Hilltown Families 
Chester On Track: Railroad-Themed Family Festival in the Hilltowns!
Chester On Track Celebrates 174th Anniversary
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
Chester, MA
All aboard for Chester On Track, the railroad-themed family festival in downtown Chester, MA on Saturday, May 18 from 9am-4pm (rain or shine). A 10am parade sets the day’s pace along Route 20 and through the village. This free event gathers some of the very best early railroad, industrial, military and artisan talent from the across region.
Celebrate the 174th anniversary of the coming of the railroad to Chester, MA. Chester became a significant railroad hub during the age of steam. 150 men worked around the clock at the roundhouse maintaining the “pusher” engines to move passengers and freight up and over the Berkshire Hills westward.
Visit with living history re-enactors and explore the stories of the local landscape: 10th Massachusetts Regiment Civil War, blacksmithing, and Irish immigrant Western Railroad workers from Storrowtown Village, and tool demonstrations at a former granite stone finishing works.
Stop by the rail fan train show at the depot. Marvel at the Pioneer Valley Live Steamers ‘one-lung’ steam & gas engine demos, and classic cars. Displays include a number of 1920’s-era freight cars, wooden caboose, wooden velocipede, ‘Children’s Boxcar,’ Operation Lifesaver and US Fish and Wildlife’s Watershed On Wheels exhibit van.
Other features include the garden tractor pull event, Angel Mist Farm carriage rides, live entertainment, craft fair offered all day. Bring your appetite, food is available all day. The Blue Caboose café at the museum offers grinders, soups and desserts. Local restaurants and food vendors booths offer more choices along Main Street.
Take some time away from downtown to hike the Keystone Arch Bridge Trail along the Wild and Scenic Westfield River to see the actual historic railroad bridges. Tour a working quarry and much more!
Chester On Track is sponsored by the Chester Foundation, a philanthropic group dedicated to community improvement and preservation. Admission to event is free and wheelchair accessible. Reserved parking is $1. Chester, MA is located on US Route 20 along the Jacobs Ladder Scenic Byway, between Lee and Westfield. For more event information call 413-354-7878, visit www.chesterrailwaystation.net.
