News Release
For Immediate Release — November 12, 2010
Holiday Express at the UT Gardens Knoxville Nov. 24 through Jan. 2
The Holiday Express, located on the Friendship Plaza at the entrance to the University of Tennessee Gardens off Neyland Drive, runs Nov. 24, 2010, through Jan. 2, 2011, and has proven to be a wonderful family tradition.
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Garden Railroad Exhibit Features Miniature World of Wonder
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Holiday Express returns to the University of Tennessee Gardens this holiday season, featuring 12 garden-scale model trains, thousands of lights and a miniature landscape with more than 100 buildings decorated for the season. This popular holiday exhibit, located on the Friendship Plaza at the entrance to the University of Tennessee Gardens off Neyland Drive, runs Nov. 24, 2010, through Jan. 2, 2011, and has proven to be a wonderful family tradition.
New to this year’s Holiday Express at the UT Gardens is a bridge that will enable visitors to walk through the display and get a unique and up-close look at the miniature landscape and all the detail that makes the display such an amazing experience. This year’s event features trains running simultaneously on a quarter-mile track, with some of the g-scale trains running on “green power” with the help of a solar array provided by Sustainable Future, LLC. Visitors will marvel at the elaborate landscape, which includes replicas of existing East Tennessee architecture.
The event opens Thanksgiving weekend from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 24-27, and 12-6 p.m. Nov. 28. Thereafter, Holiday Express will be open 12-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 12-6 p.m. on Sundays Dec. 4, 2010, through Jan. 2, 2011. Holiday Express will also be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
On select Sundays, families can participate in a variety of holiday activities. Families can explore the Holiday Express and the Gardens together with a scavenger hunt, make a few special holiday crafts and visit with Santa Claus. These activities are available on Sunday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 19, from noon to 6 p.m. Activities are free with Holiday Express admission.
“Holiday Express at the UT Gardens is a wonderful, festive activity for the whole family to enjoy and a great way to support one of our region’s best treasures, the UT Gardens,” said Sue Hamilton, director of the UT Gardens. “Children and adults alike are assured an educational and fun time as they explore many of the railroad antiquities on display, many of which are interactive, along with the incredible holiday scene that garden railroading expert, Mark Fuhrman creates.”
Mark Fuhrman has partnered with the UT Institute of Agriculture and the Gardens for the third year to bring his wonderland to a larger audience during this special time of the year. Fuhrman customizes each train car and building by hand with a passion and care that has resulted in one of the largest train collections in East Tennessee.
Cost is $5 per person; children 4 and under are admitted free. Large group viewings can be scheduled by calling 865-974-7151. The event benefits the research and educational programs of the UT Gardens.
The Holiday Express is sponsored by WBIR-TV, Knoxville News Sentinel, WUOT, UT Federal Credit Union, Sustainable Future LLC and Clarence Brown Theatre. For more information, visit http://utgardens.tennessee.edu or call 865-974-7151.
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The University of Tennessee Gardens, located in Knoxville and Jackson, are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture. The Gardens were established to foster appreciation, education and stewardship of plants through horticultural gardens, displays, collections, educational programs, special events and research. The Gardens are a Tennessee Certified Arboretum, an American Conifer Society Reference Garden and an All-America Selections Test Garden. The Gardens are open during all seasons and are free to the public except during special events. To learn more about the Gardens and its educational programming, visit http://utgardens.tennessee.edu.
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Contact:
Emily Smith, UT Gardens Special Events and Education Coordinator, 865-974-7151 or esmith27@utk.edu
Sue Hamilton, UT Gardens Director, 865-974-7972 or sueham@utk.edu