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Date: 2004-05-06 TAKE DAD FOR A TROLLEY RIDE FATHER’S DAY AT THE FOX RIVER TROLLEY MUSEUM A trip back in time at an unbeatable price awaits dad and granddad this Father’s Day at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin. The museum will offer fathers, grandfathers and even the great-grandfathers who remember the trolley cars best free rides with a paid child’s fare, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. June 20. “It’s our way of saying thanks to all the fathers and grandfathers who have made the Chicago area great,” said Ed Konecki, museum president. Riders are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and stop at the Blackhawk Forest Preserve, the line’s southerly terminal. Riders also can board the trains at the Blackhawk station, a faithful recreation of the shelter that shielded riders from the elements outside the old Coleman Grove amusement park, the privately-owned park that existed from 1896 into the 1930s on the site of the Forest Preserve. The railroad is the last remnant of the trolley line that once served the park, the Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company, Konecki said. The line dates back to 1896. The museum’s line was once part of a larger network of electrically-operated railroads that operated throughout the western suburbs. The museum owns more than 25 pieces of historic railroad, "L," streetcar and interurban electric railway equipment, much of it from the Chicago metropolitan area. Regular fares are $3.50 for adults and $2 for senior citizens and children ages 3-11. Children under 3 ride free. The Fox River Trolley Museum is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the colorful history of Chicago's "L" and interurban electric railway lines. It is open Sundays and holidays through Nov. 7, and Saturdays during July and August. It can be reached by taking either Interstate 88 or Interstate 90 to the Fox River Valley and exiting at Illinois 31. Follow Highway 31 to the museum at 361 S. LaFox St., three blocks south of the State Street stoplight. For information, or to charter a train, call (847) 697-4676.
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