1,338 Hop Aboard the Halloween Express at Stolley Park

Grand Island, Neb. — A banner year is in the books for the Stolley Park Railroad’s annual “Halloween Express.”

From Friday, October 11 through Saturday, October 12, the railroad punched the ticket of 1,338 passengers for the Halloween-time classic, setting a new post-pandemic record.

“We have our families that are here who show up all summer long, but we have a lot of families that come out here who are new the train,” Recreation Superintendent Jeremy Bachmann said. “This event is one we mark on our calendar every year. It’s a family-fun event.”

The train operated from 6-9 p.m. on Friday and 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, but it was far from the only attraction for families that attended. Volunteers from Grand Island Senior High’s Student Council and Key Club also helped run mini games to the north of the track including a ring toss, bag toss and a spin-the-wheel game.

Children were encouraged to dress in their Halloween costumes just a few weeks before the big day to get in the spirit of the holiday. Local restaurants Papa John’s and Runza also donated food to help feed the volunteers over the two-day event, which also acted as an awareness tool for a new campaign to revitalize the Stolley Park Railroad infield and grounds.

“The ‘All Aboard Campaign’ is doing a great job in their effort to get this area revitalized,” Bachmann said. “Hopefully the families out here seeing this, seeing the ‘All Aboard’ will really want to invest more in this area.”

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