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Club Update (updated 10/31/09) The Sahuarita Sun newspaper gave us front page coverage for the Pumpkin Patch Fesitival that Tucson Ntrak atteneded with a 24 by 24ft layout under a tent on the basketball court. Heres the full story: Hundreds enjoy Pumpkin Patch in Sahuarita, By Jeannie Applegate.There was no nip in the air Saturday, but the spirit of fall was alive and well at the Pumpkin Patch and Chili Cook-off hosted by the Town of Sahuarita and Rancho Sahuarita. Hundreds of people attended the event on Rancho Sahuarita’s west lawn.For those who arrived within the first few minutes, there really was a pumpkin patch. But very soon, all the pumpkins had been claimed, and nary a pumpkin remained. “We’re glad we arrived early, because all the pumpkins were gone right away,” Rebecca La Bounty said. “Fortunately, we were able to get one for our kids, Ethan, Maddison and Bailey.” There was, however, plenty of food and entertainment. In the way of food, there were snow-cones, smoothies, kettle corn, and hot dogs. Fun activities for kids included face-painting by Babea Williams, a jumbo slide, and a jumping castle. Vince Moreno and his band, Triple Shot, played easy-listening and country/western favorites, and at the request of John and Barbara Wolfinston, the band played “Boot-Scootin’ Boogey,” a song the couple said was special to them. Several people stood up and danced. The Arizona & Southwest Model Railroad Society set up a working model railroad, complete with train depots, buildings, landscaping and even miniature people. Jim Collom, a Rancho Sahuarita resident who volunteers with the railroad society, pointed out the section of the model train set that he designed and constructed. Trains were not the only means of transportation represented at the Pumpkin Patch. There were tractor hay rides and kiddie train rides. And one of the most popular features of the Pumpkin Patch was the pony ring. All through the day, there was a long line of children waiting their turn to ride the ponies. The petting zoo was a close second to the pony ring in terms of popularity, with goats, roosters, hens, ducks, bunnies, a calf and sheep. Children were allowed into the enclosed area of the petting zoo a few at a time so they could pet the animals and even, in the case of the smaller critters, pick them up and hold them. “All these animals were raised to be in a petting zoo,” said Sean Carter of Carter’s Farm. “They were born to be loved.” Then there was the judging of the chili cook-off. Residents of Rancho Sahuarita had prepared their own special chilis and submitted them for judging by Mayor Lynne Skelton, Vanessa Felty of the Parks & Recreation Commission, and Jennifer Hernandez of Rancho Sahuarita. The judges proclaimed teen cook T.J. Whetstone the winner. T.J. confided that his chili includes chorizo, sirloin, “a ton of garlic,” and a half-bottle of beer. However, said T.J. firmly, “That’s all I can tell you, because the rest of the recipe is a secret.” -------------------------------------------------- For Winslow Railroad Days 2010 we will have a swap meet in the Snowdrift Friday April 23 @ 7pm totally free for public, no tabel fees completley free. For Winslow RR Days thoughts about a banquet catored in? For more of a fellowship, any comments contact John Scott. New Meeting location is 10355 E. 29th Street, Tucson, AZ,85748 at the Pantano Christian Church. Effective immediately till Dec 08
Our 'space' needs are something along the lines of: 
Needs to have electricity to run layout.
Heating, cooling and water are not needed (that all can be used via power fans, heaters and lights through outlets).
A good sized room, garage, shed, basement, small building, etc.. Is ideal for the club.
Something with its own access, something that has its own door to where we can have access at all times.
Looking for something close to Tucson.
Would like to be able to move in our stuff for a minimum of a few months (other wise its not worth it to set it up).
We can pay rent, but only a very small amount (less than $50 per month).This list will give you an idea of what were looking for, but changes can be made. Please help us! Thanks, Tucson Ntrak |
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A Note from John (Tucson Ntrak's Show coordinator) (updated 10/31/09) The Great Train Expo will is slotted to come to Tucson in March 2010. We are shocked at this news and excited to help promote the hobby in Tucson once again. Its been over three years since GTE and GATS left Tucson so we are happy to have them back. The Show will be at the Pima County Fair Grounds, March 13th- 14th, 2010. A setup day will start per GTE rules on Friday 3/12 at noon to 7pm. They will let us in on 3/13 at 7am with a show time starting at 11am till 5pm. 3/14 tear down at 4pm. We have reserved a space on 110ft x 70ft, and we have a few groups that want to join in our layout as well. We are planning a square layout with two bridges off each side bring the total to a hopefull three loop layout. Participant List: Tucson Ntrak Prescott Valley Mountain Valley NScale Group, Prescott, AZ Arizona Model RR Society, Adobe Mt., Phoenix, AZ Please contact John if interested in participating and/or participating as a club or individually with modules. If you have any questions e-mail me (John Scott, bnsfry@yahoo.com) and I will give you any news I know. Keep in touch here for the latest updates. Operation Lifesaver will be attending with a display and information to pass out. For USA Train Expo schedules visit this link below: Check for new show updates -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- National Train Day, May 2010 The Grand Canyon Railway and the Grand Canyon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society are coordinating to host an event for National Train Day, which will be in May of 2010. They are looking for model railroad clubs to set up a display layout at the Williams, Az. Depot during the 2 day event. National Train Day was started by Amtrak in 2008, and has become an annual event. Organizations around the country who host activities can be listed on Amtrak’s website and included with their promotional material, according to GCRY. The event coordinators says Prescott N-trak club was there in September for our 20year anniversary, and they were a big hit. We hope to have them back again in May, but we have space for more than one club. Tucson Ntrak is looking into this event, but we wanted to post it so if others are intereseted in joining us we can go from there. Thanks, John Scott |