As children entered the room, their eyes would grow as big as saucers as they took in the toys, stacked higher than they stood. It was a dreamland for kids, with cool toys they didn’t have at home.

The Jasper Toy Lending Library has been gone for five years, but the toys remain – stashed away in the basement of the old fire hall. 

Sandy Bowler said the need for a toy library is still out there, and it’s time for the toys to come out of their storage room and be used by Jasper’s children once again.

Bowler’s children all grew up using the library. She is hoping that a new generation of parents will be willing to step up and take over the executive, which is made up of herself, Wendy Niven and Sue Catto. 

“We have toys. We’re looking for people to take ownership of it,” Bowler said. 

The library used to run out of a local church, but as the church grew the room was needed for Sunday School. The toy lending library was forced to move. Once they found a new location, the interest from both families and the executive began to die down, and the toys were eventually placed in storage. The executive disbanded in 2005 after the library’s 25 years in Jasper. 

Bowler said the library was a great resource for families, who already have busy homes packed with items for their children.

“Who needs to have five million toys in the house, when you can just [clean] them and bring them back?” she said. 

Memberships were inexpensive, and parents using the toys were asked to put in three shifts a year at the library. If payment was not possible, Bowler said they would usually figure out a way to offset the cost with more shifts. 

“If people couldn’t pay it, there was always ways,” she said. “We made it very affordable.”

Many of the toys in the library were large ones parents wouldn’t want to have kicking around their homes permanently. Doll houses, tents and other cool toys were purchased with grants they sometimes received. Families were allowed up to three toys per week. 

Bowler said the former executive decided they needed to ask the community what to do with the remaining toys, rather than disband and sell off the toys permanently after the five-year hiatus.

“We felt as an executive, it wasn’t up to us,” Bowler said. “The toys belong to the community.”

The Toy Lending Library also has a bank account that needs to be dealt with. Bowler is unsure whether there are currently any funds remaining in the account, but said it’s possible there may be a few dollars that could be used to upgrade the library should it re-start. 

While Bowler is not interested in running the toy library, if a new group takes over, she is more than willing to act as a reference should new executive members need assistance. A binder with all the existing toys in the library, check-out cards and more is still around to assist a new executive board.

For more information on Jasper’s Toy Lending Library, and to get involved, contact Bowler at rsbowler@telusplanet.net, or call 780-852-3296.