Stew From Redbird Cafe Offered On Homewood Hobo Night

HOMEWOOD, IL - The village of Homewood will host its annual Homewood Hobo Night on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Homewood Rail Park. The event will run from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Chestnut Road and Park Avenue that night and feature live music from local singer M.G. Bailey, s'mores, fun decorating activities, tours of the Rail Park's retired and restored Illinois Central locomotive and caboose and hobo stew compliments of Redbird Cafe.

Attendees under the age of 18-years-old receive a hobo snack (s’more fixings), and a hobo decoder book to learn how the rail-riders communicated.

“Homewood is celebrating its rich rail history with this fun evening out for the whole family,” said Mayor Rich Hofeld. “The spirit of the event is to introduce and educate youngsters about how life was for a group of people who 'rode the rails' from town to town looking for work. It’s a nice time to come out, hear music, eat s’mores and learn about a part of American lore that is often overlooked.”

The annual early fall event celebrates Homewood's strong connection to the railroad. The village remains a stop on the Metra Electric and Amtrak lines and was a major line on the former Illinois Central railroad. Homewood is also the North American headquarters for CN.

Photo courtesy of the village of Homewood