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Railroads to bring aid to Chopticon band
Train display intended to attract customers to benefit craft and gift show
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by JESSE YEATMAN
Geoff Westbrook and his fiancee, Mary Ann Scott, marvel at their new Harley-Davidson model train, which will be on display at this Saturday's train and craft show to benefit the school's marching band.
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Several trains will roll into Chopticon High School this Saturday for a craft and gift show to benefit the school's marching band.
Last year Mary Ann Scott, along with fellow band parents Mary Hayden and Donna Ordille, were looking for a potentially big fundraiser.
The band boosters had been having a difficult time raising money, especially with the extra cash needed for last season's trip to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta.
"We always came back to the idea of a craft show," Scott said. Everyone else said it would never work, that there are too many craft shows already, too much competition, she said.
"We decided to go ahead with our plans in spite of the nay-sayers," she said.
To add another element to the show and draw more people, she recruited her fiance, Geoff Westbrook, a model railroader.
"I've been collecting them since Geoffrey was born," he said. Geoffrey, his son, is now a sophomore at Chopticon and a member of the school's marching band.
The idea of adding model trains to the craft show was sealed once several model train vendors agreed to join their efforts, Scott said. Sidetrack Hobbies from Leonardtown and Tina Trains of Hughesville were two of the vendors to bring their wares to Chopticon last year.
The event raised more than $2,000 for the marching band, and so it will be repeated again on Saturday.
It is a lot of work getting the trains moved to and set up at Chopticon, but Westbrook said he is happy to do it. It gives him a good excuse to pull the trains and track out of their boxes, since he doesn't have enough room to leave them up permanently at his home in Mechanicsville.
"I wasn't sure at first. It's been a real treat," he said.
He spent a few hours last week setting up the track at his home in the garage to test the layout and make sure everything was in working order. This Friday he will disassemble most of it and haul it to Chopticon, where it will be put back together in the cafeteria.
"I'll be bringing three or four trains," Westbrook said. "This is pretty close to what I did last year."
There will be a multi-level aspect to the layout this year, something his son is looking forward to seeing. "It was a cool layout last year, but I like this year's better," because of the multiple levels, Geoffrey Westbrook, 15, said. The boy is playing baritone horn in the marching band this season.
Scott is no stranger to model trains, either. She was given a model train by her father each Christmas for five years between the ages of 5 and 10. She eventually gave the trains away to her nephew, but Scott said those engines, now more than 50 years old, could make an appearance at this week's show.
Westbrook and Scott are avid motorcyclists. This year they gave themselves an early Christmas present in the form of a Harley-Davidson model train set. Along with the engine and cars, there is a Harley shop, water tower and miniature cycles. The new set will also be incorporated into the layout at Chopticon this week.
Westbrook said that others are welcome to bring their model trains to the event to set up and share with visitors.
"We'd love it," he said. "The more the merrier."
Along with gifts for sale, including model trains, wood crafts and jewelry, there will be food including cream of crab soup, apple cider, barbecue sandwiches and pizza. The event will take place in the cafeteria and lobby of the school.
The band finished with its home football game shows two weeks ago, but has a performance scheduled for the Veterans Day parade in Leonardtown next week. Their final performance this year will be at the Northern States Championship on Nov. 14 in Allentown, Pa.
The 50-member band under the direction of Todd Burroughs has received first or second place in every competition so far this season for their 2009 show, "Les Miserables," as well as caption awards including best music, best overall effect, best drum major, best percussion and best color guard.
If you go
The Chopticon High School band train and craft show will be on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school. Admission is $5; children younger than 12 get in free.
