“Hayes Train Special” returns for the holidays, is free this year

        For the past 26 years, the “Hayes Train Special” model train display has been a beloved holiday tradition at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, located at Spiegel Grove at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues.
        This year, the display will be free to visitors, however, a donation box will be available for those who want to make a gift to support Hayes Presidential.
        The intricate train display will open Friday, Nov. 26, in the museum auditorium and will remain on exhibit through Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. For hours and holiday closings information, visit rbhayes.org/visit-us/visitor-information.
        The trains run through a Victorian holiday scene. Visitors can watch them wind through tunnels and villages in the multi-tiered 12-foot by 24-foot exhibit. They can get involved by pushing buttons that run one of the trains, turn the Ferris wheel, send the ice skaters gliding across the pond and more.
        The “Hayes Train Special” is sponsored by Croghan Colonial Bank and the Gordon W. Knight Family.
        On Saturday, Jan. 8, the annual model train clinic will take place from 1-4 p.m. in the “Hayes Train Special” display area. Model train hobbyists will assist guests with repair and upkeep questions about their model trains.
        Tickets for the train clinic are $5 per person for ages 6 and older. Kids 5 and younger are admitted for free. Tickets are available at rbhayes.org/events/2022/01/08/events/model-train-clinic/.
        Those who bring trains to the clinic can also run their trains on the “Hayes Train Special” track. The track fits standard, O-gauge and G-gauge trains.
        The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is America’s first presidential library and the forerunner for the federal presidential library system. It is partially funded by the state of Ohio and affiliated with the Ohio History Connection.
        For information and updates, call 419-332-2081, visit rbhayes.org or follow HPLM on social media.