By Buster Barkley, Hilarious News lead reporter
Some weekends ask you to pick a side. Steamtown National Historic Site’s Railfest asks a more practical question: are you arriving as a railroad employee, a historic personality, or a mascot with enough confidence to make a brass bell reconsider its life choices?
The National Park Service says Railfest 2026 runs September 4–6 at Steamtown in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The event includes train rides, demonstrations, exhibits, music, ranger programs, and its first “Life on the Railroad” Costume Contest. That contest is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, September 6, in the presentation tent next to the History Museum.
The contest categories are delightfully specific: Best Railroad Employee, Best Railroad Mascot, Best Railroading Era Personality, and Best Pair. The park suggests characters such as Phoebe Snow, Chessie the Cat, and Rocky the Mountain Goat as mascot inspiration. In other words, history fans can bring a carefully researched conductor jacket, while the rest of us can spend the morning explaining to a roommate why a goat costume is now “archival outreach.”
According to the park’s event listing, judges will consider presentation, effort, and creativity. Adult and child winners will be chosen in each individual category, while the Best Pair category has one winning duo. Winners need to be at the tent to collect their prize. Buster’s field note: if you have committed to a full cat costume, this is the moment to stay in the spotlight instead of disappearing behind a locomotive for snacks.
Railfest’s general admission is free. The NPS lists separate prices for some short train rides, and notes that programming may change because of mechanical issues, weather, or crew and partner availability. Visitors can check the park’s Railfest page for the current schedule and ride details.
There is one rule worth reading before anyone tries to recruit the family dog as a campaign manager: the park’s core complex welcomes service animals, while costume judging is reserved for human participants. Costumes, however, are very much invited.
Railfest is also celebrating Steamtown’s 40th anniversary as a national park site, the 200th anniversary of the start of railroading in the United States, and America’s 250th. That is a lot of history for one weekend—and, finally, a respectable reason to own a period-appropriate hat.
Source: National Park Service: Railfest at Steamtown National Historic Site.
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