14-04-2025
Hopping on the a train with the Easter Bunny at National New York Railroad Museum
GOSHEN — The Easter Bunny made its appearance on Saturday at the National New York Railroad Museum in Elkhart. Families were invited to hop on the trains and enjoy Easter activities and photo ops while they explored the artifacts in the museum as well.
Families were invited to participate in an Easter egg hunt as well as take pictures with the Easter Bunny in a section decorated for the holiday. Karina Brenneman, one of the coordinators of the event, said they had constant traffic and excitement throughout the day.
'We do the Bunny Express every year. We have the Easter Bunny come by and play some games,' she said. 'We also offer free train rides for the day. Usually it's 50 cents, along with admission, but not on our special events. Bunny Express is a fundraiser for the friends of the museum.'
Brenneman said the museum has been hosting the event for five years and is always their most successful event other than Christmas. Organizations, also known as friends of the museum, help raise money by coordinating events like the Easter event held on Saturday.
The museum was able to provide a train ride for about 185 riders on Saturday.
Brenneman said the Easter Bunny is a fun attraction for families who attend but the train ride is the real fun kids or even adults look forward to every year.
'The Easter Bunny and the train rides are the big hits,' she said. 'They told me they had 185 riders today, and I'm sure that's more than that now already.'
The event is primarily in celebration of Easter but it is also a way the museum can continue to share artifacts, history, and the special experience of learning about trains and railroads all while celebrating the holiday, which is exactly what they need and want.
'We want more people to come see the museum,' she said. 'So we wanted to start events so that more people would come and it does help when we have these two bigger events. We get more regular visitors to come. And now, when school gets out, we'll have more people during the week.'
Brenneman, friends and the team overall at the museum hopes to continue to find ways that help keep the museum going and relies on events for donations. They also encourage the community to volunteer and get to know more about the museum and share what the museum has to offer.
