Lea Wait here, packing up my mailing list sign-up sheets and bookmarks … because tomorrow is the wonderful one-day Books In Boothbay Festival, sponsored by the Boothbay Region Public Library and Sherman’s Bookstore. Most of us Maine Crime Writers will be there (with about forty other authors of books for adults) from 1-4:00 in the afternoon. I’ll have the fun of being there all day .. because from 9-12:00 authors and illustrators for children will be featured. Writing in two genres has some advantages!

Ride on the train!

So .. where is this wonderful festival? at the Boothbay Railway Village on route 27 (586 Wiscasset Road) in Boothbay, Maine.

And if you live nearby, or are vacationing in Maine, it’s a wonderful place to stop. Not only tomorrow, July 12, for the book festival … but any summer day from 9:30-5:00.  Why?

Well, of course, there’s the train .. a 2-foot (narrow gauge) coal-fired engine plus cars that you can ride on the 3/4 mile track. Then there is the village … an old schoolhouse, a country store, a pharmacy, and the 1847 Town Hall (where the book festival will be held). Each summer there are a few animals to feed — maybe goats? Or cows? There’s a small playground with sandboxes and swings for the younger set.

One of the autos, with some visitors … but you don’t have to come in costume!

And if trains aren’t your thing .. the museum includes about sixty old vehicles, ranging from an 1830 one-horse shay and an 1860-era horse-drawn taxi to a 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. Old fire engines and cars. (You and the kids can climb on some of the fire engines.)

Don’t forget to visit the museum gift shop, complete with old photos and books about trains, and all things Thomas (Thomas Train, that is … he’ll be visiting the Village August 8-10 and August 15-17) plus some country store items. (Great place to pick up some Christmas gifts to put away … and, by the way, signed books make great gifts, too.)

My children loved the Railway Village, and now my grandchildren do. But a lot of adults make a point of stopping in every year. I suspect you might like it, too!

For more information, see http://railwayvillage.org 

And hope to see you at Books in Boothbay tomorrow!