All aboard for the Dennison Railroad Festival

Trains are more central to the Dennison Railroad Festival this year when the festival returns May 28-30 in downtown Dennison.

For children, miniature train rides will be available around the festival Saturday.

Festival visitors will be able to see the America 250 engine in Dennison on the last day of the festival. Some may even opt to take a train trip offered by the Dennison Depot Railroad Museum May 30. The train leaves at 9 a.m. from Dennison and returns to Dennison at 4 p.m. May 30. An extra trip is planned for May 31, too. Contact the museum for information and tickets.

One area of the festival will not be back.

“Because we have a DORA, which is the designated outdoor refreshment area, we will not have a beer garden,” Michael Brindley, of the Dennison Railroad Festival committee, said. “People will be able to purchase a designated DORA cup, and they'll be able to take that through the festival grounds with them.”

The DORA is a controlled area for adult beverages downtown. It was used for the Transportation Festival America 250-Ohio celebration in April with no problems.

“We're confident that it's going to be a smooth transition from beer garden to the DORA,” Brindley said. “I think it'll allow people to flow a little more freely. It'll be a little less congested right in front of our railcar stage.”

The festival committee is looking forward to the Glovation Walking Circus Saturday.

“They have stilt walkers. They have street magicians. So, there'll be a little bit of a variety throughout the day,” Brindley said.

The Dennison Rotary will have their annual car show at the festival Saturday. Registration will be in the office of Complete Dental Care across the street from the Gazebo Stage. Judging begins at noon.

Weather permitting, a cornhole tournament will be held too. No pre-registration is required. Teams can register on the day of the tournament. The winners will take home prizes based on the number of entries.

Ride ticket prices will be announced on the day of the festival on the Dennison Railroad Festival Facebook page. Though the festival committee does their best to keep the festival affordable, they can’t control everything.

“The festival doesn't set ticket prices or ride bracelet prices. The ride company decides that, and it's based on the price of fuel and how many rides they bring,” Brindley said. “We anticipate they're probably going to go up a little bit this year just based on where we're at in the economy.”

The festival will not have a talent show this year, but it may return next year.

More than 20 food vendors are expected to set up at the festival along with some craft and toy vendors.

The entertainment schedule is:

May 28 – The Next, 7-9 p.m. on the Gazebo Stage.

May 29 – Grey Galloway as Elvis, 7-9 p.m. on Gazebo Stage; Homeroom Hangover, 6-9 p.m. on the Railcar Stage.

May 30 – The Ron Retzer Trio, 7-9 p.m. on the Gazebo Stage; Badstone, 8-11 p.m. on the Railcar Stage.

Galloway, from Port Clinton, Ohio, recently won first place at an Elvis Festival in North Carolina and second place in an Elvis competition in Branson, Missouri. He will portray all three eras of Elvis from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The festival committee will host one of the county’s newest bands, Homeroom Hangover, Friday night. The band members are Hal Harmon, Tyler Burke, Drew Jones, Tanner Rothel and Drexel Weber. The goal of the band is to bring joy and nostalgia to people by playing the music they grew up with.

The board members for the 2026 festival are Brindley, Beth DiDonato, Derek Kohler, Sissy Coen, Tracie Ayers, Tina Newman, Aron Brindley, Helen Borland, Roger Deardorff and Rayne Ayers.

The Dennison Railroad Festival is always looking for more volunteers and board members. If interested, contact the board through the Facebook page or email rrfestinfo@gmail.com. Visit Dennison Railroad Festival on Facebook for updates on the festival schedule.