victoriavm Activities, fundraiser, Griffith Depot and Historical Park, Santa in the Caboose, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Support the Rail-Cam

Santa in the Caboose!

Reminder, mark your calendars for this year’s

🎅 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐒𝐄! 🚃

➜ 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 14: 10 𝒂.𝒎. 𝒕𝒐 3 𝒑.𝒎.
➜ 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 15: 𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 3 𝒑.𝒎..

💸 Give a donation to see Santa (our 27th annual!) and support the upkeep (and heating!) of the Historical Park!
📸 Take as many personal photos as you’d like – you can even record the visit on your phone!
🍪 Be sure to shop our Holiday Bake Sale and the holiday stocking stuffers that Girl Scout Troop 15620 will be offering.

🌭☕️ Hot dogs and hot chocolate will be sold by Griffith Cub Scout Pack 622 and Griffith Boy Scout Pack 623.🚂🧲 Griffith train magnets will be available for sale.

*𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴!

victoriavm fundraiser, Santa in the Caboose, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Support the Rail-Cam

Griffith Magnets make great Stocking Stuffers!

𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘀 🚂🧲
make GREAT stocking stuffers!! 🧦🎄
$5 each – local pickup
(We’ll also have them for sale at Santa in the Caboose!)
We can ship multiple magnets for a flat $4 fee!

Your purchases and donations go directly to helping maintain our Depot & Train Park and the Franklin Museum! We are all volunteers and we appreciate your support!

victoriavm Activities, Meetings, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Support the Rail-Cam

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗻

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗻
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀!
𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟲, 𝗡𝗼𝗼𝗻
** Updated location: Corner Cafe at Broad and Main
$𝟭𝟱 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻

There’s been a change in our Annual Dinner Meeting. It’s become a luncheon meeting! And it’s on a Saturday, not a Wednesday.

The change was made in hopes of getting more people to come out, especially our older members who no longer like driving at night.

This year’s meeting will be held at noon, on November 16th at Corner Cafe restaurant.

Attendees will have five different meal choices, some from the senior menu. The price will be $15 Text Nancy Stout if you plan on attending.

The winning ticket in our 50-50 Super 7 Raffle will be drawn at this meeting.
Want more tickets? Contact Debby Hoot.

victoriavm Activities, fundraiser, Griffith Depot and Historical Park, Santa in the Caboose, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Support the Rail-Cam

🎅 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐒𝐄 2024 🚃

We know it’s not even Halloween yet, but mark your calendars for this year’s
🎅 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐒𝐄! 🚃
➜ 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒: 𝟏𝟎 𝐚.𝐦. 𝐭𝐨 𝟑 𝐩.𝐦.
➜ 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓: 𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝟑 𝐩.𝐦.

Our 27th annual Santa in the Caboose (minus two Covid years) is scheduled for Saturday, December 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, December 15th, from noon to 3 p.m.

With winter illnesses in mind, we are minimizing the size of our crew working in the small caboose. So, we are again not taking or printing photos.

Instead, we are asking for a donation to see Santa. Your donation helps pay the bills, which grow in the winter, having to heat the Depot and the Tower.

When you’re with Santa, you can take as many personal photos as you wish. You can even record the visit on your phone! Looking forward to seeing you in December!

We will again be having our Holiday Bake Sale in the Depot on both days, too. And Girl Scout Troop 15620 will again be with us, offering holiday hair clips and headbands for sale.

victoriavm Activities, Blog Posts, Griffith Depot and Historical Park, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Support the Rail-Cam, Volunteer

A final set of Thank Yous

𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐬 to EVERYONE who donated to this year’s ElmerJ Program for Griffith’s 3rd graders!

This isn’t nearly all the thank you notes and pictures we received. There were oh-so-many more, and all equally as grateful and excited that they were able to visit our museum and learn about Griffith’s history AND that it was all completely funded by the kind donations of our Members!!

So THANK YOU once again! You can donate to us anytime via the “donate” button on our website. And if you would like to volunteer for events like these, or anything down at the Historical Society, please send us a message or email ([email protected])! We are always looking for volunteers and enthusiastic Griffith-ites to help our programs run!

victoriavm Activities, Blog Posts, fundraiser, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Volunteer

Thank you #3!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 #3 to EVERYONE who donated to this year’s ElmerJ Program for Griffith’s 3rd graders!

Here is another set of the THANK YOUs written by the 3rd graders to our volunteers who ran the successful event, and to YOU, who donated and completely funded this program, making it possible for EVERY 3rd grader to enjoy!

victoriavm Activities, fundraiser, Griffith Depot and Historical Park, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Support the Rail-Cam, Volunteer

Thank you #2!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 #2 to EVERYONE who donated to help completely fund this program for Griffith’s 3rd graders!

