Nothing says Christmas like a visit with Santa.
Throw in Tucson’s celebrity train — Locomotive 1673, which starred in the movie “Oklahoma”— and you’ve got a holiday experience sure to be remembered.
Creating memories is what the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum hopes to do with its 11th annual Holiday Express event, Saturday, Dec. 19 from noon to 4 p.m.
Families are invited to bring their kids to visit with Santa, have a photo taken with him in front of the train, create crafts and hear readings of “The Polar Express.”
Last year’s event drew about 1,800 people.
“It gets bigger and better every year, thanks to the folks that volunteer and the folks that provide support and contributions,” said Kenneth Karrels, chairman of the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum.
Those who grew up here in the 1960s might remember playing on the same train at Himmel Park, where it stayed until December 2000, when it moved to its permanent resting place next to the railroad downtown, Karrels said.
“Lots of kids played on it at Himmel Park,” Karrels said. “Now they’re bringing their kids or grandkids to play on the same engine they played on. We’re trying to get back those early memories and experiences we had as kids.”
It’s not just for looks, either. Children (and children at heart) are encouraged to get into the cab.
If the kids haven’t written a letter to old Saint Nick yet, it’s not too late. Elves from the Postal History Museum will be on hand to help out with that. Kids can also decorate bookmarks with old Christmas, holiday or train stamps that go back 50 years.
“I was very pleased last year to see kids writing letters containing many sentences. It was impressive,” said Lisa Dembowski, education director of the Postal History Foundation. “We want to encourage kids to practice writing letters and using the postal system, which is a very important life skill.”
Thanks to community support throughout the year, everybody will leave with a small gift — either a candy cane, a coloring book, a bell, or stuffed animal.
Other activities include live music, face painting, and an arts and crafts fair. There will be hot chocolate, too.
An addition this year is “The Holiday Express Transportation Band.”
Don’t forget to check out the model trains, including one that will be running next to the locomotive where Santa will be sitting. The event is free.
Karrels hopes the Holiday Express will be something the kids will remember fondly as they get older.
“I’m from Chicago and as a kid, I remember going to Marshall Field’s and seeing the train and Santa,” Karrels recalled. “New York has the Macy’s Parade, Chicago has Marshall Field’s and Tucson has its Santa Claus at the Depot.”
“It’s our way of keeping traditions alive,” Karrels said.
