Santa’s Holiday Express dazzles children
Hundreds show up to see jolly elf and his reindeer
Santa and his elves made a stop in Ashdown, Ark., Saturday afternoon on the Holiday Express train of Kansas City Southern Railway Co. to see hundreds of smiling children and families lining Main Street for the event.
The jovial train consisted of six cars, each adorned with holiday lights. The tank car that headed the Holiday Express featured a smiling Rudy, with 2015 Holiday Express written on the side. Behind Rudy was a flatcar displaying a miniature Christmas village that carried Santa’s sleigh and reindeer; a gingerbread boxcar; a car that contained the elves’ workshop; a reindeer stable car; and a red caboose.
Jubilant elves helped cheerful families into the red caboose, where they were met by other members of Santa’s team who guided them through the caboose, workshop and gingerbread car. There, children were met with festive holiday decor, including Christmas trees and several model train sets, before being given goody bags containing puzzles, yellow “Darby” teddy bears and candy.
Allen Franks of Ashdown attended with his three grandchildren— Aiden, 10; Emily, 6; and Conner, 7—and their parents, Christy and William Franks, who drove in from Nashville, Ark., to attend. Allen Franks said this was his first time seeing the Holiday Express, and he and his family were enjoying the festivities.
Emily came off the tour eager for more fun and said she had told Santa that she wanted a cotten candy maker for Christmas. She
and her brothers have been good this year, she said.
The Frankses stood in line for about two hours to tour the train, but Christy Franks said it was worth it for the children.
“We loved it,” she said. “This was our first time coming, and it was well worth the trip.”
Just a few feet down the tracks, Santa sat in a wooden chair under a tent where another line of bright-eyed children waited patiently for a special moment with Santa while parents snapped photos of their little ones.
Santa’s self-professed righthand man and Head Elf Grant Elliott, manager of facilities and heritage operator at KCS, said he and the volunteers for the Holiday Express enjoy seeing all the children’s smiling faces. Elliott noted that for some children attending, the free event might be the only Christmas their families can afford.
“Holiday Express is a volunteer run,” said Elliott, in headto-toe elf gear. “I love interacting with the kids and the public. The children are so happy. It’s really just a lot of fun.”
This year marks the 15th annual Holiday Express run, which has raised well over $1 million since its inception, according to
reports. Elliott said the convoy will have stopped in 20 communities in seven states by the end of the holiday season.
The charitable component to the event, according to Elliott, is that donations received throughout the year are distributed as gift cards to each local branch of the Salvation Army—the amount of which is determined by the size of the town that is stopped in.
This year’s Holiday Express run, he said, is dedicated to his predecessor, Willis F. Kilpatrick, who died in June. Kilpatrick was one of the founders of the Holiday Express in 2001 and was the head of the operation, and also Head Elf until 2012, as he retired in early 2013.
Kilpatrick was nicknamed Darby by his family, hence the name Darby given to the teddy bears distributed in gift bags in his memory. The color of the Darby bears, yellow, is said to have been Kilpatrick’s favorite color. The bears were presented in gratitude and honor of Kilpatrick’s contributions to the event in previous years, KCS employees said.
Elliot said KCS employees enjoyed the large crowd brought by the Ashdown stop, and the Holiday Express would be making its next stop today in Heavener, Okla., and new stops every day until the end of their run on Dec. 16.