Central Railroad Festival is this weekend

Special Edition in the week’s Courier

CLICK TO READ THE RAILROAD FESTIVAL EDITION

Welcome to the 10th annual Central Railroad Festival! We’re glad to have you and your family with us and hope that you will have a wonderful, fun-filled day. If you’ve been to the Railroad Festival before, we appreciate your continued attendance and support. If this is your first time with us, you’ve got a lot to see, do & enjoy: great food, craft vendors, and a wide variety of free entertainment and attractions. Best of all, WE HAVE TRAINS!

This insert is your guide to everything you and your family need for an unforgettable day of fun. We’ve included maps, schedules and information about the day’s exciting activities. You’ll also see details about our sponsors, who have once again helped us present this festival free of change.

The festival begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m., featuring Main Stage entertainment, food, music and more than 25 arts and crafts vendors offering a variety of handmade items. The kids are in for loads of fun with award-winning clogging on the Kids Stage, inflatables, tractor train rides, games, a balloon artist, make & take crafts, model trains, martial arts demonstrations, the Buffalo Barfield Show and much more!

This year we’re proud to present Main Stage live music by Jack Roper & The Weathermen, who will play from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Stay and enjoy The Flying Saucers from 5:15 p.m to 7:30 p.m., as part of the Greater Clemson Music Festival.

The town of Central was named as a result of its historic link to the railroad. Located at the exact half-way point on the main line between Charlotte and Atlanta, Central was the name given to this booming 1873 railroad town. As the railroad company invested in Central’s maintenance activities, the town grew and prospered. When the railroad company eventually moved away, the textile industry moved in and the railroad remained an important factor in the town’s development. To this day, the railroad still runs through the heart of downtown. With a variety of restaurants, shops, businesses, and the unique Railway Museum, the town of Central has plenty of reasons to celebrate and toot its own horn.

The annual “Keep it Movin’” 5K run kicks off Saturday morning before the festival begins. “Keep it Movin’” benefits Central Elementary School’s Walk-Run program, which encourages students to walk or run daily on the school track, before classes begin. Last school year, more than 250 students were actively involved in the program. The race will start at 9:00 a.m. For details about the 5K Race, contact Amy Bodie at amybodie@pickens.k12.sc.us, or call (864) 397-1400.

TRAINS, TRAINS, TRAINS! Model trains, toy trains, real caboose tours, train craft activities — so much to enjoy; courtesy of the Central Railway Museum and the Central Railway Model and Historical Association.

If you want a break from the crowds, take the free Clemson Area Transit shuttle bus to Collins Ole Town, a 1920’s era village recreation. The shuttles run about every fifteen minutes, so you can tour Collins Ole Town and then catch the next shuttle back to the festival. Collins Ole Town, the Central History Museum and the Central Railway Museum will all be open for tours free of charge during the festival.

If you need directions, information, or medical assistance, please stop by the information tent and EMS station near the railroad crossing at Bank Street. From all of us on the Festival Committee, the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Central, the Central Area Business Council and the Central Railway Model and Historical Association, THANK YOU for joining us. We hope you have a delightful time and make plans to join us every year on the fourth Saturday in April. ALL ABOARD!