CHESTER – On Saturday, May 16, the 24th anniversary Chester On Track marks the 25th year since the railroad station in Chester was saved by being moved across the tracks. WTTT FM, 104.7 FM, will be broadcasting live. Stop by the booth on Main St. to say ‘Hi’ to Brian, Tim and Tammy for giveaways during the day.
The Chester Postmaster, Bill Baltronis, will be on hand at the railroad station to personally cancel the commemorative envelopes and historic stamps with the special postal cancellation.
Civil War blacksmith demos, hand-hewn woodworking demo, and early Irish railroad re-enactors from Storrowton Village, will be on the north lawn of the station. A train show will be in the station, and a craft fair, face painting and ‘one-lung’ steam & gas engine demos will be along Main Street and on the lawn of the Chester Inn.
Classic cars from Model ‘T’s to the newest Corvettes will line up on Maple Street, where kids can visit the bounce house, get surrey rides from “Maggie Saw Horse” and be entertained by Nicole the Railroad Clown, formerly of Ringling Bros. Circus. Also at the Inn will be live music throughout the day by the group, ‘Just Us’.
The railroad station will host music by the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers and an open jam session by a number of local musicians during the afternoon. The Pioneer Valley Live Steamers will display their large scale operating steam and diesel locomotives and a selection of rolling stock on the station’s south lawn.
The Hamilton Memorial Library will hold their annual Book and Bake Sale on the lawn, and the Library’s Chester Mineral Collection will be open for tours with John Marge from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Chester Historical Commission will be on hand at the Old Jail for tours from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Cornerstone Church will be open for lunch, A&L Market will be open all day, and the Foundation’s own Blue Caboose will open at 8 a.m. for breakfast and have a hearty railroad man’s menu throughout the day, where you can eat ‘hobo style’ in an antique wooden boxcar.
A number of 1920s-era freight cars, including wooden caboose and ‘Children’s Boxcar’ will be open to the public. The Fire Dept. will hold their annual Duck Race on the Westfield River at 3 p.m.
Hike to the first American cluster of stone arch railroad bridges on the first Mass. Wild & Scenic River, the Westfield. Tour a working granite quarry and archeological stone works, enjoy historic displays and more. Free but donations are accepted. Partially funded through a grant by the Chester Cultural Council, a local agency, through Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. www.ChesterRailwayStation.net (413) 354-7878 or P O Box 743, Chester, MA 01011-0743.
