250 Buckeye Train Launch event taking place June 26
The America 250 mural designed by Sarah Dugger is located near the Dennison Depot.
The community is invited to attend the 250 Buckeye Train and Transportation public launch event Thursday, June 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dennison Depot Railroad Museum in Dennison. The event will feature canteen doughnuts and coffee, 1940s entertainment, museum tours and more.
After a presentation at 11:30 a.m., guests can tour the railroad cars and get refreshments. “With the 250th anniversary of the nation coming, we wanted to get involved,” said Wendy Zucal, Dennison Depot Museum director. “We were able to be on Gov. DeWine’s commission for America 250 as one of the museums in Ohio.”
The State of Ohio has five main projects for America 250 focusing on different aspects of the state’s history. Zucal encourages everyone to watch for America 250 upcoming events and projects around the state with celebrations that will include different types of trails, murals, and community events like homecomings and picnics.
A warehouse across the railroad tracks from the Dennison Depot is now the home of the America 250 mural for Tuscarawas County. Local artist Sarah Dugger designed the mural.
In 2026 each month will focus on a different area of America’s history.
“Next year in April is transportation, so everything will be planes, trains and automobiles in April,” Zucal said.
The event has been in the process of planning for three years.
The 250 Buckeye Train excursion planned for April 25 will go from Columbus to Dennison for a thee-hour layover and back. On April 26 another Buckeye Train excursion will leave from Newark and make a pickup in Coshocton, then travel to Dennison for a three-hour layover before returning.
“There’ll be all kinds of things going on in Dennison both days. We’ll have a car show, vintage planes flying all over. There’s reenactors, food trucks and all kinds of displays,” Zucal said.
The car show will begin in Dennison and end in Uhrichsville, allowing those attending the opportunity to visit the new clay museum in Uhrichsville, which is on schedule to be completed before the event.
The communities along the trips will be informed of the schedule so they can come out and wave to people on the train. An area in Newcomerstown used for the North Pole during the Polar Express will be transformed into Victory Town for the excursions. Donations of red, white and blue decorations are being sought.
Volunteers are needed to help with the event. Volunteer applications are currently being accepted for 2026. Anyone working on the train would begin and end their duties in Columbus April 25 and in Newark April 26. Columbus volunteers would need to be on-site at 7 a.m. and will not be done until about 8 p.m. For the Newark trip, volunteers would need to be on-site at 7 a.m. and will not be done until about 6-7 p.m. Volunteer jobs available on the trains would be car host, storyteller, and volunteers to help with food, snacks and supplies.
Other volunteer opportunities available include preparing train cars for the trips, setting up for the event in Dennison April 24 and helping to turn the North Pole into Victory Town April 15-16 in Newcomerstown.
The are many spots available for the transportation celebration in Dennison April 25-26 including the information booth, front office, museum tour guide, car show, canteen, gift shop, serving VIP lunch at the Streetside Center, and helping with trash, supplies, cleanup and reset. Two-hour shifts are available.
Call the Dennison Depot Railroad Museum at 740-922-6776 or email 250BuckeyeTrain@dennisondepot.org.