Fulton Bank a Manassas Railway Festival Hero

Thursday, May 15, 2008

The Manassas Heritage Railway will be held on Saturday, June 7 around the Old Town Manassas train depot and the Loy E. Harris Pavilion. Now in its 14^th year, it includes a variety of model train displays, the interactive Norfolk Southern Exhibit Car, live entertainment for adults and children, rides, and vendors of “railroadania”. Along with a Manassas and the Railroad exhibit that will be on display at the ManassasMuseum, this is truly a day of family fun, and a chance to learn about the rich heritage of Manassas. Tickets for the VRE Excursion train to Clifton and back go on sale at the Visitor’s Center in the OldTown train depot beginning Thursday, May 15, and must be purchased in person. Tickets are $6.00, and children under 2 years old are free. The visitor’s center is open 7 days a week from 9am until 5pm.

Consumers and businesses alike are feeling the crunch of rising prices these days. Local festivals that provide the fun and sense of community that we all cherish are not immune. Historic Manassas Inc. has recently been notified that “due to the increase in diesel fuel” the cost to operate the highly anticipated VRE excursion rides during this year’s Heritage Railway Festival will increase by 76%.

In 2005, VRE requested $11,000 to operate the excursion trains that run hourly during the Railway Festival between Manassas and Clifton. Lack of sponsorship funds available to cover the unexpected expense ultimately resulted in the cancellation of the festival after a ten year run, at the surprise and disappointment of the community. Requests by Mayor Douglas Waldron in subsequent years for Norfolk Southern to waive the rail access fees that were part of the VRE expense were successful, thus lowering the costs and making HMI’s job of securing sponsorship somewhat easier.

With this year’s dramatic increase in expense, the excursion train that so many families look forward to at the Manassas Railway Festival was once again in jeopardy. That is until the newest bank to open its doors for business in Old Town Manassas, Fulton Bank, stepped up as the festival’s excursion train sponsor. Initially opened as Resource Bank on Church Street, the OldTown branch was recently changed to Fulton Bank as the result of a merger between the two financial institutions. Fulton Bank has been providing strength and support to Pennsylvania communities since 1882, and their commitment to a “community-oriented style of banking” is evident in the immediate role that they are now taking in Manassas. “We are so grateful that our newest OldTown business is wasting no time in becoming part of our community,” says Linda Robertson, HMI Executive Director. “They are truly a hero of this year’s Railway Festival.”

Fulton Bank’s contribution to the festival doesn’t quite cover  this year’s higher costs, and according to HMI’s Marketing and Events coordinator, Steve Urry, the price of the excursion train rides will still have to increase slightly. “We have tried to keep the ticket prices the same each year”, says Urry, “but even with Fulton Bank’s generous support, we are going to have to increase the price by just $1.00 per ticket.”

For more information on this and other events in Old Town Manassas, please visit the Events page on our website.