All-Aboard: Chatham Aims for Train Whistle Blowing Record

The annual Fishawack Festival will feature a new twist on Saturday: A possible Guinness World Record.

One of the activities of the daylong event will be trying to set the record for blowing wooden whistles on the train platform at 11:15 a.m. Saturday. It will also be part of the train station's centennial celebration.

The Chatham Historical Society will sell whistles for $5 to encourage participation. To participate, registration will be held from 9 to 10:45 a.m. at the train station where a form must be completed before receiving one of the whistles.

The Public Arts Council will reveal at noon a mural celebrating Chatham’s past and present at the Fairmount Avenue underpass. The mural was created over the past four years by a group of 40 volunteers, including lead artist Kenji Hasegawa.

The day will also feature a railroad museum that will illustrate Chatham over the years along the Morris & Essex Line. The museum will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will also be a trackless train and other children’s activities at the Lum Lower Field. A “Bar Car” will serve beer from noon to 4 p.m. 

The festival begins at 8:30 a.m. with a warm-up by the Mayors' Wellness Campaign followed by the 1-mile Jaycees Fishawack Run and 4-mile run starting at 9 a.m.

Family activities will continue throughout the day along with food and vendors until 4 p.m.