Plans for celebrating Heartland Flyer anniversary in full gear

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jun 6, 2000 by Bill May

If the first year of operation is any indication, Amtrak and Oklahoma belong together.

Since the Heartland Flyer started service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth on June 14, 1999, 60,952 people have ridden it. That's nearly three times what was forecast when plans were being laid.

"By the time the (first) anniversary comes around, we could have 75,000 riders," said Gregg Bilby of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs. "We had 5,348 in April."

Figures for May are not yet available.

Negotiations are under way to expand the rail passenger service to Oklahoma, but it's not known when, or even if, those negotiations will bear fruit.

There's talk of bringing an Amtrak train from Kansas City to Tulsa, then expanding the Heartland Flyer north to Newton, Kan., then starting service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

All these routes would provide Oklahomans with connections to Amtrak's national system. As it is, travelers can ride the train to Fort Worth and change trains for points south, southeast and southwest.

With the early success of the Heartland Flyer, all stops are being pulled to celebrate the first anniversary, and to raise public consciousness even higher.

Ardmore, utilizing the offices of the Ardmore Main Street Authority, probably has the biggest celebration planned, with the entire community involved, according to Judi Elmore, authority president.

"When the idea for an anniversary celebration came up, we volunteered to be a part of that activity," Elmore said. "Now we've got the whole community involved."

The celebration is sponsored by the Amtrak tourism coalition, made up of chambers of commerce and tourist bureaus in each of the cities where the train stops. The idea of the coalition was to develop ways to market the entire route as a tourist destination, with each city offering something different.

Ardmore's celebration, which will feature a community barbecue, is planned for the city's deserted railroad depot. Although the depot's scheduled $1.5 million restoration has not started, part of the depot will be open for the festivities, Elmore said.

Other communities along the route also are participating. When the train stops at the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, a group in 1906 period costume is expected to board the train to enliven the remainder of the trip.

They will be passing out souvenirs while a bluegrass band provides entertainment.

"This has turned into a really big deal for Ardmore," Elmore said.

The Masonic Lodge, Ardmore Tourism Authority, Carter County Republicans and Democrats, the YWCA, Boy Scouts of America and Relay for Life are expected to participate, as are local politicians. Three local radio stations will broadcast live from the event.

"We are doing this because the train has been much more successful than anyone anticipated," Elmore said.

Not to be outdone, Oklahoma City is kicking off the festivities, started somewhere around 7:30 a.m. June 14.

Amtrak is bringing in a Superliner coach, a diner and a lounge car for display at the Santa Fe Depot all weekend. The cars will be open to the public from noon until 9 p.m. Friday and between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday.

Although these cars are not available as part of the Heartland Flyer, they could be. The display is to show Oklahoma City residents what is available, Bilby said.

Sunday is designated as Heartland Flyer Family Day with cars on display between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

It's important not to be late on Sunday, because free hot dogs and soda pop will be served as long as they last. Serving begins at 11 a.m.

The U.S. Postal Service is bringing its traveling museum for display at the depot, at the corner of E.K. Gaylord and W. Reno Avenue. The museum will be open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. June 14.

Oklahoma legislators and state officials, along with city officials, have been invited to the celebration on June 14. Amtrak and the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railway have announced they will send a delegation.

Speeches are expected to start around 7:30 a.m.

Besides all this, a special Saturday luncheon is planned for coalition members and volunteers and for special guests. Jim Brewer, owner of the Santa Fe Depot and one of the forces behind development of Bricktown, is host for the event.

"We're excited about all the activities here and in Oklahoma City," Elmore said. "We have the depot and the city all decorated for the train, we've got people to line up with small American flags and we've got old-fashioned bunting to put up.

"There are a lot of rail enthusiasts here and in Oklahoma. They are really excited about it. When was mentioned that we would have this event, all of them volunteered to help out."

When plans were started, the idea was that the celebration would be low key, with perhaps Neal McCaleb, Oklahoma's secretary of transportation, and Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys making speeches, Bilby said.

"We're going to have normal (train) operations on that day," he said.

But paying passengers had better arrive early. A large contingent of press, legislators and officials are invited to make the trek to Ardmore for the celebration there. They will return to Oklahoma City via bus.