype on display. |
Wheeling
Island Race Track & Gaming Resort
www.wheelingdowns.com
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I hope the
members of the Circle X won't mind if I gamble off
a couple of my bags of gold..." |
"Papa needs
a
new pair of boots!" |
"What do you
mean
I don't look 21, do you know how old I am?" |
Nailers
Hockey Headquarters
www.wheelingnailers.com
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So Close! |
"You think
you lose teeth in hockey,
try ropin' a 900 lb. steer..." |
"Why are your
heads so big,
and why are they bobbing
so much?" |
Johnny Takes
in Some Local Attractions in Moundsville,
Just A Few Blocks From the Museum
Grave Creek
Mound Museum
http://www.wvculture.org/
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"So this
explains the name...
Moundsville..." |
"Can't We All
Just Get Along!" |
The Former
West Virginia Penitentiary
www.wvpentours.com
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The West Virginia State Penitentiary
WV State Pen from 1866 to 1995 |
"Old
Sparky? Now I Get It..." |
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Howdy
Sheriff,
I thought I might find
these hoodlums here! |
Jesse, no
wonder most people haven't seen you, you've been locked
up since the 60's... |
"Gee Sam,
looks like you
might know more about
Jesses than anyone...haahaa" |
Johnny West
Returns To Glen Dale
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"I guess I'm
not the only
cowboy from Glen Dale,
but where's my sign?" |
Johnny visits the former Marx factory
in Glen Dale, WV, which produced toys throughout five
decades... |
So this is
where
the magic happened! |
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This brings
back memories... |
"Time to
leave my mark..." |
Johnny
Returns to the Museum
For a Glimpse of What Might Have Been...
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I know its
not my cannon,
but can't I shoot it one time! |
Hmmm, so your
don't actually ride the horse, you pull it behind you?
Interesting concept... |
You mean I
almost had
my own playset! |
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That
would have been
a cool traveling case! |
What,
James was going
to have a dagger in his boot! |
So much
information,
so little time... |
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| So that's
how I go together... |
But what
about my legs? |
Johnny Hits
the Road with a Fond Farewell!
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| Ahhhhhh! |
Happy
Trails... |
I'm plum
tuckered out... |
Visit
www.circlexranch.com to learn more...
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