Stan Rauch
Manager, Prairie Village

There has been a flurry of building preservation and enhancement activity at the village the past few days. The painting of the lobby of the opera house, funded by the Prairie Village Ladies Auxiliary, was completed. The appearance of the entrance area is now greatly improved while also maintaining the atmosphere that it has had since the opera house was built in 1912.

The work to put new siding on the library is now in progress and it appears that it will not take long to complete. It will take a while yet to do the restoration work on the windows but the current work on the exterior will significantly improve the appearance of this historic building, which was the first chartered library in Dakota Territory in 1886.

The cement floor for the Winfred jail is scheduled to be put in on Wednesday. This original jail from Winfred has thick walls that were constructed by a method known as “cribbing”.

The painting of the exterior of the Ash Grove Church is almost complete with just a bit left to be do in the higher locations, but it already looks exceptionally nice.

The 4th of July holiday is about upon us and it will be an active time at the village as we will have a large number of campers with us. We have plenty of electrical camp sites available so don’t hesitate to come on out to camp and enjoy the various activities. Please keep in mind that fireworks are strictly prohibited on the village grounds. But we do welcome everyone who would like to park at the village to observe the fireworks on the north side of Lake Herman.

And if the 4th of July related activities aren’t enough, this Saturday and Sunday is Railroad Days at the village. This is when we provide special opportunity for visitors to learn about the various aspects of the Prairie Village, Herman & Milwaukee Railroad. The events include train, doodlebug and motor car rides, Chapel Car Emmanuel and roundhouse tours, a model train display and chain saw art demonstrations. Church services will be conducted at the village church at 8:00 and in the Chapel Car Emmanuel at 10:00. And there will be free hobo stew starting at 11:00 and going for as long as it lasts.

A complete schedule of events can be found on our website at prairievillage.org/railroad-days. Daily admission is $5, age 5 and under admitted free.

A special feature at Railroad Days is the pizza train departing at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. This is fun train with Pizza Ranch pizza, bread sticks, a pizza dessert and beverage being served. The cost is $12 for adults and $7 for ages 12 and under. The pizza train is by reservation only, so give us a call at 256-3644 and join the fun.