Railway travelers can join the family Claus for a good cause this Sunday.
Finger Lakes Scenic Railway will take passengers on a round trip from the village of Cayuga to Seneca Falls to benefit the Cayuga-Aurelius-Springport Recreation Program. Santa and Mrs. Claus plan to be on-board with the 130 or so riders on two excursions. A mini Santa Claus will join them for good measure.
“I figured we've got two of them, I may as well join them,” said organizer Helen Day, who is getting into the holiday spirit with her husband Jeff and 6-year-old son Jeffrey as the three Clauses Sunday.
The idea to combine the railway with Christmas as a fundraiser came about in the warmer months, when the village was celebrating its 150th anniversary, Day said.
“We've been working to build a relationship with the railway to create some tourism and awareness for the community,” said Day, a village resident and treasurer with the recreation program. “It's a win-win situation for everybody.”
The passenger train enjoyed some success this summer stopping at the village's municipal building, a remodeled depot near the shores of Cayuga Lake in Harris Park. Recreation program fundraisers plan a similar trip in a different season.
“It's a beautiful trip,” Day said. “You see parts you would never see otherwise.
“It's just a nice, fun relax-and-enjoy-the-holiday kind of thing,” she said.
A Cops Care station will operate at the village municipal building to create children identification files while families wait for a 90-minute train ride. Authorities can use the photos and thumb prints to find missing children.
Refreshments will be served along with the live Christmas music as well. Cayuga's Ide Machine Co. is donating treat bags for passengers.
The $10 ticket will help soften costs that the towns and village have traditionally paid for. Finger Lakes Scenic Railway will donate proceeds to the recreation program, which has provided an outlet for 3- to 12-year-olds in the fall, winter and spring for decades.
“There is no cost for any of these programs,” Day said. “It's always been our village and town boards have funded the programs, but you hate to keep asking the taxpayers for more and more money.”
In addition to the sports and activities the program provides from October to April, Day said the organization hopes to add the Cornell Cooperative Extension's “Eat Well, Play Hard” program designed to combine healthy eating habits with fitness.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
If you go
What: Cayuga-Aurelius-Springport Recreation Program Christmas train ride
When: Trains board at 10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Sunday
Where: Village municipal building, 6205 Railroad St., Cayuga
Cost: $10, free for children younger than 3 who sit on an adult's lap
For details: Call Finger Lakes Scenic Railway at 374-4994, or send e-mail to events@fingerlakesscenicrailway.com
“I figured we've got two of them, I may as well join them,” said organizer Helen Day, who is getting into the holiday spirit with her husband Jeff and 6-year-old son Jeffrey as the three Clauses Sunday.
The idea to combine the railway with Christmas as a fundraiser came about in the warmer months, when the village was celebrating its 150th anniversary, Day said.
“We've been working to build a relationship with the railway to create some tourism and awareness for the community,” said Day, a village resident and treasurer with the recreation program. “It's a win-win situation for everybody.”
The passenger train enjoyed some success this summer stopping at the village's municipal building, a remodeled depot near the shores of Cayuga Lake in Harris Park. Recreation program fundraisers plan a similar trip in a different season.
“It's a beautiful trip,” Day said. “You see parts you would never see otherwise.
“It's just a nice, fun relax-and-enjoy-the-holiday kind of thing,” she said.
A Cops Care station will operate at the village municipal building to create children identification files while families wait for a 90-minute train ride. Authorities can use the photos and thumb prints to find missing children.
Refreshments will be served along with the live Christmas music as well. Cayuga's Ide Machine Co. is donating treat bags for passengers.
The $10 ticket will help soften costs that the towns and village have traditionally paid for. Finger Lakes Scenic Railway will donate proceeds to the recreation program, which has provided an outlet for 3- to 12-year-olds in the fall, winter and spring for decades.
“There is no cost for any of these programs,” Day said. “It's always been our village and town boards have funded the programs, but you hate to keep asking the taxpayers for more and more money.”
In addition to the sports and activities the program provides from October to April, Day said the organization hopes to add the Cornell Cooperative Extension's “Eat Well, Play Hard” program designed to combine healthy eating habits with fitness.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
If you go
What: Cayuga-Aurelius-Springport Recreation Program Christmas train ride
When: Trains board at 10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Sunday
Where: Village municipal building, 6205 Railroad St., Cayuga
Cost: $10, free for children younger than 3 who sit on an adult's lap
For details: Call Finger Lakes Scenic Railway at 374-4994, or send e-mail to events@fingerlakesscenicrailway.com
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