If you find yourself in Helena’s locally owned Hallmark store, you’ll notice a wooden ornament for sale stationed close to home.
The Last Chance Tour Train partnered with the store to sell “Save the Train” ornaments, with all proceeds going towards fundraising efforts to replace the tow unit and make repairs.
“We’re really pleased with the amount of outreach that we’ve had and the generosity that we’ve felt from people,” said Jamie Harris, Last Chance Tour Train Manager
Hallmark store owner Dave Simkins approached lifelong friend and tour train director Lee Holmes back in April after hearing the train needed help.
“We’re really impressed with the level of support Helena has for the train,” Simkins said. “The ornament is just kind of a nice thing to say, ‘yeah, we do support the train,’ and we hope they can raise all the money they need to refurbish it.”
In the past, Simkins sold metal ornaments to support the cathedral renovation and had the idea to do the same thing with the tour train.
“Several people had come forward and made some suggestions of what we could do,” Holmes said. “He was the first one who came forward and said, ‘let’s do’, and that made us excited about his potential.”
200 wooden ornaments were made, and almost all of them have sold out, raising nearly $2,000 for the fundraiser.
But the job isn’t done. Simkins plans to sell 1,500 metal tour train ornaments similar to the cathedral and firetower ones for one last fundraising push.
Tour train staff continue to appreciate the consistent support from the community.
“Warms my heart to be able to see the community connect with the train,” Holmes said. “It really belongs to them. I’ve been around for 52 years doing something or another for the tour train, but it belongs to the community.”
The tour train fundraiser currently sits at $70,000 of its $100,000 goal.
