Volunteers for All Aboard for Stolley Park rode the park’s train April 22, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – All Aboard for Stolley Park is nearing its fundraising goal to improve Stolley Park’s train and provide improvements at the park.
The group had an update event April 22 at the park. Tom Gdowski, a co-chair of the fundraising committee, said that the group has raised approximately $705,000 of its $750,000 goal. The group hopes to top the $750,000 from Go Big Give. The total project cost is $3 million. The City of Grand Island will spend money to help the project reach its goal.
Volunteers took a ride on the train in the afternoon on April 22. A number of people recalled going to Stolley Park when they were children.
All Aboard for Stolley Park member Korinna Naranjo said the group has had a number of events, including a float in the Harvest of Harmony parade and Railside Christmas. There is a cutout figure of a train that people can pay to display in their yards. So far, the train has been displayed in more than 100 yards.
The committee has also conducted a mass mailing and applied for grants, she said.
For Go Big Give, the committee is sponsoring a concert by String Beans at Grand Island Senior High School from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. May 1. The group is appealing to children.
Parks and Recreation Director Todd McCoy said the improvements to the train are among a number of projects going on at Stolley Park. Several projects are occurring in the park’s gardens. The main entrance to Stolley Park from Stolley Park Road will no longer be an entrance for vehicles, but a sidewalk is being installed on that route.
“A lot of exciting things are going on in the park,” McCoy said.
Former Mayor Margaret Hornady David recalled that she and her brother used to ride their bikes to the park when they were children.
Fundraising for All Aboard for Stolley Park started Oct. 1, 2024. The project has received a $100,000 gift from the Wolbach Foundation.
The land on the interior of the train tracks will be renovated. It will include a play area and an area with bike tracks, which are textured tracks on which people can ride bikes. There also will be landscaping improvements completed.
The train operates on weekends from April through September. The Stolley Park Railroad draws more than 12,000 passengers every year.
Amenities that will be added through the project include additional train features such as tunnels and signals, inclusive play mounds and structures, clear paths for walking, textured biking pump tracks, and beautification and seating.
The campaign is being run through the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation.
The website for the project is www.gicf.org/all-aboard. The mailing address for the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation is 1503 W. Second St., Grand Island, NE 68801.
