4 November 2010

Time Travel by Train:
Railroad Museum Hosts USO Event

East Strasburg Pennsylvania USA - Down in Strasburg this weekend, they're going to jump and jive like it's 1945.
 
At least, that's the plan at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, where the museum's eighth annual swing dance will have couples swinging and swaying to those heavy brass sounds, all among the heavy iron and steel of vintage trains.
 
"People will see a lot of trains," says Deborah Reddig, the museum's director of advancement.
 
"The main dance floor is out in the center of the hall," she says. "The tables, chairs, and refreshments are back on the platforms."
 
The Saturday event runs from 7 to 10 p.m. in the museum's Rolling Stock Hall.
 
The dance dovetails with the museum's popular Trains & Troops event, which runs from 9 to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
 
"Part of the reason for the Trains & Troops event is to recognize the role railroads played, both overseas and on the home front, in wartime," Reddig explains.
 
"That includes taking care of the troops, like the USO," she says. "We were looking for something similar to a USO canteen. It's very reminiscent to the sort of thing you'd have seen in the 1940s."
 
The 18-piece Sound of Roses big band will provide the music, both swing and sentimental, Reddig says, while couples show their moves out in the museum's main hall.
 
You can go, she adds, but you don't have to dance unless you want to.
 
"It's up to the participants," she says. "Some people come and say they don't dance, or they're not a good dancer, they just want to watch, they just want to listen to the music.
 
"Some come just to dance the slow dances. Others come who dance all night. We get some professionals. We get people who just like to dance."
 
Era-appropriate clothing is encouraged, but not required, Reddig adds.
 
"People come dressed in 1940s clothes. Some people come in military uniforms," she says.
 
"Some people just come in everyday clothes, but every year we see more people getting into the swing of things... and dressing in some really incredible costumes."
 
The dancers, which typically number between 100 and 150 people, range in age from their late teens to their 80s, she says.
 
"I don't think anybody feels out of place, whether they're in '40s outfits or dressed for today," Reddig says.
 
Light refreshments will be served, although Reddig notes it's a nonalcoholic event.
 
Trains & Troops, now in its 11th year, features "a lot of military and homefront displays," she says.
 
The two-day event recognizes the role railroads played in times of war from the Civil War forward to today.
 
The weekend also includes a night photo shoot this evening for railroad fans and camera buffs alike.
 
Historically garbed people will interact among "key pieces of railroad equipment" for a little night-time photography, Reddig says. The shoot begins at 7 p.m.
 
Admission to the museum during the Trains & Troops event is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $8 for children 3-11. Costumed re-enactors also will be aboard the Strasburg Railroad this weekend to entertain and educate passengers.
 
Tickets for the dance are $25 per person, $20 for museum members and active and veteran U.S. military personnel.
 
Tickets for the night shoot cost $20, $15 for members.
 
Discounted combination tickets are available. Proceeds benefit education, preservation, and interpretive programs at the museum.
 
For more information, call 687-8628 or visit www.rrMuseumPa.org.
 
Swing Dance
 
Satuday 7-10 p.m. $25, ($20 for military)
$35 combo with Trains and Troops
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Route 741 Strasburg
687-8628
 
Tom Knapp.

Back