The 34th Annual Toy Soldier Show is Saturday, Nov. 15

Heads up! The latest intelligence indicates that tiny armies are scheduled to invade Columbia on Saturday. They will establish a beachhead at S.C. Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum. There’s nothing we can do to stop them, so the best strategy is just to go to that location and welcome them.

The South Carolina Military Miniature Society’s 34th Annual Toy Soldier Show starts on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m., and runs until 3 p.m.

As usual, admission is free. This is the Relic Room’s fourth year hosting the SCMMS event. Most of the displays and activities will be upstairs in the Congaree Room, but entrance will be through the atrium downstairs.

And what will the intrepid visitor find? There will, of course, be a certain number of little green guys made of plastic and wearing WWII-era uniforms. But there will be so much more, including figures of all colors representing a multitude of historical periods, plus models, dioramas, action figures, war games, and military art.

It’s not just about warfare and fantasy, although there will be plenty of those. If past years are any indication, you will also see figures and dioramas featuring farms, zoos, villages, cowboys, native Americans, parks, and sci-fi and fantasy.

And it’s not just about looking. There will be a multitude of vendors selling much of the above, so you can produce your own recreations in the future. They will be offering toy soldiers and civilian figures, vehicles, model buildings, action figures, fantasy and sci-fi figures, paints and hobby items, and some old toys you will remember fondly from when you were a kid.

You will also encounter living history re-enactors as well, dressed in authentic uniforms and costumes and able to answer your questions, unlike their smaller plastic counterparts.

The South Carolina Military Miniature Society’s purpose is to promote, showcase and expand the toy soldier and miniature figure hobby through mentorship, shows, exhibitions, dioramas and fellowship.

The SCMMS has branches in Columbia and Charleston and meets monthly in restaurants and members’ homes. Anyone interested in joining SCMMS can obtain details and contact information at the show. Members will be happy to talk with you about the society’s hobby and club activities.

About the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum

Founded in 1896, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is an accredited museum focusing on South Carolina’s distinguished martial tradition through the Revolutionary War, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, the War on Terror, and other American conflicts. It serves as the state’s military history museum by collecting, preserving, and exhibiting South Carolina’s military heritage from the colonial era to the present, and by providing superior educational experiences and programming. It recently opened a major new exhibit, “A War With No Front Lines: South Carolina and the Vietnam War, 1965-1973.” The museum is located at 301 Gervais St. in Columbia, sharing the Columbia Mills building with the State Museum. For more information, go to https://crr.sc.gov/.