On April 19, 2009 the members of the Granite State Modelers Club put on a “make and take” at the Hooksett Lions Club Train Show in Hooksett, NH at the middle school. With the help of a lot of great parents, we built kits with over four dozen kids from the ages of three to sixteen. Actually, make that three to about thirty. We actually had a parent build his first kit ever! We had some returnees from last year along with some new faces. At one point, I was just finishing up with one child when I looked up and saw a little girl patiently waiting for me. I thought she looked familiar. Her mom said that I had helped her last year and she wanted me to help her again! That was Teagan. I remembered her too, because last year her older brother (by a couple of years) was with her and she “got it” a lot more than he did. Boy, had she grown! This year, dad helped, but she fit most of the parts all by herself. The only complaint we heard was one little guy who wanted to build a train! The completed models that members had on display also created a lot of interest among passers by.

We gave lots of parents directions to a few local hobby stores so they could get more kits for their kids. The local K-Mart and WalMart no longer carry kits of any kind, and many parents are at a loss as to where to go to find any.

We will be back next year, with more kits! We actually had to “close up shop” an hour before the show ended because we ran out of kits. Last year we only did 24, so the interest had doubled!