Next operating day / request pictures / maybe a kickoff?

June 2, 2013 is the next operating day at NHVRR. There was some mention made of taking advantage of this date for an official kickoff for the Project 110 fund raiser....invited dignitaries, etc. I have not heard anything more since it was mentioned so I have no idea whether or not it is still in the works. I'll see if we can get any specific photos or information anybody might want for the purposes of this discussion if such requests are posted on this thread.

It goes without saying that anyof you who are in the Raleigh area are welcome.

Dave

And we have confirmation..........if i only wasn't scheduled to be at work that day.

Dave

All North Carolina Railway Museum members and their guests are invited to participate as we celebrate the return of the Cliffside Railroad #110 steam locomotive to North Carolina. Over the past several months, volunteers have been hard at work cosmetically restoring the 110 to her appearance at the Cliffside Railway.



The celebration will occur during our regular ride day, June 2nd at 2:00PM. Our 1:30PM train has been cancelled so all volunteers can participate. We’ll have special guests from the town of Cliffside as well as local leaders. The steam whistle from the old Cliffside mill will be present, and if it is found steam worthy, will be blown on #17 as a part of the celebration.



Thank you all for being members, I hope to see you in Bonsal soon.



Mike MacLean

NCRM President

To all our members:



June 2nd is a Milestone Date for our railroad as we celebrate the "Homecoming of the Cliffside 110" and its restoration.

> It is also a few days shy of the anniversary of original founding of our railroad in the early 1900s by Mr. Bonsal.



Pursuant to that, as Mike said in his email, we have cancelled the 1:30 train and in that timeslot we will be holding our dedication ceremony, which only a few days ago, was still on the "drawing board".



We have extended invitations to a lot of VIPs. Who are those VIPs?

-- We have invited the officials of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, The Stone Mountain Park folks who donated the engine to us, the state and local politicians of both NC and GA who helped make this happen, Cones Mills folks, and the Cliffside Railroad folks who actually ran the steam engine, plus many of our friends from other organizations, like the NC Transportation Museum, Virginia Museum of Transportation, Heart of Cary organization and even a radio station personality. It is quite a who's who list and I hope to put out a list later this week.



In addition, we are encouraging the folks getting off the 12:15 train ride (at about 1:20) to stay for the program and also encouraging folks to come early for the 2:45 train in order to take in the program. It is important that we have a big crowd for the VIPs -- and the media -- to see, as this event is also a stepping stone for other important milestones.



Yes, we have also invited the media to cover this event. We do expect to see ourselves on the TV news later that night and that we will get newsprint coverage at least from the outlets that printed the articles some months back when the engine first arrived. Publicity like this is as important, maybe even more so than advertising.



Here's what's happening in a nutshell:

(1) The official program will begin at 2 PM, but prior to that we will be showing dignitaries and VIPs around our property and equipment. We will be showing them what we have accomplished and acquaint them with our agenda of other projects like the rest room, the shop, the saw mill, equipment restorations, etc. They need to see and hear that we are a vibrant organization on the way up.

(2) Mike will kick off the 20-30 minute formal program at 2 PM. (We have extended the offer to several folks to say a few words and are awaiting confirmation.) The program will end with the traditional invocation and breaking of the "champagne" bottle (we will be using sparkling grape juice) on the engine and a measured Whistle from the Cliffside Whistle being brought in (if it works).

(3) We will then shuttle our VIP guests into car 201 for the 2:45 train ride. We do expect the VIPs to hang around a bit afterward to talk and to do photo ops. In fact, we will be actively encouraging it.



In between all of this, of course, are two full pages of line item details that have to be nailed down, from setting up the canopies, setting out food and drinks, the set-up of the VIP parking in the lot, escorting each VIP, right down to picking up the glass and trash when the event is over.



We can use your help right from the start of the day doing set-up and to finish that day helping take down, but what is most important is for you, and a spouse, friend or guest, to come out to the railroad between 1 PM and 3 PM to show your support and even more importantly to be ambassadors of the railroad.



When John Tredway sends out his crew call in the next few days, take a few minutes to think about the importance of this event to the railroad, and let him know you will be out there. Come for the day, or come for the program.



Dave Chasco

Chairman, Marketing Committee

Trainmaster, NHVRy