To the best of my knowledge, this festival is discontinued.
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This post documents my experience on May 17, 2014.
Located near Toledo, Walbridge is a village deeply rooted in trains…
…the village’s slogan is “Town on the Right Track”…
…CSX has both a hump yard AND a flat yard here…
…the runaway train of 2001 came from the village’s hump yard…
…and I was blocked from a stopped train en route to the festival (fortunately, I found another way in).
Called the Rally by the Rails Festival, the name was connected more to the festival’s proximity to the train tracks…
…than a celebration of the trains themselves…
…although there was this train ride to bring the festival theme home.
In short, Rally was a town festival with an abundance of carnival rides…
…games…
…and traditional fair foods…
…with special mentions to Jeanies Weenies and the perch at Elmo’s (because I love perch/walleye booths).
There were old vehicles on display…
…a car show on the field…
…a blacksmith working in the gazebo…
…and an area for gift vendors…
…who sold items ranging from Tupperware to dresses…
…as well as a building for arts and crafts…
…where festival goers could nab a fancy birdhouse.
Finally, for the rockers, there was a beer tent to escape the carnival setting…
…but the entertainment didn’t start till later that night.