Here are some more of the THANK YOUs written by the 3rd graders to our volunteers who ran the successful event, and to YOU, who donated and made this program possible for EVERY 3rd grader to enjoy!

victoriavm Activities, Blog Posts, fundraiser, Griffith Depot and Historical Park, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society

THANK YOU notes from ElmerJ Program!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 again to EVERYONE who donated to help completely fund this program for Griffith’s 3rd graders!

Our presentations and field trip days were a complete success, and this week, we’ll be sharing some of the THANK YOUs written by the 3rd graders to our volunteers who ran the event, and to YOU, who donated and made this program possible for EVERY 3rd grader to enjoy!

victoriavm Activities, Blog Posts, fundraiser, Griffith Depot and Historical Park, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society

Thank You!!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮! 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮!

Our goal was accomplished thanks to YOU!

The Griffith Historical Society is proud to announce that participation by Griffith Public Schools third-grade classes in the Society’s ElmerJ Program this coming September has been totally underwritten by donations from our members, Griffith Public School graduates, and others.

The two books and the cost of the bus for the field trip to our Griffith Historical Park will be free for all students!

The ElmerJ Program, named for town founders Elmer and Jay Dwiggins, was instituted in 2022 by the Griffith Historical Society to help students learn about the history of their town, which is part of their Social Studies curriculum. The program includes an introductory, in-school PowerPoint presentation, after which each class gets a guided tour of the Depot, railcars and Tower at the Griffith Historical Park.

Two books on railroad and Griffith history, created by the Society, are given to the students, as well as primary-source stories of growing up in Griffith, written by the grand-daughter of the town’s first settlers.

This is the first year we asked for donations to underwrite the ElmerJ Program, and we are so grateful to our members, GPS graduates, and others for their donations. From the beginning, Griffith townspeople cared about schools and the children who attended them, and it continues today. 💛🖤💛

victoriavm Activities, Blog Posts, fundraiser, Griffith Depot and Historical Park, Support the Depot, Support the Historical Society, Support the Rail-Cam, Volunteer

Standing Committees (Ways You Can Volunteer!)

We are always up to something at the Historical Society. We are constantly looking for ways to keep up our efforts to preserve Griffith’s historical records and stories, and publicize and fundraise for our efforts!

These are our standing committees, for which we ALWAYS accept new volunteer help!
Please contact us at [email protected] or come to a monthy meeting, if you’d like to volunteer!

STANDING COMMITTEES : Functions and responsibilities (see current By-laws for additional information)
1. Audit: on-going and year-end audit of financial records. Real time auditing of on-going operations vs. strategic planning to offer recommendations to Board of Directors
2. Railroad Depot Curator: plans and develop programs, displays and plans for public access to the Historical Park and Depot to share the stories of Griffiths Heritage. Monitors and keeps records of museum assets.
3. Franklin Museum Curator: plans and develop programs, displays and plans for public access to the Franklin Museum to share the stories of Griffiths Heritage. Monitors and keeps records of museum assets.
4. Newsletter: collects and creates information about the GHS to plan for and publish a membership Newsletter. Goal to publish three times per year – Mar, Jul and November
5. Programs: Plans for other special programs for both museums, Depot & Franklin in coordination with other Historical Societies
6. By-Laws: provides year-end and on-going review of all Bylaw Articles for required timely updates and republishing if and as required
7. Ways & Means: coordinates development of new fundraising programs to support GHS operations and its projects, programs & event priorities.
8. Special Event Chairpersons
a. Raffle Sales: 50/50 Super 7 yearly raffle
b. Rock & Rail Fest (Aug)
c. Annual Meeting / Dinner (Nov)
d. Santa in The Caboose (Dec)
e. Oral History Project / Golden Senior Interviews
9. Barrel Train Coordinator: (Mar – Oct) Plans and coordinates operations and continued maintenance of the GHS Barrel train amusement ride.
10. Merchandise / Purchasing Agent: Plans for on-going purchases or expenses required. Tracks completion and reports to Treasury
11. Maintenance: Plans and Coordinates all Park, Museum, RR & other equipment maintenance, repairs & upgrades. Reports schedule and plans to BOD monthly.
12. Publicity / Communications: Plans for and coordinates all local, area and Social Media Communications, Plans, projects and programs to inform and promote the public about the Operation and activities of GHS to “Preserve and Share the Stories of Griffith’s Heritage..
13. Nominating Committee: Committee and Chairman appointed by Sept.1 by President. Solicit and recommend candidates for all Officers and open Director positions of the Society by November 1, 2024
14. Strategic Planning: Provides assistance in the development coordination, facilitation and integration of strategic planning into active and on-going operations of the GHS and its Officers, directors and member