Our Fourth Year Is Another Success

This is the Train Garden's fourth year and it is another great success. The Train Garden received over $4,000 from business and association sponsors. 3,702 persons visited the Train Garden. This figure includes 796 school children from the surrounding schools who saw the Train Garden during the week of December 17 to December 21. About $3500 was colleced at the Train Garden from donations and raffle proceeds. Fourteen volunteers gave 872 hours of their time to make the Train Garden such a success. Thanks to the sponsors, visitors, and volunteers who helped make this year's Train Garden the most successful one in its four year history.

The Train Garden Has Departed

On Sunday, January 13, 2013 the Train Garden was moved to its storage area. With the help of several volunteers and four paid workers the Train Garden left the Fire House and was transported to its storage area without any difficulty. As can be seen by the pictures, the Train Garden is ready to be loaded onto the truck, the volunteers await at the storage area for it to be unloaded, and then all the platforms are covered with tarps to protect them. In about five months the "engineers" will visit the storage area, uncover the Train Garden tarps and begin planning for the 2013 Highlandtown Train Garden.

         

The Breakdown of the Train Garden Has Begun

Over the weekend of January 5 and 6, 2013 the breakdown of the Train Garden has begun. Bernie, Terry, Ted, and Rafi are working feverishly to get the platforms ready to be moved to their storage location on Sunday, January 13, 2013. Trains are being stored, buildings are being placed in their boxes, tracks are being removed, figures are being packaged. The bolts are being removed from the platforms so they can be separated and be ready to be placed in the truck next week.

Dylan Geho Wins the Train Set

Dylan Geho from Pasadena was the winner of the Train Set that was the first place raffle prize at the Train Garden. On Saturday, January 5, 2013 Dylan and his family came to the Train Garden to pick up their prize. Pictured below is Dylan on the left, his brother Evan on the right and their father Ron. When asked what Dylan liked the most about the Train Garden he said the Thomas Train. Congratulations!

Kim Suter from Highlandtown Wins the Panera Bread Raffle

Kim Suter and her son Nathaniel came to the SECDC office on Thursday, January 3, 2013 to pick up the Panera Bread certificate. Her ticket was pulled from the raffle can at the Train Garden on New Year’s Day. The certificate entitles Kim to receive a loaf of Panera Bread every month for a year. This was the Second Prize. The First Prize, the Train Set, was also selected on New Year’s Day and information about that winner appears above.

The Highlandtown Train Garden Is Now Closed

The last day for the Train Garden was Tuesday, January 1, 2013. This year's attendance surpassed last year's. 2881 persons visited the Train Garden as well as 796 school children. This brings our total attendance to 3677. There were many suggestions as to how to make the garden even better and the thinking over of these suggestions as well as any others will begin in a few months. Hope you were able to visit the Train Garden this year. Thanks to all of the volunteers who made the train garden possible.