The Historic RailPark & Train Museum will host a celebratory Christmas event at the L&N Depot, where we will “Light Up the Depot” for Christmas for the very first time! November 30th, the RailPark invites the community to join in on a festive evening with hot chocolate, wintery treats, a light show by Bowling Green’s first responders, a live choir, and more as we all come together to witness the Depot building and vintage railcars light up for Christmas. This event will be free to the public but limited to the maximum RailPark capacity, so guests should register for their “tickets” in advance. Registration ensures attendance as well as guarantees parking availability either on-site or in the parking structure with the Trolley shuttle service. The event will begin at 4pm on Thursday afternoon, where guests are free to observe the Christmas celebrations as we pay homage to the restoration efforts put into the Historic RailPark & Train Museum over the course of the past 30 years.
Why “Light Up the Depot?”
Not only are we celebrating the first year of lighting the depot for Christmas, but we are also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the L&N Depot restoration! 30 years ago, Operation PRIDE purchased the L&N Depot for $105,000 to save it from demolition. Not only does this anniversary mark the date the Bowling Green community came together to light the depot, but it also marks 30 years of tedious restoration efforts. Friends of the RailPark have seen “behind the scenes” of what the Historic RailPark & Train Museum provides to the public, where thousands of dollars and countless hours are poured into the vintage railcars and L&N Depot building’s restoration and preservation. This year’s fundraising campaign, “Light Up the Depot,” has been inspired by the decades of maintenance, repairs, and protection the RailPark and its supporters have put into it. The “Why?” behind “Light Up the Depot” goes back to the very date it began.
One of the first goals of the RailPark after being saved from demolition was to repair the electrical systems to physically light up the depot. The L&N Depot during the early 1990s was nearing its centennial birthday, but ultimately lacking in functionality. The restoration process began with a ceremony to commence the beginning of the restoration. From that point on, eight vintage railcars rich with history have been brought to the RailPark where years of work have been put into repairing and restoring what were once hardly recognizable trains to a beacon of education open to those visiting Bowling Green. As for the Depot itself, many projects have gone into restoring the building brought up in 1925 after the Confederacy burnt down the depot in its place. Extensive labor and funds have gone into every aspect of the RailPark, whether it is hunting for a rare, old-fashioned light fixture for the Railway Postal Office car or repainting weathered-down paint jobs. Because of this effort and dedication to restoration and preservation, we want to celebrate and “Light Up the Depot” just as the Bowling Green community did at the beginning of this process in 1993.
The inaugural “Light Up the Depot” on December 9, 1993 only had one mishap: the Christmas lights failed to come on! That is why for 2023, we will not only physically light the depot, but light the building and vintage railcars for the FIRST TIME! November 30th will be the first time the Historic RailPark & Train Museum will be twinkling with Christmas cheer… all because of the support from Friends and supporters of the RailPark towards this endeavor! The decorations planned will put the L&N Depot on the map for tourists and locals alike as kids and their parents pile into the family car to take in the lights of Bowling Green through the Christmas season. And what’s more, we will have carols of a choir, food, hot chocolate, the Lil’ Toot train ride, light shows, and MORE all to celebrate the restoration progress we are so proud of and the Christmas Season.
How is This All Possible?
When one thinks of “turning the lights on,” to them it is as easy as flipping a switch. At the RailPark, however, all attainable time, money, and hard work is put into every function of the building, museum, and railcars. Some of the projects the “Light Up the Depot” campaign will also go towards during 2023 are: restoring the lamp posts, continuing preservation and maintenance of the building, coating each railcar in a UV sealant to protect the paint and car, and replacing the flooring in the WWII Army Hospital car and the 109 Segregated Passenger car. These projects are just the beginning of the RailPark’s plans to further preserve the building and railcars to serve the community as an educational facility and as a Bowling Green Landmark.
So, to answer “How is this all possible?” the only answer is from our sponsors, donors, and volunteers. Behind every moment at the Historic RailPark & Train Museum, there was the generosity of Friends of the RailPark, who were willing and able to make the dreams of the RailPark come true! We are incredibly grateful to our volunteers, sponsors, and donors who have contributed to the thirty years of progression, so we also are celebrating them as well when we Light Up the Depot: THANK YOU!
To become a Friend of the RailPark, please help contribute to the “Light Up the Depot” campaign at https://app.donorview.com/1WlNx. Every dollar contributes to Lighting the Depot for Christmas, restoration, and going forward with preservation! Railcar, Lantern Club, Family Luminary, Spark, and Burning Flame sponsors will all be invited to pick up their commemorative Lantern Christmas ornament on November 30th, and you can pick up one as well when you donate today!
Join us as We “Light Up the Depot!”
-submitted by the Historic RailPark & Train Museum
