Toys for Tots event at Stotler

The second annual Toys for Tots Holiday Open House will be held at the old Stotler's Crossroads General Store this Sunday, December 2 from 12 to 4 p.m.

Visitors are asked to take a new, unwrapped toy to put under the Christmas tree to benefit Toys for Tots. Refreshments will be served.

The yellow 19th century farmhouse at Stotler's Crossroads has been restored by owners Pat and Steve Unger. The house, general store and social hall will be open for tours on Sunday.

The Toys for Tots event is sponsored by the couple's remodeling businesses – Steve's Painting and Repair and Creative Spaces Interiors, which is owned by Pat Unger.

The property and its buildings are historic locations, Pat Unger said. The old general store used to be a post office and the social hall was once West Branch School, which was moved to the property, she said. The hall was used for voting, worship and social gatherings and the community band played there, Unger said.

Pat Unger said that her family collected Toys for Tots every year at Clark's for many years. She enjoyed meeting the people that brought gifts for the children.

She and her husband decided to start a Toys for Tots open house event last year at the historic Stotler's Crossroads property that they had bought in 2004.

Unger said the Toys for Tots event last year was really fun for them. Many people from the area came by and shared stories of the history of the place with them. One woman that visited the open house last year brought a photo that showed her family standing in front of the old general store, Unger said. The photo was dated around 1900.

Stotler's Crossroads General Store is located 7.8 miles out Winchester Grade Road. If attending the Toys for Tots open house, stop first at the yellow house beside the general store.