“Northfield Rails” will be held this Thursday, May 9, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Northfield Historical Society, 408 Division St., as Save the Northfield Depot‘s kick off to several spring and summer fundraising events. Chip DeMann will be the keynote speaker sharing some of the lesser known background about Northfielders and others who were key in the development and growth of the railroads in Northfield.
Historical images and photos about Northfield railroads will be available for attendees to view at their leisure. Save the Northfield Depot will also provide a progress report on the overall project to save, rehabilitate and reuse the 1888 depot. The public is invited and encouraged to join others who share an interest in the history of Northfield, railroads, the Northfield depot, and the progress and future fundraising events of Save the Northfield Depot.
Save the Northfield Depot is pleased with the progress towards the project goal of rescuing, moving and reusing the depot. An example of recent positive news was that the tests for asbestos in the depot attic vermiculite indicate that expensive remediation will likely not be necessary—”a welcome cost saving,” noted Rob Martin, co-chair.
The Northfield Rails event will also include details about future upcoming events such a crowdsourcing fundraising campaign. Participants will have a chance to ride with the James-Younger gang in a re-enactment of the great 1876 Northfield Bank Raid. For a $5,000 contribution, donors will be provided an outfit, gun, and well-trained horse for the ride. The donor will also receive a professionally filmed video of their infamous ride.
“We will make them lifelong members of the gang,” noted Chip DeMann, head of the James-Younger re-enactment, “and give them a once in a lifetime experience they’ll never forget! If someone is more the law-and-order type, they can opt to be one of the defenders of the town and bank.”
“This is our first effort at crowdsourcing,” said Lynn Vincent, co-chair. “It’s a way of using incentives to solicit contributions from a large group of people, and especially from the online community.”
Details about the other incentives for donors will be shared. Kick-off for the crowdsourcing is expected on May 11 on the Save the Northfield Depot web site.
Save the Northfield Depot 