Addison library: LEGO train display

Image courtesy of Idea go
at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

To my mind, a pile of Lego bricks gives a child one of the best playthings possible. I also firmly believe that after that first build of the model pictured on the box, its perfectly okay for the direction booklet to get lost and the sets to get mixed together. Let the creative inspiration for the next structure (or garden or monster or...) come from everything around us.

The Addison Public Library will feature the work of one group of talented Lego enthusiasts this weekend with a display crafted by the Northern Illinois Lego Train Club. The layout will fill the library's meeting room from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 and 1 till 4:40 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27. Addison library card holders can stop by ahead of time for free tickets. The rest of us are welcome to drop in. Library staff will allow people in the room as space allows. Tables in the children's area will provide Lego-building opportunities for youngsters.

If you go to this or any of the NILTC shows, give your group time to fully enjoy the display. These layouts always draw a crowd, so a little patience is always a good thing. Any waiting is worthwhile, though, because this club provides settings that are so much more than a train circling past some buildings. Club members create scenes with details full of humor and pop-culture references. Kids and adults love discovering unexpected characters or places as they take in the presentation.

The NILTC has crisply designed and easy-to-navigate website worth looking at to get a sense of the quality of its work, including videos introducing the group's activities. The site also gives a history of the club and answers common questions about what you'll see at their shows.

Coming up in December, the club will make a return appearance at Cantigny Park in Wheaton on December 14-15. Past shows have attracted more than 10,000. Plan now to bring a toy for Toys for Tots and your parking on the day of the event will be free!

The Addison Public Library is at 4 Friendship Plaza, Addison, IL. More information about this weekend's Lego train show is available in the library's current newsletter. 

Deerfield: Halloween Hoopla

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There is just one more weekend before Halloween and it will be filled with so very many local family activities. For those in the Deerfield area with young ones, head over to the Jewett Park Community Center for the annual Halloween Hoopla. Thanks to one of the event's sponsors, Koenig and Strey Realtors, a trackless train will be on hand for rides, as well as inflatables and other activities, too. Other activities will include visits by costumed characters, hay rides, crafts, face painting, balloon twisting and games. Kids are encouraged to come in costume. Activities are scheduled for the evenings of Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26 and Saturday afternoon. Check the park district's website for a complete schedule of activities and times. 

Jewett Park Community Center is located at 836 Jewett Park Drive, Deerfield. 

Union: Illinois Railway Museum

The signal collection at the Illinois Railway Museum
has always been a favorite spot for our family

In a new entry in the Best Ways to Keep Mom from Saying Goodnight contest that my oldest seems to run nightly, my train guy was studying an old calendar from the Illinois Railway Museum and trying to make me guess what events different colors represented. Since I found it easy to resist getting lured into a conversation about last year's activities, the procrastination was cut short. It did remind me, though, that the Union museum still has a few activities for visitors this year. If your schedule permits a drive out into the country, IRM is a great destination. On any visit, kids will love the train rides and seemingly endless cars and engines to explore. Special event days make the trip even more fun. 

Coming up this weekend (October 26-27), kids in costume will be able to take home treats from the Railway Museum's Trick or Treat Trolley event. Their website promises "free pumpkin and snack for  kids." It's a regular fare event of $10 for adults and $7 for kids, with a $38 family maximum. The grounds are open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. 

For those who are older (at least 13) and enjoy being super scared this time of year, save Friday and Saturday night for the Terror on the Railroad Haunted Event. This runs from 7 till 11 p.m. for $13 or $18, depending on how much fear you'd like to cram into your evening. Check the link above for full details. 

Things calm down at the museum in November, although work is always being done behind the scenes. (Check IRM's blog to see some of those repairs and improvements.) The 2013 season ends with Christmas spirit during the first two weekends in December. Guests of the Happy Holiday Railway will be able to enjoy a wintery train ride and visit with Santa and the elves. Check with the museum for details and availability as holiday programs tend to sell out well in advance.

The Illinois Railway Museum is in Union, Illinois. For directions, click here. 

Lombard: Prairie Scale Model Railroad

With a child who claims to be too-old for Thomas and Chuggington, I'm now on the lookout for train activities suitable for the slightly older set. It has been a pleasant discovery to realize that the many, many model railroad clubs in the area are eager to share their love of the hobby with the public, including youngsters. (They do proudly call it "The world's greatest hobby.") It turns out an easy way to provide a train fix for any age group is to find a local railroad club and look at their schedule for an open house. Most have them regularly. This weekend, try Lombard's Prairie Scale Model Railroaders. They house their layout in an old bowling alley, so before I even see the trains I'm intrigued! This month's open house happens Saturday, Oct. 20 from 7 till 10 p.m. at 3 E Ash Street, Lombard. Check their Facebook page at the link above for more information and other open house dates. 

St. Charles: Norton Farm

Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Rain, rain, go away! I wish I could give you a first-hand account of the imaginative possibilities of  the train-shaped play structure at Norton Farm in St. Charles. The big, wooden engine and cars are just right for climbing on and embarking on a pretend cross-country adventure. Unfortunately, wet weather kept my school field trip group from exploring the activities of Norton's Hallow. Fortunately, the hallow will be open every nice day through Halloween, giving us another chance to visit and explore the train, climb the hay bales, enjoy the hay ride, see the pumpkin patch, and do all the other farm and harvest-store activities.  

Norton's Hallow is $3 for adults and kids over 3 and $1 for adults over 60. Check the website for hours and further details. The farm is at 39W369 Route 64 (North Avenue) in St. Charles. 

 , IL 60175

Mt. Prospect: Hoot! Hoot! Express train at Howlin' Halloween

Image courtesy of supakitmod
at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Halloween train alert! This Saturday, October 19, visit the Mt. Prospect Park District's Lions Recreation Center for their annual  Howlin' Halloween event. The kid-friendly activities include rides on the Hoot! Hoot! Express. This colorful, trackless train is just right for the youngest railroad fans. Kids are welcome to come in costume and enjoy all the festival's activities, including kids' games, crafts, face panting, hay ride, pumpkins and live entertainment. Edible goodies will be available, too. (Take a look at the park district's website for photos from last year's event.) Everything happens between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Kids' tickets are $4. Adults get in free! 

The recreation center is located at 411 S. Maple St., Mt. Prospect. Call (847) 632-9333 for more information. 

Schaumburg: Trains at IKEA

Train table, IKEA-style

With his back to this very spot at the Schaumburg IKEA, my oldest child said, "Do they have any trains here?" Train awareness had been supplanted by fascination with the store's two great glass elevators and the rather amazing cart-grabbing escalators. He soon realized the answer to his question was right behind him and proceeded to putz with the store display. He had already declared IKEA to be "the best store!" His siblings were too busy navigating the aisles from the drivers' seats of the car carts to investigate the trains this time around.