Homewood's 'Hobo Night' Rolls Back into Town Oct. 8

HOMEWOOD, IL — A favorite with Homewood families will return Saturday, Oct. 8, as the Village of Homewood hosts its annual Hobo Night.

The event is held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m at the Homewood Rail Park, at Chestnut and Park Ave. The evening, hosted by the Village of Homewood Rail Committee, features hobo storytelling, a hobo costume contest, s’mores, an old fashioned sing-a-long and tours of the Rail Park’s retired and restored Illinois Central locomotive and caboose. Admission is free and open to the public.

“Hobo Night is a fun way for the whole family to experience a little slice of life from a gone-by era,” said Mayor Rich Hofeld. “The kids’ costumes are so creative and it’s so great to see the community to come together and celebrate our rich railroad history.”

Homewood Hobo Night features a wide variety of activities for ages 4 to 18-years old and their families. Attendees under the age of 18-years-old receive a hobo snack (s’more fixings), a hoboname and a hobo decoder book to learn how the rail-riders communicated. One-man band and Homewood resident, M G Bailey will perform train-themed songs along as well as lead a sing a-long. Storyteller Hobo Joe will regale the audience with yarns from the olden rail days. Attendees are encouraged to wear hobo costumes and there will be a costume contest for those under 18-years-old. Everyone will also receive a sample of hobo stew.

Homewood has a rich history with the railroad as it is a stop for the Metra Electric, Amtrak and is a main line for the former Illinois Central (IC) line which is now Canadian National (CN). Homewood is also the North American headquarters for CN. In 2007, Homewood unveiled a train watching platform on Harwood Ave. which provides a safe and legal vantage point for observing the tracks. The CN main and running tracks together feature more than 30 freight movements a day, including road freights, switch moves and transfers. The Homewood Rail Park where the HoboNight takes place, features a permanent IC locomotive and caboose and borders the Metra platform on Park Ave.

For more information, visit www.HomeSweetHomewood.com.

Photos provided by Village of Homewood.