Alberton Railroad Day celebrates town's history
G. Wiz dazzled kids with the magic of science during Railroad Day in Alberton on July 21.
The Alberton Railroad Day parade began at 11 a.m. on July 21 as horses, floats and vehicles traveled down Railroad Avenue.
Kids lined Railroad Avenue in Alberton waiting for candy to be thrown as the parade went through town on Saturday as part of Alberton Railroad Day.
The Railroad Day parade had several floats, vehicles and even cheerleaders to celebrate the history and town of Alberton.
Jessie Vaillancourt plays the part of a chicken with her wagon full of chicks for the Alberton Feed Store float during the Railroad Day Parade.
Sportman Bar held a “shootout” during Railroad Day, narrated by Matt Sibert (left), with Mayor Jimmy played by the bar’s owner, John Zunski (middle) and his trusty steed, Stewie.
The cast of the Sportsman Bar “shootout” performed a dark parody of the popular TV show “The Bachelorette.”
Every third Saturday of July since 1985 the town of Alberton has hosted Railroad Day. A day which celebrates the railroad history of town and this year’s festival did not disappoint. With near perfect weather hovering in the 80’s, crowds of people started the day with a pancake breakfast, followed by a parade, an old fashioned shootout at the Sportsman’s Bar, kid activities, music and more.
The parade, with its horses, floats, cheerleaders, fire trucks and even Smokey the Bear followed the tradition of starting on the west end of town and heads east on Railroad Avenue. It then turns around and goes through town again. But the ride back through started a little too soon and the beginning of the parade got caught up with the tail-end of it causing some minor confusion on the east end.
After the parade, the Sportsman Bar held an old fashioned shootout with characters like Loretta ‘High Cheeks’ Hoolihan; Honey Bucket Hank; Mayor Jimmy and his trusted steed, Stewie; with narration by Matt Sibert. The show, which parodied a dark version of The Bachelorette, was in two parts with the beginning at noon and the conclusion at 4 p.m.
There were kid activities, including a great show by well-known G. Wiz who dazzled the audience with the magic of science. The day also hosted a car show, several vendors and lots of music. The Old Time Fiddlers, Louie Bond, Bankshot and DJ Jacob’s Ladder, as well as an 80’s Dance Party took place at area bars and at the Community Center.
There was also a search for The Golden Spike, this year honored in the memory of Fran Rogers who recently passed away and use to run the Alberton Town Museum. The spike holds a prize winning of $100 but was not found. It was hidden near the display train in front of the Senior/Community Center. The prize money will be added to the Golden Spike contest next year.
The initial purpose of Alberton Railroad Day was to raise money for the volunteer Fire Department. Since then, the annual event has been a town celebration and in 2017 the Alberton Railroad Foundation Committee wanted to continue the event as a town celebration but also hopes to raise enough money to help with community improvement projects.
More photos on Page A4