Councillor Phil Welock tries to snag the ribbon as it flies away a split second after James Baring, Lord Revelstoke, snipped the ribbon to officially open the Grizzly Plaza expansion as Mayor Dave Raven looks on. Revelstoke Current file photo
By David F. Rooney
This year’s Railway Days got underway missing a couple of beloved features — the parade, the speeders and the Pufferbelly — but the city nonetheless felt busy as visitors thronged some of the events on offer today.
The speeders and the Pufferbelly were both reportedly cancelled this year due to issues of liability — that word that so often means disaster for events that present even the slightest risk — and the parade, well the city just had one a few weeks ago for Homecoming.
Still, there was a railroad feel to things, particularly at the Railway Museum.
Here, in something approaching chronological order, are some of the photos captured by The Revelstoke Current earlier today.
Melody MacMillan, owner of Chiengora Fibers spins chiengora wool on her spinning wheel at the Farmer's Market as a potential customer examines some of the cool hats, scarves and other items she makes from chiengora, which is of all things, dog hair. MacMillan said she learned the art of spinning yarn from dog hair while she was in the Yukon. "People have been doing it for hundreds of years," she said, adding that anyone who has a decent amount of hair from their pet dog is welcome to give it to her. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of items made from dog hair is donated to the Revelstoke & District Humane Society, she said. Her spinning attracted a lot of attention at the market which was particularly busy today, probably due to the number of visitors in town for Railway Days. David F. Rooney photoAnita May (left) watches as her granddaughter, Kassy, sketches while Sharon MacGillivray (center) looks at the carvings her nieces Sara and Katie (right) produced at the Kids' Soap Carving event at the BC Interior Forestry Museum as part of Railway Days Saturday. David F. Rooney photoBrian Sumner talks with visitors to the BC Interior Forestry Museum about log-cabin building. David F. Rooney photoZachary Depas of Calgary really enjoyed the model trains at the Railway Museum this afternoon. David F. Rooney photoEver wonder what's behind the facade of the dioramas that model railroaders build? Here's a peek behind the scenes of the diorama that model railroaders have built at the Railway Museum — more trains! In fact, it's a veritable rail yard. David F. Rooney photoModel railroader Rob Palumbo shows some visitors to the Railway Museum how the trains work. David F. Rooney photoHere's a classic Railway Days scene: visitors examining the huge locomotive in the main hall of the Railway Museum. David F. Rooney photoDutch visitor Klaas Hofstra and his daughter Emma examine part of the Chinese Legacies Exhibition at the Railway Museum. David F. Rooney photoVisitors from out of town thronged the Railway Museum Saturday. David F. Rooney photoWait a minute! This doesn't look like a railroad-themed game. And it's not. It's beach volleyball which is being played in the parking lot at the Powder Springs Hotel this weekend. The fun event drew a fun-loving crowd to the hotel. Many thanks to Powder Springs General Manager Emma Kirkland for allowing access to the hotel roof for this shot. David F. Rooney photoDavid Evans, proprietor of the Nickelodeon Museum, talks with guests about the vintage railroad films, including one that features a damsel chained to the tracks, he showed this evening. In case you missed this evening's showing, the museum is repeating its Vintage Film Night screenings of railroad-themed movies at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday. David F. Rooney photoWell, they sure weren't a railroad band, but Sister Girl was well worth seeing and hearing at Grizzly Plaza this evening. The band has a shot at winning the prestigious international NewSong Contest (see the story in the Arts section of The Revelstoke Current to learn more). David F. Rooney photo
