DECATUR -- Since the movie hit theaters in 2004, children from all walks of life sit down every year to enjoy Tom Hanks' triple role in "The Polar Express." The students of the pre-kindergarten classes of Joyce Turnage and Rachel Duncan at Decatur Pre-K sat down Dec. 20 to enjoy a morning filled with snacks and railroad fun.
A tradition, made popular by the movie, for youngsters of all ages is to dress in their night clothes when taking the Polar Express trip. Adults partook of the jammies experience, too.
Mike Eckels, a conductor on the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad in Springdale, called the "All Aboard!" as students stood in line waiting to get their tickets punched.
As Eckels punched the last ticket, the kids settled in their imaginary seats to enjoy the long journey to the North Pole.
Every train has a two-person crew, a conductor (Eckels) and an engineer (a role Turnage filled). With everyone seated in the imaginary cars, Eckels gave the signal to pull out and Turnage poured the coal to the boilers -- and off the train went on its way to see Santa Claus.
But as quickly as the journey began, it came to a quiet end as the train pulled back into the imaginary station.
Just before Duncan's students returned to her classroom, Turnage brought out "The Believe Bell" for all to hear its sweet music. According to the movie, anyone who hears the bell truly believes in Santa and the Yule spirit. Not one child or adult failed to hear the sound of this special bell.
General News on 12/27/2017