r “All Aboard!” the train-themed exhibit perfect for families and people of all ages, is on display now until September 21 at the Springville Museum of Art.
The opening reception took place on March 6 to a standing-room-only crowd. The exhibit contains artwork of all shapes and sizes featuring anything to do with locomotives, bullet trains, tracks, steam engines, conductors, train stations, and more. It is interspersed withrvinyl letting of phrases such as “I’ve been working on the railroad” and “Trains, Trains, Trains.”
Photo ops abounded at the reception, with a cardboard cutout of a “train station” being arfavorite spot. The reception also provided a reading corner containing books about trains, armusical chairs game, an interactive wall display, snacks and drinks, and a mapped mat and table on which children played with little wooden trains. Attendees also made a papercraft of a conductor hat.
After completing the activities at each station, the children brought their punched boardingrpasses back to the entry table, where they received a wooden train whistle as a prize.rThis delightful exhibit is in collaboration with Spike 150, a statewide movement that willrcommemorate the completion of America’s first transcontinental railroad at the May 10th Golden Spike Sesquicentennial Celebration and Festival. This event will take place over therweekend of May 10 at Promontory Summit.
Three thousand people are expected to attend the Kickoff Event and 50,000 are expected to attend the weekend celebration, which will feature theatrical productions, music, exhibits, and fireworks shows. There will be a choir of 150 5th, 6th, and 7th graders from all over the state.
The movement has involved each region of Utah and will capture the essence of the impact a transcontinental railroad has had on our economy and how we conduct our lives. According to the Spike 150 website: “The construction of the railroad changed our way of life, connected people, and demonstrated that great things can happen with vision, hard work, and collaboration.”
Visit spike180.org to learn more.
