In Hebron, the last remaining doll show is proving that this timeless hobby still has a devoted following.
The Triple Crown Doll Club allows people to get together and share their interest in doll collecting.
Deanna Parobeck has been a club member since 2009. While there are many reasons people collect dolls, she loves their history.
“I’m really fascinated how often these dolls have companies that were started by women who had nothing, they had an idea, and they built a thriving company,” Parobeck said. “I’m talking back in the 1920s and 30s and 40s, I think that’s just wonderful. The Lenci Doll Company from Italy, Madam Alexander, and the Bow Company. These were all started by women that just had an idea.”
She said others collect dolls because they like fashion and making their own clothes or because they have fond childhood memories of dolls.
Triple Crown Doll Club Parliamentarian Becky DeBruler has been with the club since 2011. She said she views doll collecting as a way to connect with others.
“It’s a way for people with like minds to connect, to get together and talk about dolls without other people looking at you like you’re at a third eye,” DeBruler said. “Doll collecting and antique dolls have gotten a bad rap through the movies and such like that. You don’t really hear about them too much because people would look at them strangely, you know?”
DeBruler said if you ask someone why they collect dolls, you might get a different answer every time.
The Triple Crown Doll Club is holding its expo at Hebron Lutheran Church, located at 3140 Limaburg Road. Parobeck said when she first started collecting dolls, there were shows in Lexington and Louisville, but they have since gone away, leaving the Triple Crown Doll Club’s expo the only one left that she’s aware of.
The show is on Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a salesroom setup, a display of dolls and their wardrobes, and a doll dialogue. At the doll dialogue, people will give short talks about different types of dolls that people may want to learn about.
The types of dolls featured at the expo range from 1850s Bisque French and German dolls to today’s vinyl, resin and cloth dolls.
Parobeck said there will be some rare dolls that you don’t see very often, but it depends on what the dealer brings that they want to sell. She said people are coming from places like Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee for the expo.
Triple Crown Doll Club President Sheila Scalf said she has been with the club since it started in 1990. The club donates money it makes to charities like the Salvation Army and Be Concerned in Covington. In addition to donating to charities, the club also takes dolls to nursing homes for their residents.
“I think for a lot of us, it’s neat to see that something that’s lasted this long, especially with the older dolls that someone has taken care of all these years,” Scalf said. “Just finding other people that have an interest that you share.”
Scalf said the club used to have 55 members and a waiting list but that number has decreased over the years and even more so after the COVID-19 pandemic. Those interested in joining the club can email Scalf at sheilascalf@yahoo.com.
