The last train to the North Pole left the station at 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon (Dec. 17), after three weekends of sold out trains at the Boothbay Railway Village Museum. Santa received thousands of letters from enchanted children, and families from all over Maine and beyond made lifetime holiday memories.

 

The staff and board wish to send endless gratitude to the volunteers who made this event magical for so many children. The love, laughter and innocent wonder we saw in thousands of young eyes were a direct result of your generosity.

 

One of our many generous volunteers, Bruce White, wrote us a beautiful message that expresses how we feel about all of our volunteers.

 

“Everyone who stopped at the fire pit said thank you to me, and many thanked the entire village for doing this year after year. Many said they come every year. Then, there was the family from Scarborough that had never been before, and said they’d be back next year, they thought it was wonderful. Just in case you feel that you’re working hard for nothing, you’re not. You and the rest of the village staff are reaching out and touching a lot of people through your efforts. It obviously means something to those people that you’re reaching.”

 

These photos that capture the moments so well, are just a few of hundreds taken by one our very generous volunteers, Bob Crink.

 

Thank you all, and Merry Christmas from the North Pole!