 December 15 marks the 5th Anniversary of the Downeaster. Come celebrate with us!
There will be special events on Friday the 15th of December to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Downeaster Inaugural trip. The locomotive and the cabbage car will be wired for sound and the train will arrive and depart with its own Military Band Organ music playing at each station. America's Favorite Train deserves a brass band - with trumpets, drums and cymbals - but Maine Decembers are unkind to live bands - hence the recorded band music.
Let's all get together for a big turnout for the press conference and cake cutting and the Toys for Tots program. The press event will begin when train #681 arrives at 11:35AM.
Some 150 children will be arriving on the train with Santa There will be a celebratory cake cutting, comments will be made by various officials and the cake (and the children) will be put on train #684 departing at 12:50PM. for the return trip to Boston. What a great chance to enjoy some refreshments and meet and greet some of our volunteer train hosts and NNEPRA staff as well as Trainriders Northeast board members and friends.
We are most appreciative of help from the following folks for this event:
 Management and Staff of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, Hannaford Market, Forest Ave. for the train decorated sheet cakes - one for Portland and one for Boston,
Global Events and Headlight Audio for the electronic equipment
Peter Boehm, President of OurFairCarousel in St. Paul, Minnesota for providing the recordings from their famous restored Wurlitzer 153 Military Band Organ.
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