LYNDORA — The Butler Area Toy Show will make its return Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Butler Vagabond Hall.

“It’s a wide collection of nostalgic items for sale,” organizer Rob Craig said. “It’s video games, comic books and toys from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s up to today.”

Last summer, the organization hosted its first show at the Vagabond Hall, with over 600 people in attendance. For many visitors, it was their first time attending a toy show.

The group intends to make the sequel even more memorable.

“When you walk in you’ll see over 90 tables of vendors of collectibles,” organizer Ken Frederick said.

Vendors have been vetted by the organizers to guarantee a diverse collection of nostalgia.

“Our vendors range from Funko Pop! to vintage to video games,” Craig said. “One of the things you can find at our show that gets missed at a lot of the other shows is girls’ toys: My Little Pony, Barbie, Strawberry Shortcake. Collecting isn’t just a boy’s toy thing.”

While the vendors are guaranteed to satisfy fans of any franchise, the event is more than just its toys.

“Token’s Arcade out of Lyndora will have an actual pinball machine set up for free-play that you can try out,” Craig said. “We’re also having a cosplay contest at 2 p.m.”

Participants in the cosplay contest will have a chance to win up to $100 in cash. All visitors are invited to come in costume, and the contest is open to both adults and children.

“People are really excited about that,” Craig said. “It’s not something we did on the first go around, but we made sure we made space for it this time.”

The event will also feature a special guest.

“His name is Michael Wilson, and his online handle is ‘Knightmage,’” said organizer Greg Ochaba. “He travels the world showing off his cosplay at conventions and raising money for charity.”

Michael “Knightmage” Wilson, a deputy sheriff in Youngstown, Ohio, is an award-winning cosplayer and charitable sponsor. In 2014, he received the Presidential Volunteers Award for his costumed participation in charitable events.

“The stuff he puts together, it looks like it jumped off the page of a comic book,” Craig said. “I’ve seen him as the Joker, Kratos, Santa Claus. He does everything, across every medium.”

Food and drink will be catered by the Vagabond Hall.

“It got rave reviews last time,” Craig said. “We ran out of some of the items because they were so popular.”

The organizers emphasized the importance of bringing cash to the event.

“Vendors who deal in cash can sometimes give added discounts,” Craig explained. “A lot of the vendors do take cards, but you’re always going to get a better deal with cash.”

Tickets for the event are available at the door and, for the first time, online through eventbrite.

“We offered online ticket sales this year, which includes a little higher price to get in an hour before general admission,” Craig said. “We call it the Early Bird Ticket.”

The Early Bird ticket entitles visitors to enter at 10 a.m. These online tickets are limited to the first 500 customers and cost $10. General admission tickets can be purchased at the door for $5 — cash only.

“The early bird gets the worm,” Ochaba said, laughing. “And by worm, we mean ‘the best stuff.’”

The three friends and organizers — Craig, Frederick and Ochaba — hope to spread the spirit of collecting through these events.

“I think right now is a huge time for nostalgia,” said Frederick. “Being able to see what you had when you were a kid but also being able to pass that down.”

The group’s first toy show came together as a celebration of that shared nostalgia. For them, and most collectors, toys are a means of reconnecting with our younger selves.

“There’s as much stuff for people our age as there is for kids,” said Ochaba. “My theory is that with the world being as stressful as it is for adults nowadays, adults may just want to relive a little piece of their childhood as best as they can.”

This show is no exception. As the event grows, they hope that the county’s interest in collecting grows with it.

“It was kind of always shocking to me that, with how much this area has grown in the last 20 years, nothing has embraced that nostalgic aspect of toy collecting here,” said Frederick. “And we know there’s a ton of people in the area that do it.”

The group recently participated in the Spirit of Christmas Parade and a Christmas toy drive to raise awareness.

“We’re doing anything we can do to bring positivity to the area — especially in this climate,” Craig said. “Nostalgia’s positive; toys are positive. It should bring back happy memories, and hopefully we can bring that to others.”