Photos courtesy of Westerville Parks and Recreation
For decades, one Westerville family has taken on the responsibility of ensuring the trains run on time.
The model trains, that is.
Among the community’s long list of signature holiday season events is the Snowflake Castle, which this year runs Dec. 3-10 at the Everal Barn and Homestead at Heritage Park. The Westerville Parks and Recreation Department presents the annual tradition, proceeds from which benefit the Westerville Senior Association.
Its highlights include an indoor “Winter Wonderland” scene, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus and a gift shop, and children have the opportunity to work with elves to create and paint their very own wooden toys to take home. This year’s new toy is a reindeer.
As popular as all those things are – and they are – one attraction attendees always flock to is the model train display.
The train is never the same from year to year, always finding some way to evolve. And from day one, that’s all been the doing of the Shively family.
“My mother and father started it with four of their friends” in 1984, says Kirk Shively, one of the current organizers.
Kirk helped out with the coordination of the model train until, eventually, the task was passed down to him by Kay and Ned. That was more than 20 years ago, and ever since, he’s been in charge of assembling and organizing the Yuletide locomotive – though, like his parents before him, he has some helping hands.
Kirk’s wife, Colleen; his daughter, Emily Eblim; and his granddaughter, Logan Eblim, all love to take part in the holiday family affair, he says.
Themes of the model train in past years have ranged from a carnival-type circus train to the popular children’s character Thomas the Tank Engine. Kirk visits area stores every year in search of inspiration for additions or changes to the model train.
Kirk takes pride in bringing the model train to the Snowflake Castle each year, he says, and works hard to make the train better than ever. He delights in seeing the children run over to the train to observe all of the different and new features.
“I had one boy stay for three and a half hours,” he says.
Reservations are required to visit the Snowflake Castle. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased online at www.mkt.com/snowflakecastle starting Nov. 1 and in person at the Westerville Senior Center starting Nov. 2.
Paige Brown is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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