“I hope this event brings in light to our wonderful town and our community. We are all very excited about bringing “The Polar Express” to Shelby,” said President of the Shelby Area Business Group (SABG) Carolyn Clarke.
“The Polar Express” will be making its way to Shelby on Sunday, Nov. 24 as part of Shelby’s “A Night of Christmas Magic.” Ashland Railway and the Shelby Area Business Group (SABG) are sponsors of the event.
“The partnership with Ashland Railway developed through contact with economic development. Mayor Marilyn John, Bridget McDaniel with Richland County Development Group, and myself rode a high rail from Plymouth to the Ashland County line,” said Community and Economic Development Coordinator Christina Thompson.
“Last year, MedCentral was involved with presenting MedCentral Shelby Hospital Guild’s Festival of Lights, and Connie Roub and Heather Pohlabel handled a scavenger hunt. The city wanted to make changes to the event and met with MedCentral and the Shelby Area Business Group. Initially the idea was to just have “The Polar Express” video playing. I had no idea that we would be able to actually have a train at the event,” said Thompson.
Clarke added that the SABG wanted to do something special with Christmas. “Christina invited me to a meeting about the event, and I just threw the idea around for the train to come to Shelby. I thought we should at least give it a try and see if we could make this work. We negotiated with Ashland Railway to bring this to life,” said Clarke.
Thompson revealed that this event has grown into much more than was expected. “We started going over ideas and we realized this could actually be done. Ashland Railway has taken this on and is very excited to be involved. Employees of Ashland Railway will be participating in the event, as well, and will be reading “The Polar Express.” They have gone above and beyond and really wrapped their arms around this,” said Thompson.
Senior Director of Marketing and Sales with Ashland Railway Steve Nielsen added how excited Ashland Railway is to be a part of the project. “Everyone at Ashland Railway was very excited when we were asked to participate in this event. We are looking forward to being a key contributor and feel it is a great way for our company to become involved in an event that will benefit the local communities,” said Nielsen.
This will be the first time that Ashland Railway has participated in an event like this. “We feel that having Ashland Railway associated with this event will educate the community about where we operate and the customers we serve on a daily basis. Of course it will be great to see the excitement on the faces of children as The Polar Express pulls into the station. This is when all the hard work pays off,” said Nielsen.
Ashland Railway serves communities in Richland County. “We serve the communities of Mansfield, Shelby, and Plymouth in Richland County. The service we provide to our customers changes throughout the year based on the fluctuations in their business. We strive to offer exceptional service to assist our customers in growing their business. Customers in Richland County include AK Steel, R.S. Hanline, Onion Boy, Central Ohio Warehouse, Next Generation, Edge Plastics, Milliron Recycling, Sabin Robins, and OmniSource,” said Nielsen.
Nielsen added that “The Polar Express” will be include a locomotive, a boxcar, and a caboose. “The Polar Express” will also be decorated and painted. The artist of the paintings is Ed McLean.
Clarke added that each child at the event will receive a book. “We will have Polar Express activity books available for every child. We want to promote reading and this will allow parents to have a good time with their kids,” said Clarke. Clarke will be dressed as Mrs. Claus at the event.
“A Night of Christmas Magic” includes the MedCentral Shelby Guild’s Festival of Lights at Central Park, 4 p.m.; Christmas Carol Sing-A-Long at Central Park, 5 p.m.; children’s activities at local businesses in downtown Shelby, 5-8 p.m.; “Central Park Lights Up the Night” at Central Park, 5:15 p.m.; Welcome The Polar Express at Ashland Railway Train Depot, 5:30 p.m.; Reading of “The Polar Express” at Central Park, 5:45 p.m. and Santa Procession at Central Park, 6:20 p.m.
Note: See the side story regarding road closures and parking during the event. Click on the event flyer above to see more of the event description and click on the “Choose Richland for the Holidays” logo to see other area events for the holidays.
“Of course it will be great to see the excitement on the faces of children as The Polar Express pulls into the station. This is when all the hard work pays off,” said Ashland Railway’s Steve Nielsen.
