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With large crowds expected in Goshen over the next several weekends for the train excursions from Goshen to Staunton, the town is hoping to make visitors feel welcome and planning ways to encourage people to stay in town after riding the train.
“We’ve asked folks to get out and welcome people,” Goshen Vice Mayor Steve Bickley said in a press conference last Thursday. “There will be bake sales, garage sales, [and] craft sales all throughout the town all through the five weeks the train will be running, so it won’t just be for the one weekend. We’re trying to encourage folks to do this throughout the event.”
“One thing we’re hoping for is to have some good old-fashioned traffic jams in downtown Goshen,” added Mayor Tom McCraw.
The town is expecting around 1,500 people per day for each Friday, Saturday and Sunday over the next five weekends, with nearly as many people coming to watch the train as to ride it. In hopes of getting people to remain in town and patronizing local businesses, the town has printed a map which shows several points of interest in and around Goshen. The map will sit at Victoria Station where passengers will embark and disembark, along with brochures with information about the businesses in town and some coupons for visitors to use.
Among the business owners hoping to capitalize on the number of visitors is Gerald Sampson who owns the Goshen Country Store, which is located just across from the entrance to Victoria Station. Sampson and his daughter, who runs the store with him, will be setting up a table outside where they will sell sandwiches from their deli and a few souvenir items, including flags and metal signs, for people to buy. Among the coupons in the brochure will be one for a drink at the store.
“Hopefully we can draw a pretty good crowd,” Sampson said. “We like the location we’re at because we’re right across from the depot where the trail will be starting.”
The Goshen Rescue Squad, which is located near the tracks leading back to the station, will be serving breakfast and lunch on the days the train runs for both passengers and spectators. They are also encouraging use of their carnival grounds, also located near the tracks, for spectators to watch the train arrive and depart from Goshen.
They are also encouraging local vendors to come and set up on the carnival grounds, as well as other locations in town, including by the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department and BG’s Restaurant, which are also located near the train tracks. The rescue squad is charging a $5 fee for vendors, but Bickley said the other locations in town are available for free.
On Oct. 28, the town will hold its annual Fall Festival event at the carnival grounds from 1 to 5 p.m. The event will include live music from national recording artist Glenn Shelton and local artists Bruce Allen and Jason Burke, as well as a number of carnival games and contests, including a chili cook-off and a mechanical bull riding competition.
In addition to the businesses and events in Goshen, Bickley is hoping that visitors will also explore Rockbridge County and all that it has to offer.
“There’s a lot to do right around here,” he said. “We’re hoping people will come in, spend the day in Goshen and in Rockbridge County and help us make this a big success.”
