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 Posted - March 03 2011 : 09:18:30 AM
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Between Myself and the tourism board and the local chamber of commerce for Corbin Ky we are trying unsuccessfully to organize a train show ..any 1 that can suggest or point us towards some professional organizers in this field would be greatly appreciated,we are a hard core railroad town surrounded by CSX and have a rich history with L&N and now CSX not to mention were the home of the original KFC so we've got some history to work off thanks in advance
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Posted - March 03 2011 : 11:01:11 AM
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I think most train shows are organized by model rail road clubs and not by pro organizations. I have some questions:
1. Do you have a model rail road club involved?
2. What's your target show date?
3. Has any one person stepped up to take the lead in making this happen?
~ Dave
~ Dave
They're ALL toys
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Posted - March 03 2011 : 12:40:56 PM
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I reside in KY myself - Lexington for 3 years and Frankfort for the past 9. I've been in the NMRA MCD Div. 10 since 2002. That said, here's my insights to train shows in this area:
1) There is no such thing as a "professional organizer" for what you seek. Train shows are very intensive events that require a lot of planning and effort from dedicated volunteers, and everyone's time is valuable. Success is commensurate with interest and dedication. The only "Professional" show organizers are the traveling shows that advertise in the major mags (as well as a few large stationary, monthly shows).
2) The NMRA MCR divisions (Div 10 serves most of KY including Corbin; Div 8 has the Louisville area; Div 9 spills over from the WV coal fields; Div 7 captures the Cincinnati area) will put on the best dedicated "train shows" that appeal to collector / modeler RR enthusiasts, though not necessarily the public at large. That said, Div 8's is the only one that sees consistent, regular success. I was a part of Div 10's efforts to host shows several years ago - they were not very successful (for many reasons). This has since morphed into a general-interest "Planes Trains and Automobiles" transportation show at the Bluegrass RR Museum in August.
3) The "other" railroad shows (casual / public at large) are more community-based, and tailored specifically to the area. Ever notice how every little podunk small town in KY likes to crow about its "historic downtown"? Well all of them have/had RR depots. Many of them hold a small festival for one weekend of the year. Bowling Green just had theirs. Berea has L&N days in the summer. There is (was?) an informal meet in Carrollton in March. The museums have their own special events. And so it goes, that's just what I remember off the top of my head. These seem to be put on by the local chambers of commerce, with limited (if any) participation from the local NMRA members and/or local non-affiliated model train clubs. But you can rest assured that without the NMRA guys' involvement, most of these shows probably wouldn't happen. As it is, so many local shows start to blur the lines of necessity...
If you want to host a show, you need to find out who the local RR enthusiasts are and get them involved. Find out who is in the NMRA and lives in/near Corbin. Find out if there is a non-NMRA model RR club. Find out who works for the CSX yards and still enjoys the hobby. Check your local hobby shop (if you still have one). Corbin is a good distance from both Louisville and Cinicinnati, but if you go to any of the large annual shows there you're bound to find leads for other clubs and such. The Great Train Expo in Louisville was a month ago, but Div 8 is supposed to have their show in a couple weeks. Div10 meets the first Sunday of every month (which would be this weekend). Maybe you can get interest from Tennessee, Corbin's almost closer to that than KY's own major cities.
Sadly, if this information was useful, I'm afraid it's all I have to offer. I'm still in Div 10, but rather inactive of late - just too much other stuff competing for my time, especially on weekends when the meetings are held, and like most of Div 10's membership, Lexington (where D10 is headquartered) is out of sight, out of mind, too far away for convenience. But there are a lot of good guys there. PM me and I can give you some leads on who to talk to.
Generally though, I have found RR enthusiasm in this area to be pretty subdued, and the resources are spread so wide and so thin you should be prepared for many challenges. But I agree, Corbin seems like a natural place to have one. Can't say I'd make it there myself, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. You'll have to get the most support from within your own ranks though, so shop in that area first.
Good luck!
Edited by - spiderj76 on March 03 2011 12:50:12 PM
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