Railroad Days goes out with a bang

NORTH CANAAN — Those who were at any — or all — of last week’s Railroad Days events are now having kind thoughts about all that rain we had earlier this month: It must have been a means of getting it out of the way, so the skies could be glorious during the annual carnival.

Gorgeous weather put an exclamation mark on much of the 11-day festival. Rain and storms held off, for the most part, until non-event hours. Even the violent July 16 storm waited until the ping pong ball drop was over.

“Fantastic,� was how John Lannen summed it up. He is in charge of organizing the 11-day festival, which is sponsored by the Canaan Chamber of Commerce.

“It was great to see so many Canaan people all week long, and lots of people from all over the area. It was a huge success,� he added.

As is traditional, the fireworks — crown jewel of two weeks of Railroad Days events — took place last Saturday. Route 44 was shut down between the traffic lights in the center of town. People poured in by the thousands, some driving classic cars and trucks for the vintage vehicle cruise. There seemed to be a record number of vendors at the crafts fair. And as always there was lots of great food and a firefighters’ parade.

The only dilemma was deciding where to settle in for the fireworks. The hillsides were packed, and all types of music could be enjoyed, at Lawrence Field and the Collin’s Diner, where Poetry Is Music marked its 14th year. Much of the evening there was spent dancing to the music of hometown favorite Steve Dunn and his band.

There was a bit of a surprise with the fireworks, which were set off from a different direction. The site was moved this year, from Lindell’s lumberyard to the Foley cornfield, which is just on the other side of Route 7 and the Blackberry River.

The result was a better view from a much wider area.

Lannen extended his thanks to the countless people who contributed to Railroad Days’ success in so many different ways, including the businesses that sponsored events and those who sent private donations. The cost of the fireworks display has risen to just over $10,000.Proceeds from the carnival that kicked off the festival helped greatly to cover those costs.

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