Arlington Heights library staff creating 'Reading Railroad'

For the last month, staff members with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library have gone from their day jobs to moonlighting on a 28-foot steam locomotive.

Not exactly running the steam engine, but building it.

Riding on the wave of two successive first place awards for creativity - for last year's rocket ship, and the prior year's pirate ship - library staffers are working to design their next float for next week's July 4th parade.

This one is called the "Reading Railroad," and at first glance, it seems to fit naturally with the library's mission, while the nostalgic steam engine conjures up visions of the "Good Ol' Summertime," which just happens to be this year's parade theme.

However, the meaning goes beyond that, says Deb Whisler, the library's public information director.

She points out that the Reading Railroad is an actually property on the Monopoly game board, and consequently it ties in perfectly with the library's popular summer reading program, this year called, "Get in the Game: READ!"

The library's summer reading program drives library officials to participate in the parade every year, and its reach can be seen in the program's numbers. Once again, library officials expect more than 5,500 young readers to participate in the program, not only building their reading skills while on summer vacation, but earning prizes contributed by more than 20 local businesses.

In the meantime, library volunteers are working feverishly to complete the float, whose supplies were funded by the Friends of the Library.

Mike Driskell has returned to design the entry and lead volunteers. He is the library's information technology manager, who has watched his crew transform a truck into a locomotive.

"It's been a challenge, but it's starting to look like a train," Driskell says.

As for pressure to repeat as a first place award winner? No problem, he says with a laugh.

"It's always fun to build something like this," Driskell says, "and see how it all comes together."

Follow the progress of the locomotive's construction, by visiting www.readingrailroad08.com.