Tweetsie Will Team With Thomas The Tank Engine For June Trips

Peep! Peep! Thomas the Tank Engine is set to roll into Blowing Rock for the Day Out With Thomas 2007: All Aboard Tour. The event, which takes place June 1 – June 10, will be hosted by Tweetsie Railroad, www.tweetsie.com, located in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains on US Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock.
  For more than six decades, children have been captivated with the tales of Thomas the Tank Engine.  Pulling out of the station for its 12th consecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out With Thomas 2007: All Aboard Tour will visit 45 cities in the United States and Canada. Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 25-ton replica of everybody’s favorite #1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts.  Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors.
 Thomas the Tank Engine, star of Thomas & Friends™, on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS SproutSM will be kicking off his Day Out With Thomas 2007: All Aboard Tour in March and is expected to welcome more than 1 million passengers through December.  This limited-engagement experience features a variety of Thomas & Friends-themed entertainment for the entire family, including:
 • A 20-minute (approximate) ride with Thomas the Tank Engine
• The opportunity to meet and take a photo with Sir Topham Hatt™, Controller of the Railway 
• A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station; featuring stamps, temporary tattoos, hands-on arts and crafts activities and coloring sheets.
•Storytelling, video viewing and live music
 The tour provides a unique, interactive family experience at every station, offering a variety of entertaining activities that reflect the local flavor of each stop. Tweetsie Railroad activities will include amusement park rides for all ages, live entertainment at the Tweetsie Palace Saloon, Professor Peppercorn’s Magical Show and mascot characters Hopper and Porter’s ™ popular children’s show.  2007 also marks Tweetsie Railroad’s 50th anniversary.  Throughout the year there will be additional special events to commemorate Tweetsie’s golden anniversary.
 The approximately 20-minute train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine will depart every 30 minutes, rain or shine, between 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.  This event is expected to sell out, so advance purchase of tickets is recommended to ensure a choice of dates and times. Tickets for the Day Out With Thomas™ 2007: All Aboard Tour are $29 for adults and $21 for children ages 3 through 12.  Children age 2 and under are admitted free.
 Tickets are on sale now and are available by calling toll-free 1-877-TWEETSIE (877-893-3874) or logging onto www.tweetsie.com.