South Elgin trolley museum looks at WWII on home front
When America mobilized for World War II, millions of young men donned uniforms to fight the Axis powers. The women of the United States stepped into roles that at the time were unfamiliar — factory worker, streetcar conductor and even professional baseball players.
The exploits of the fighting men have been told in countless movies, while the movie “A League of Their Own” chronicles the women's professional baseball league, co-founded by then-Chicago Cubs owner William Wrigley, that lasted into the 1950s.
On Sunday, Aug. 14, the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin will turn back the clock as it hosts a U.S. Home Front Living History Day, complete with tents, vehicles and displays of weaponry. No reenactment skirmishes will take place, since this is intended as a reenactment of America's military on World War II leave.
The highlight of the day will be a 1 p.m. ball game on the South Elgin Parks and Recreation baseball diamonds adjoining the museum between the Rockford Peaches and the Kenosha Comets, played under the rules of the day.
Visitors and re-enactors alike are invited to watch the game, cheer for a favorite team, and take a ride on the Fox River Trolley Museum's classic interurban cars — which was the favored way for countless Navy recruits from Great Lakes and soldiers from Fort Sheridan to travel while on liberty.
Re-enactors in period uniform may ride the trolleys free of charge. For others, regular fares of $4 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and $2 for children ages 3-11 will be charged. Children 3 and younger ride free, and each additional ride is $1 apiece.
The event is co-sponsored by the Fox River Trolley Museum and the WWII Girls Living History League.
The museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to perpetuating the memories of Chicago's once-burgeoning electric railroad industry. The museum, at 361 S. LaFox St., on Route 31 in South Elgin, is open on operating days from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
For more information, or to rent a train, call (847) 697-4676. Visit foxtrolley.org.