Carbondale to celebrate railroad history and America’s 250th anniversary with CarbonRail event
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
CARBONDALE, Ill., (KBSI) — The City of Carbondale, the Historic Preservation Commission and The Varsity Center will host a special event later this month celebrating the city’s railroad history and America’s 250th anniversary.
“CarbonRail: Celebrating Carbondale’s Role in American History” will take place June 27 and commemorate the arrival of the first train in Carbondale on July 4, 1854.
The event will begin at 3 p.m. at the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station, known as SIMMS, with a city proclamation and a musical performance by cellist Bill Cernota. The proclamation and performance are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Activities will then move to The Varsity Center, where attendees can enjoy silent train films, live music, educational presentations and the world premiere of “Full Steam Ahead,” a new play depicting the arrival of the first train in Carbondale.
The evening will feature screenings of the classic films “The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat,” “The Great Train Robbery” and “The General.” Admission to the film screenings will be five cents per person in recognition of the nickelodeon theaters where such films were originally shown.
Local musician Max Senteney will perform a clawhammer banjo set, while members of the Southern Illinois Community Contra Dance group will present a discussion and demonstration highlighting the history of barn dances.
Organizers said the event will also celebrate the 86th anniversary of The Varsity Center, which opened June 27, 1940, with a screening of “Our Town.”
Programming will conclude with Tom Kremmer’s Stand Up Mic Fight Comedy Competition Show at 7 p.m.
Officials said the event is part of local efforts to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and highlight Carbondale’s role in the nation’s transportation history.
