Take a trolley ride through history at Fox River Trolley Museum's Rails to Victory June 10-11
Rails To Victory 2023 is rolling out of the station this summer the weekend of June 10-11.
This World War II living history re-enactment and encampment, hosted by the Fox River Trolley Museum and the World War II Historical Re-enacting Society, will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the museum, 365 S. LaFox St. (Route 31) in South Elgin.
The 13th annual event features the popular Trolley Adventure and, new this year, guided camp tours for all passengers before boarding the trolleys. Reenactors depicting Allied and Axis units alongside civilians will present a short history talk, demo, or skit about who they were and how they participated in World War II.
'Papers Please!'
Ride the "World War II Trolley Adventure into History," a two-hour long theatrical experience where passengers are transported back into time when America was at war with our Allies to defeat the tyranny of the Axis Powers.
Prior to boarding the trolleys, passengers will be guided on a tour of the military encampment, where they will hear stories of the history of the various units attending the re-enactment.
From the encampment, passengers will then board the trolleys to experience scenes from the war years depicting battles, resistance insurgencies, civilian homefront activities and more.
On board the trolleys, all passengers will need to have their papers (provided with your ticket) inspected by the period German police and Reichsbahn (German railway) conductors.
View and experience small performance stops along the trolley's route, re-creating a variety of scenarios that played out during the European Theater of World War II.
Be prepared to play along with the actors to fully enjoy the experience.
These performances are family friendly; however, not recommended for very young children who may be upset by loud noises, theatrical gunfire, and battle scenes.
There will be two daily departures: 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $23 per person and can be purchased on the Fox River Trolley Museum website, www.foxtrolley.org/rails-to-victory.
Before and after your ride, feel free to walk to the military encampment and talk to the soldiers and period civilians one on one, learning about the equipment, vehicles and weapons used in the war.
Rockford Peaches
In addition to Trolley Adventure and Camp Tours, the Rockford Peaches will be playing a ballgame at 6 p.m. Saturday. Cheer for your favorite player on the team, which was immortalized in the movie "A League of Her Own."
For more information about these activities, visit www.railstovictory.com.