BOOTHBAY

The Boothbay Railway Village is gearing up for its 52nd season, and the nonprofit museum needs the help of volunteers to make history move for visitors. During two work before the season starts, volunteers can learn something new, share their passion for history with others and make new friends in the process.

The first work day will be on April 29. Participants can assist with either cleaning and stocking the museum store or they can pitch in with work around the grounds like racking leaves, picking up sticks, and preparing garden beds for planting.

The second work day on May 13 will also have two teams. One will be working outside to plant window boxes and new gardens while the other will work with some of the museum’s staff on cleaning the antique auto exhibit from top to bottom — including getting up close and personal with the more than 60 antique cars displayed there.

Both work days are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon and will end with a light picnic lunch courtesy of the volunteers that serve as the Museum’s Board of Directors. To sign up for a work day email the date, which project you want to help with, your name and phone number or email address to staff@railwayvillage.org or call (207) 633- 4727 with the same information.

“Because we are such a small staff and the museum is such a diverse place, we have this amazing opportunity to spend time one on one with our volunteers and make each one’s experience custom to their schedule and interests,” said Museum Executive Director Margaret Hoffman. “For example this year we have a new volunteer named Bill Bruce coming from Harpswell one day a week to assist with education programs and motorcoach tours. John and Cathy Orne plan to be here every Friday and Saturday operating the steam train, and we can’t want to see Tom Wriggins back on the platform greeting guests every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Some other volunteers work behind the scenes like Mike Rowe who comes over from Southport once a week during the season just to polish the brass and chrome in the auto exhibit or Chip Faulter from Georgetown who is the world’s best mailing assistant.”

There are many ways volunteers can assist in the day to day operation of the museum and during its popular schedule of family-friendly events. There is an application to complete and staff will sit down with the new volunteers to figure out how best to get started.

Those interested in joining the volunteer team at the Boothbay Railway Village should contact Margaret at margaret@railwayvillage.org or at (207) 633-4727.