8-27-2020 8:41pm

Railroad Days Kicks Off On Friday In Carlisle

Rick Amburgey Neighbor

Sandra Diver (left) with her husband, Ron Diver. Photo contributed.

Railroad Days, Carlisle's annual festival, will be held on Friday and Saturday. Brian Morris, president of the Railroad Days committee, said it won't be as big this year as past years, but it is important to him for Railroad Days to happen this year. He explained that it is because Railroad Days is a fundraiser for many of Carlisle's organizations such as the Carlisle Baseball Association, cheerleaders, football, SAY soccer and more. Not wanting the organizations in the community to suffer, Morris said that he had to make it happen and he had to make it happen in a safe manner.

Morris calls himself a simple guy. He said he is far from perfect, but he feels that a little love and effort goes a long way. "Carlisle is becoming amazing at this," Morris said. He said he is a fan of James from the Bible, adding that James was a common guy like most of us.

Morris said there is a part of James, by which he tries to live. 2 James 2:18 (NIV) says, "But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” He said that verse is personal to him. "We can all have faith but unless we use our faith to create something, we are truly not serving as we should," Morris said, adding that this is why he dedicates himself to community events such as Railroad Days.

"It's an unique year for Railroad Days," Morris said. He said the spirit of Railroad Days is local. In fact, Carlisle's festival was in danger of disappearing when Morris and a group of others took over leadership of Railroad Days. He wants this year to reflect the past history of Carlisle Local Schools and Tribe pride. As they look to the future, Morris said the goal is for Railroad Days to return to school property next year, which is where it was previously held. He said there are some things they will need to do for that to happen.

Morris said the weather forecast for this weekend, particularly on Friday, calls for rain. He hopes people will come out to Railroad Days anyway and support the community.

Morris would also like to thank Andrea Ponder Porter and Craig Hasty for their hard work in preparing for Railroad Days this year and in the last few years.

Important information about Railroad Days follows:

Where: Carlisle Baseball Association fields

When: Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday Noon to 10 p.m. The change in time will not affect any of the planned events. The music may play later than 10 p.m.

Parking: In past years, parking has been available at the Franklin Township building and the tennis courts with shuttles available to the event. However, there will no shuttles available this year. Those two locations will still be available for parking, but there will also be on-site parking. According to a post by Brian Morris, the Carlisle Baseball Association and the Calvary 11U Baseball Team will be providing the service. Members of the Calvary 11U team will directing traffic and it will will cost $2 per car for talking. Morris said the $2 for parking does not go to Railroad Days. He said it is a fundraiser for Calvary 11U Baseball team and all of the money collected for parking will go to their organization.

The Franklin Township Trustees voted to donate $500 to Railroad Days. Morris, who serves as a Franklin Township Trustee, abstained from the decision because of his conflict of interest.

Xtreme Valley Wrestling: There will be a meet and greet with the wrestlers at 7 p.m. on Friday. FANtasy Camp, which is open to all ages, will start at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The cost will be $30.

Music: The previously announced Richard Lynch Band cancelled their performance on Friday. The Burress Brothers will perform between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday. 9Eight Central will be performing between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday. Jacob William will perform solo between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Parade: The Grand Marshal of the parade will be Sandra Diver. She is pictured above with her late husband Ron Diver. The parade will begin a 9 a.m. on Saturday. Anyone participating in the parade is asked to meet at the park by 8:15 a.m.

Food: There will be several food trucks. The food trucks have paired with organizations and will be donating a percentage of their sales. The food trucks at Railroad Days on Friday will be Smokin' Double D's, Good Golly Miss Molly Food Bus, Little Boijon's Asian Cuisine, Salty Dog Food Truck, and the Kona Ice truck. The food trucks at Railroad Days on will be Smokin' Double D's, Good Golly Miss Molly and the KONA Ice truck.

Booths: Morris said that there will be about 13 booths this year. He said they will be courtyard style so people can space out. Some of the vendors expected to be at Railroad Days will be Hope and Grace Boutique with designer clothes and Humble Bee Honey will be selling natural honey and honey extract. There will be some other vendors selling clothing, as well as a talented metalworks artist who will be selling pieces and allowing people to make custom orders.