Cool People We Meet Along the Way - Charles & Barb Burkholder
Charlie and Barb’s love affair with the Metropolitan started with Charlie and his Dad. Charlie had noticed the black and white coupe near Marion, Ohio on several occasions when he was in the area on business. Knowing his Dad always expressed an interest in having one, he stopped to check it out and learned it belonged to a woman who brought it from California to take a job in Columbus, Ohio. Charlie gave his Dad the contact information. He called, and they agreed on the price. Charlie and his Dad took a trailer to pick up the Met and then helped his Dad do some minor work to it. Charlie says he can still see his Dad driving the Met up the driveway to see how he was doing on the farm. After his father died, Charlie purchased the Met from his Dad’s estate.
A favorite Met memory is driving their Mets around the track at Mcihigan International Speedway on 4 separate occasions. 3 times in conjunction with the Onsted Car Show (1700 - 2000 cars on display) and 1 time with the Mitten Mets in September of 2003. Barb said it’s interesting to watch female spectators at car shows walking by their T-bird convertible and the black and white Met and going right to the little red beauty Met, and smiling the whole time.
Charlie and Barb farm their property in Onsted. They also own and operate a toy tractor parts supply company, sending toy tractor replacement parts across the globe.
In 1994 Charlie and Barb were inducted into the National Farm Toy Hall of Fame for Charlie’s astonishing collection of over 3000 toy farm implements, approx. 300 pedal tractors and about 30 real tractos; as well as their business supplying the hobby with reproduction decals and parts since 1974.
Barb is a former school bus driver, working primarily with Special Needs passengers. Forced to give this up due to an ankle injury, she collects school busses, with over 300 in her collection. She is now devoted to filling the orders they receive via US Mail, Internet, Fax and Phone. The rest of the time she does a little farm work, especially hay season and try to keep the house picked up and help Charlie when he needs her. (Her words about keeping the house picked up ... not mine!)
Charlie is a part-time farmer, GED Examiner for Lenawee county and owner of a thriving toy tractor supply company
One of my all-time favorite pictures of Barb is of her wearing her red Met Vroomers at the Onsted Show Car Nationals despite the pouring rain we had off and on that day. Elvis admired her pluck too!
It's been my great pleasure getting to know Charlie and Barb. They're warm-hearted, giving people. I'm honored to call them friends.
Barb decided she wanted a Met too, so she wouldn’t feel left out of the fun. In June 2003 she saw an ad in the Met Gazette. She bought the car sight unseen; and was thrilled when it arrived in Michigan.
A favorite Met memory is driving their Mets around the track at Mcihigan International Speedway on 4 separate occasions. 3 times in conjunction with the Onsted Car Show (1700 - 2000 cars on display) and 1 time with the Mitten Mets in September of 2003. Barb said it’s interesting to watch female spectators at car shows walking by their T-bird convertible and the black and white Met and going right to the little red beauty Met, and smiling the whole time.
In 1994 Charlie and Barb were inducted into the National Farm Toy Hall of Fame for Charlie’s astonishing collection of over 3000 toy farm implements, approx. 300 pedal tractors and about 30 real tractos; as well as their business supplying the hobby with reproduction decals and parts since 1974.
Barb is a former school bus driver, working primarily with Special Needs passengers. Forced to give this up due to an ankle injury, she collects school busses, with over 300 in her collection. She is now devoted to filling the orders they receive via US Mail, Internet, Fax and Phone. The rest of the time she does a little farm work, especially hay season and try to keep the house picked up and help Charlie when he needs her. (Her words about keeping the house picked up ... not mine!)
Charlie is a part-time farmer, GED Examiner for Lenawee county and owner of a thriving toy tractor supply company
One of my all-time favorite pictures of Barb is of her wearing her red Met Vroomers at the Onsted Show Car Nationals despite the pouring rain we had off and on that day. Elvis admired her pluck too!
It's been my great pleasure getting to know Charlie and Barb. They're warm-hearted, giving people. I'm honored to call them friends.
While it slows down a bit during peak farming times, it generally keeps Barb busy approx. 10 hours a day. Charlie has co-authored several books on the hobby.
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