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SCRANTON — Families are invited to board the round-trip Heritage Explorer Train at Steamtown National Historic Site Saturday, Aug. 18 and travel in grand, old-fashioned style to Pioneer Days in Carbondale.
Passengers may board the train at 9:30 a.m. at Steamtown National Historic Site. The train will leave Steamtown National Historic Site in downtown Scranton at 10 a.m. and travel through the Mid Valley to arrive in Carbondale at 11:45 a.m. The ride includes a free activity guide, live music and more.
Upon arriving in Carbondale, be sure to visit the Trinity Episcopal Church for a historic church tour located directly across from the train station. Continue on to City Hall were there will be display booths, Antiques in the Park, the Chamber Art Gallery, entertainment, and plenty of food.
For the kids, there will be a Touch-A-Truck display in the park, a Bounce House and a free swim from noon to 2 p.m. at the Greater Carbondale YMCA, so remember to bring your bathing suit. Take a guided walk along a portion of the newest section of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, the Carbondale Riverwalk. If you would rather ride, borrow a bike from the Lackawanna Heritage Valley’s Bike Carbondale Bikeshare program at the Greater Carbondale YMCA or the Hotel Anthracite and tour the city or the trail.
To return to Scranton, passengers may board the train at 2:15 p.m. The train will depart from Carbondale at 2:30 p.m., and arrive back at Steamtown National Historic Site at 4 p.m. All passengers must board at Steamtown National Historic Site and return to Steamtown NHS after the Pioneer Days event. There will be no shuttle bus from Carbondale to Steamtown. All passengers must ride the train back to Steamtown unless other transportation arrangements have been made on their own.
The Heritage Explorer Train is free for children age 10 and under. All other tickets are $12. Children under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. All passengers, including children, must have a ticket to ride the train. It is best to act quickly as seating is limited. Tickets are available at all Lackawanna County Libraries on a first-come, first-served basis.
This program is sponsored by Lackawanna Heritage Valley (LHV), the City of Carbondale, the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, Lackawanna County Library System, Carbondale YMCA, Lackawanna County Office of Arts and Culture, Lackawanna Historical Society, and Steamtown National Historic Site.
For ticket information, contact the Lackawanna County Library System at (q570-348-3003, the Carbondale Library at 570-282-4281 or LHVA at 570-963-6730