The Lorain & West Virginia Railway will bring back the Wine on Rails event.
It will take place at 7 p.m. July 26 and 6 p.m. July 27 for guests 21 and older to enjoy a wine tasting while traveling the scenic route of the railroad.
Guests will have the opportunity to sample a variety of wine from Matus Winery in Wakeman while the train travels four and a half miles north on the railroad before returning back to the Wellington station, 46485 State Route 18.
“We do wine trains once or twice a year,” said Marc Chappo, president of Lake Shore Railway Association. “Those have been, what I call, the annual events that are always happening.”
The Bear Pickins Band will perform bluegrass music at 1:30 p.m. July 27, Chappo said.
The local band first played on a train as more of a trial run when the members “hopped on board” and surprised guests with their talents, after which the railroad decided to incorporate them into the schedule this season, he said.
Tickets for both Wine on Rails events start at $25, with Bear Pickins Band event tickets starting at $5.
“The people on board responded to it very well, so we actually made this our first event that they’re actually scheduled to be on a train,” Chappo said. “It is a community thing. We continue to work with the local groups in any way we can to promote the railroad.”
Chappo said the L&WV Railway utilizes the railroad system for all its major events, each with a different theme based on the season or special event, like the April 8 Total Solar Eclipse and Lorain County Bicentennial.
“The Easter train, the Santa trains, the wine trains and the fall foliage trains have pretty much become annual events,” he said. “We have those every year.”
In 1993, the railway began providing passenger rides annually during the Lorain County Fair. Upon ceasing those rides around 2017, time and focus went into repairing and maintaining the tracks and planning for events that support the nonprofit in its mission to expand the railroad, he said.
“It’s the revenue that allows us to fix and repair our tracks and our road crossings and make more track,” Chappo said.
The L&WV Railway also made successful steps in a project to repair a railway crossing on state Route 303 west of state Route 58 after gaining more funds. Chappo said it’s a “huge project” for a group that size.
“This is quite an accomplishment in my book,” he said. “I’m proud to say as of August, we’ll be open again.”
To purchase tickets, visit www.lwvry.org.
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