really able to plan and spend months preparing for a near perfect event. As always, all of our key members wear many hats. To pull off an event like this we all must do more than run the trains. Each of us pulled from our varied areas of professional skills. Bill and Ilene Doran managed the Thomas Store, John Cannizzaro managed the “ Imagination Station” ( think thousands of kids a day), Gary Shea handled the merchandise and ordering, Les Coleman handled the money, Bobby Charkowski ran the computer and Point of Sale network, Bob Wyatt ran, literally, miles and miles of wires, Bill Lammers constructed the hay bale maze, and as usual, Gary Matthews was put to work building an amusement park while simultaneously putting together coaches and the steam locomotive. What's amazing is how many people came together to make this happen. The cooperation from the mayor and council was superb, better than any town we have ever dealt with. We have made so many friends in Phillipsburg, especially Helene Meisner, who is our conduit to the local charities. Last year we were able to donate back $7,000 dollars to charities in the town. Just about every civic organization helped! What consists of over 140 volunteers per day, 2 large circus tents, 8 smaller tents, video viewing tent, live musicians, a full onsite food court with two locations, miles of wires, 15 portable toilets, a Thomas and friends department store, a fire department, rescue squad, a forty foot inflatable pumpkin, model train layouts, a hay bale maze, Sir Toppem Hat, story telling, coloring books, spin art, two live steam trains, our police department, the gem stone mine, a $100,000 line of credit, and a petting zoo? Well, that would be the “ A Day Out With Thomas”. Last year was the first year we ran this event, and I am happy to say, it went off without a hitch! The event took place the first two weekends of July, and even Mother Nature cooperated with beautiful weather! The event may have taken place in July, but planning started over two years earlier. We have a long history of taking on projects that push our limits. I think if we aren't out there defying the odds, we just aren't happy! We have always run large trips such as the Susquehanna excursions to Bairds Farm and most notably Dunellen Railroad days on NJT. That is perhaps where the idea for the Thomas event was sparked in my head. During Dunellen Railroad Days, we operated a real live carnival complete with rides, food and games. It was a precursor of things to come! With our new beautiful permanent home on the Belvidere & Delaware River Railroad, we were Over 4,000 people a day attended the event. In this picture both the #142 steam train to the mine and the Thomas train are in the station. 5 Well 2010 is here, and we are getting ready for “A Day Out With Thomas 2010, A Celebration Tour”. Planning, advertising, cleaning, repairing and everything it takes to make this happen has been going on for over 6 months already. I am sure this year will be an even bigger success. Please come out and give a hand, you won’t be sorry, the experience is extremely rewarding. On the following pages I have compiled a collage of the 2009 Thomas event. These pictures only capture a very small amount of what actually went into and took place during the event. Please don't let the children view the pictures on page 10, it could be rather traumatic.
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