East Central Reporter

Monticello children are invited to join Santa Claus for a special lunch on a train ride during the weekend of Dec. 3. 

Tickets for lunch with Santa are available for the day of the Monticello parade, Dec. 3, at 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to AllEvents. Tickets are also available for Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. Please note that the train ride scheduled for Dec. 3 at 11:15 a.m. takes place during the Monticello Christmas parade, so passengers of that train ride will not be able to attend the parade.

The train ride should last for approximately one hour. Santa will visit individually with each child during the train ride. A coach ticket will include a lunch of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, and drink; cheese sandwiches are available on request for children with allergies. A dining car ticket will include a lunch of a Subway turkey sandwich, chips, cookie, and bottle of water, along with a commemorative keepsake and one digital photo from a professional photographer.

Coach tickets are $20 per person; dining car service for a table of up to four people is $180. There are no restrooms on the train, so visitors are advised to use the restrooms at the boarding site (Wabash Depot) before embarking on the train ride. Children aged two and older will need a ticket to ride the train. Children under the age of two are required to sit on a lap and will not receive a lunch without buying a ticket.

Tickets will be available for pick-up at the Monticello Railway Museum, Wabash Depot, in downtown Monticello (at the corner of Livingston Street and Independence Street) on the day of the train ride. Visitors are urged to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure time to give them enough time to pick up their tickets and board the train. Tickets will not be mailed.