Railroad Festival Rolling Into Central April 27

Get on board for fun, food, festivities and more Saturday, April 27, in historic downtown Central, S.C., for a celebration of the town’s railroad heritage, with music and railroad festivities.

The Railroad Festival begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m., featuring entertainment, food, music and arts and crafts vendors.         

“The Central Railroad Festival has activities for the entire family,” said Ken Paynter, festival organizer. “Come spend the day, enjoy the entertainment and the great variety of food. There are tons of free activities for the kids.”

Free attractions for all ages will include model train displays, a musical and magic, a balloon artist, , Thomas the Tank Engine and children’s tractor-train rides. For rail fans, the Central Railway Museum will be open for free tours. Also, there will be a tour of Central’s red caboose. 

Entertainment for all ages will be happening throughout the festival as follows:

Main Stage

10:00 - 11:00 a.m. – Opening Ceremony/ SWU Jazz Band

11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Charles Wood, National Banjo Champion

2:30 – 4 p.m. – Tony Tidwell, Singer/Songwriter

4:30 – 6 p.m. – The Flying Saucers, 1960’s Oldies Band 

Kids Stage

10:30 a.m./12:30 p.m./2:30 p.m. – R U Safe Clowns

11 a.m./ 1 p.m./3 p.m./4:30 p.m. – Ziggy’s Music & Magic Show

11:45 a.m./1:45 p.m./3:45 p.m. – Hot Foot Cloggers

Youngsters will enjoy music, dancing and fun in the kid’s area, located near the caboose.

Central restaurants will be open on the day of the festival, offering Oriental, Mexican or Seafood menus. Street vendors will also cater to a variety of tastes, offering pizza, hot dogs, barbecue, nachos, corn dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, funnel cakes, chicken wings, Italian ice, kettle corn, fried Oreos and more treats.

Clemson Area Transit buses will run continuously, taking festival-goers from parking areas, which include Central Town Hall, New Life Church, Cannon Memorial Baptist Church and Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home.

Admission to the festival is free and convenient parking is available.

The Central Railroad Festival is sponsored by the Central Area Business Council and the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce. The festival is supported by the Town of Central and the Central Railway Model and Historical Association.

For festival details, call Lindsey Newton at (864) 654-1200 or go online to www.centralrrfestival.org.