My oldest child is a typical boy, and much like his dad he loves anything that goes. They both have a particular fondness for trains. We have spent many days traveling all over the area for train exhibits and events, visiting museums and of course to see the ever popular Thomas the Train. Did you know that one of the best train displays is right here in Lake County and it’s free?
The second Saturday of every month (except November) the North Central O-Gaugers Model Train Club takes over most of the second floor of the Fremont Library (Mundelein) with a large train display and model train run. The three track display encircles the large open space and depicts city, country and working freight yards. Run by train enthusiasts and friends of the library the display will delight young and old alike.
Members of the train club are on hand and available to answer questions and talk to young enthusiasts about the trains. There are even stations where the kids can interact with the trains and the surrounding set. This is one of their favorite activities and my kids are more than willing to wait their turn to place the boom from the water tower down to fill up a steam engine or to lower the gates at a railroad crossing. There are also model cars, a drive in movie theater, and as the four year old remarked “real steam”.
There is more to do at Fremont then just take in the impressive model train exhibit. If your family covers multiple ages, like ours does, you can keep the younger kids entertained by enjoying some free wooden train play in the children’s department. Every month during the O-Gaugers train run the library has free wooden train play in the Youth Service Program Room from 1-4:30pm. Kids of all ages, can build their own wooden layouts and take Thomas, Percy, and Friends for a spin around the track. Let them build and play to their hearts content and leave the clean-up and storage of all those bridges and tracks to someone else!
In addition to the their monthly runs at the Fremont Library the O-Gaugers also do special layouts and runs at other libraries as well as at Milwaukee's Trainfest. This spring they are teaming up with the Circus Model Builders of Southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois for two special circus train runs. These runs will not only include circus trains and circus models but other fictional characters such as Thomas and Harry Potter. You can see a full schedule of all the North Central O-Gaugers Runs at their website: http://www.ncogtrains.com/Calendar.htm
Special Circus Carnival Runs:
Saturday & Sunday March 24-25
Fremont Public Library, 1170 N. Midlothian Rd, Mundelein
www.fremontlibrary.org (847)566-8702
10am-4:30 pm Saturday, 1pm-4:30 pm Sunday
Saturday April 28
Wauconda Area Public Library, 801 N Main St., Wauconda
www.wauclib.org (847)526-6225
9am-4pm
Monthly Public Train Runs
Second Saturday of the Month every month except November
Fremont Public Library, 1170 N. Midlothian Rd, Mundelein
www.fremontlibrary.org (847)566-8702
10am-4pm, wooden train play in the Children’s Department 1-4pm
No comments:
Post a Comment