Nothing communicates the success of the first day of the Antrim-Bennington Lions Club Train Show better than the thumbs-up that Joe gave us! Joe is a student at the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, host of our event. He and many other students joined hundreds of area residents who visited the first day.
The four images shared here cannot do justice to the experience. The main layout takes up between two thirds and three quarters of the gymn floor. It is build by many hobbyists, each providing their section (with unique flavors).
Along with a couple other displays inside (and a play area for the children), outside is a large set with steam engines (one is pictured below). We couldn't have asked for better weather, although one of the outdoor exhibitors was ready to warm-up inside by the end of the day :-)
If you happen to catch this post during the Train Show weekend, please be sure to come up and visit. Not only will you find it great fun, but the funds we raise will be returned to the community. Just as the train hobbyists must work together for the entire lay-out to succeed, we couldn't help others without your assistance.
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To the left is a picture of a happy snow-clearing crew at the beginning of what turned out to be the last weekend of Antrim-Bennington Lions Club Christmas tree sales this year -- although the photo does leave out a couple people actively using machinery to clear the most recent snowfall, and the cameraman did his fair share of shoveling :-).
With winter approaching, the Antrim/Bennington area had its first "deep" freeze overnight (with one person reporting a low of 14 degrees). Luckily, when dawn broke it was time for our annual Antrim-Bennington Lions Club Hunters Breakfast. Nothing like a warm meal and hot coffee to take the chill off (one quick note about the coffee -- it was generously donated by the Antrim Dunkin' Donuts).
Over 60 people enjoyed a meal of eggs, ham, home fries, biscuits, and homemade baked beans. The first customers came before we even officially opened -- employees of Edmunds Hardware and Antrim Lumber snuck in prior to heading to work (the second photo in this post).
Speaking of pictures, a quick run-down of the ones you see (in top-to-bottom order):
Technically the first meals may have been purchased by Peter at the Antrim Post Office, who was kind enough to buy four (making sure everyone who was working with him was well-fed this morning). They were also the first delivery of the day, followed by Lions Alan Fahrner and Bob Hardy bringing 6 free meals to Antrim Village -- and as you can see, they were as welcomed as were the meals people ate in person at the church.
This set of images doesn't give a complete picture of all the people that helped -- including some children who were instrumental in both set-up beforehand and the clearing of tables during breakfast. We also had quite a few visiting Lions, including Vice District Governor Ray Hill and Zone Chair Dave Forest.
We were honored to have a visit from our new Zone Chair, Dave Forest (from the Hopkinton Lions Club). Lion Dave's presentation was well received by everyone.
We also had a presentation by Jeffrey Monteleone, Head Golf Professional at Crotched Mountain Golf Club. He suggested that the Golf Club could work with us to put together a good fundraiser. There was definite interest on the part of our club, so it'll definitely be the subject of discussion in future meetings.