Andy Doboze, 65, of Leipsic, feels like a kid again every time he takes out his giant replica of a Radio Flyer wagon. It sits on the body of a 1986 Ford Ranger pickup, with special grade marine plywood making up the sides.
LEIPSIC – The pumpkin patch is gone now at AD&HD Farm outside of Leipsic, a victim of Covid.
“Like so many places, we had trouble finding help, so we closed the pumpkin patch about five years ago,” said owner Andy Doboze.
If you’re wondering what ever happened to the giant replica of a Radio Flyer wagon that made its home at the farm, worry no more. It’s still operational.
When the weather is warm, Doboze and his wife, Helen, are either driving it to their favorite ice cream parlor or taking it to car shows, where it has received nearly a dozen trophies. Last year, one of his stops was to the Heartbeat of Lima Car Show, sponsored by the Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships.
“I try to take it to a different show each year. It seems like it wins a trophy every other show we go to,” Doboze said.
The wagon certainly catches your eye.
It is 4½ times the scale of the typical child’s wagon. It sits on the body of a 1986 Ford Ranger pickup, with special grade marine plywood making up the sides and floor. It requires a step ladder for a person to get in and out.
“I forgot the ladder once that first year. People were stopping and staring as I shimmied down the vehicle to get out, and then when I had to climb the sides to get back in,” he said.
The reaction he gets when people see the wagon is somewhat surprising.
“The adults really enjoy looking it over. The kids … they take a look and they’re ready to move onto something else.”
An exception to that was the year he took it to the Bluffton Festival of Wheels.
“Helen is a retired home-economics teacher in Bluffton and her former students really got a kick out of seeing her with the wagon,” he said.
Doboze has owned the wagon for about 10 years. He purchased it from Ted Homier, of Glandorf, who built it. Homier drove the wagon to Doboze’s pumpkin patch and was told that if he ever wanted to sell the vehicle, he had a buyer.
The Radio Flyer Wagon company has been around since 1917. Based in Chicago, its literature says the company’s mission is to create smiles and warm memories.
Judging by the adults who stop to look at his wagon, Doboze would say “mission accomplished.”
GET YOUR CAR FEATURED
The Lima News publishes photographs of vintage cars, 20 years or older, free of charge in Real Wheels. It is easy to get your car featured:
• Mail: Real Wheels, Newsroom, The Lima News; 205 W. Market St., Suite #100A; Lima, OH 45801.
• Email: [email protected]
• Include: Photograph of your car; year of car, make and model; how many years you have owned the vehicle; car’s history; best memory of car; your name, address and telephone number (the phone number will not be published).
If you have further questions, contact The Lima News newsroom at 419-222-6397 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
ONLY ON LIMAOHIO.COM
Check out cars we’ve featured and discuss your memories on the Real Wheels page at LimaOhio.com/tag/realwheels.
