The Festival of Trains in Traverse City brings people young and old to experience what’s become an iconic Northern Michigan Christmas event.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re 50, 60, 70 years-old, everyone reverts back to when they were age 7. The little kids enjoy it the most which brings joy to my heart,” Says Steve DuBiel who is a proud member of the Northern Michigan Railroad Club.
The Northern Michigan Railroad Club makes sure this tradition lives on every year, taking this once affordable hobby that has turned expensive and giving people the opportunity to see these works of art up close.
DuBiel says, “If you bring your children, your nephews, your nieces – as soon as the walk in they have smiles on their faces – their eyes are big and bright.”
This production doesn’t happen overnight. The volunteers at this event are working tirelessly around the clock for many days.
“It takes one solid week. We start on a Saturday and the set-up takes about 8 hours each day,” says DuBiel.
The process starts with the unloading of their layouts and trains.
DuBiel says, “then the electricians go to work which is a counting process throughout the show and the modules have the buildings and windmills and operating buttons for the children have to make sure they’re working properly.”
The children are the focus of the event so the Northern Michigan Railroad Club makes sure they are engaged and entertained.
“Our displays are working engines and trains and we have a lot of modules like buildings that light up and uh the children can take part in making the modules work like pushing buttons that are designated,” says DuBiel.
The event runs from this Saturday December 15th through the 31st at Admission is $5 dollars and children under the age of 4 are free!
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