Volunteers needed for Durham Museum activities

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All aboard for a fun-filled weekend, exploring the long and colorful history of Law and Order on the Railroad. Celebrate the region’s rich railroad heritage at Railroad Days.

Railroad Days are July 13 and 14 this year, and the Durham Museum is seeking volunteers to help on both days.

Shifts are 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum needs four to six people per shift to help place wristbands on visitors and four to six to help with the sale of drinks.

For Railroad Days, a $15 family pass, allowing access for two adults and their dependent children, includes admission to and transportation between all five locations. A $5 pass also is available for one additional adult with the purchase of a family pass.

Participating venues are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the festival.

The festival includes admission into five of the area’s best attractions for families:

  • Ride Union Pacific’s mini-train and explore the beauty of Lauritzen Gardens;
  • See the original Pacific Railway Act signed by Abraham Lincoln on July 1, 1862. This national treasure is on loan to The Durham Museum from the National Archives;
  • Explore the new high tech exhibition, Building America, which tells the story of building the Transcontinental Railroad at Union Pacific’s Railroad Museum;
  • Visit historic Rock Island Depot and see an impressive HO-scale model train at the RailsWest Museum; and
  • Explore the Historic General Dodge House and see the new exhibit Dodge’s Tracks and Ties.

At the end of July, The Durham Museum also will hold Wild Wild West Day (July 27). Again, the museum needs four to six people per shift to help with the soda fountain and other activities.

For more information on volunteering, contact Deb Hopp at 402-444-5071, ext. 556.

This opportunity is offered through the Time Travelers partnership, which provides free museum admission for medical center employees, students, and their immediate family with a valid identification badge, while also offering lectures, workshops and other events on the medical center campus.