For the third consecutive year, the Railway Village Museum hosted Cocktails & Chrome, a one-of-a-kind community-wide celebration in support of Maine's automotive heritage.

 

Attended by more than 100 incredible members of our community on Saturday, August 29, the event — featuring a lobster bake, silent auction, tours of the Antique Auto Museum, music by the Don Campbell Band, dancing, and of course train rides! — raised more than $19,000 in support of the "Driving History Forward" capital campaign.

 

On behalf of the RVM Board of Directors, our staff, members, and donors, we are so proud to share and officially launch the “Driving History Forward” campaign with you all – and to share our goal to host our grand opening in the summer of 2029.  

 

“As President of the Railway Village Museum, I invite you to join us as we celebrate this exciting milestone,” said Caleb Hodgdon. “This new building is an investment in the future of the Museum. Thank you for your support.”

 

What started as wheels in motion to preserve the history of auto making has evolved into a community-wide effort to create an 8,000 square-foot multi-purpose building to support preservation while also providing a community education & technology center, auto workshop and garage, curation and archival library, and hands-on opportunities for all generations of Mainers and visitors to enjoy.

 

We invite you to join us in making this vision a reality by supporting the Driving History Forward Capital Campaign and helping to create a vibrant multi-purpose facility to meet our ever-growing campus and community STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and education needs.

 

Every gift, no matter the size, makes a big difference and greatly impacts the Railway Village Museum, our ability to continue to preserve our Maine history, and supports community outreach, engagement, and access. 

 

Learn more about the campaign at railwayvillage.org/donate/moving-history-forward.

 

A great thank you to all our Cocktails & Chrome sponsors: Antique Level: Maine Lobster Community Alliance & Mine Oyster;  Vintage Level: J. Edward Knight Insurance; Sleeper Level: Brown's Wharf, Carousel Marina & Whale's Tale; Classic Level: Harold W. Bishop Agency; and Ports of Italy. Muscle Level: Cameron & Adam Reny, East Boothbay General Store, Janson's Clothing, and Shawn Lewin & Sandy Leonard

 

And all of our auction item donors: A special thank you to Betty Maddocks for her incredible time and help with our auction items - Ae Ceramics, Abacus Gallery, A Silver Lining, Atlantic Edge Lobster, Black River Gallery, Boothbay Harbor Collection Hotels, Cap’n Fish’s Cruises, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Coastal Maine Popcorn, Dunton's Doghouse, East Boothbay General Store, Gold/Smith Gallery, Ed Brown's Wharfside Gallery, Enchantments, Finest Kind, Footbridge Brewery & BBQ, Gimbel & Sons Country Store, Grover's Hardware, Hardy Boat Cruises, House of Logan, Janson's Clothing, Log Cabin Shoes, Maine Maritime Museum, Mine Oyster, Mung Bean, Oceanside/Coastal Prime, Orne's Candy Store, Pier 1 Pizza, Pinkham's Gourmet Market, Ports of Italy, Seawicks, Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, sweet bay, The Hutch, The Smiling Cow, Three Buoys, Tigger Leather, Woodsong Market.

 

Are you interested in learning more about the campaign, becoming an advocate for the campaign, or making a gift to make your impact? Let's get together! We’d love to meet with you to learn more about you, your interest in getting involved, and to share more about the campaign.

 

Please give the Railway Village Museum development office a call at 207-304-0485 or email us at development@railwayvillage.org