The Buckners come every year and said they were excited to bring their son this year, who’s finally old enough to enjoy it. They stopped by the miniature San Francisco as the train passed by.
Keren Carrión
The Trains at NorthPark exhibit has been a family tradition for 32 years and raises over $13 million for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Families brought their little ones to experience the 1,600 feet of track rolling from coast to coast on opening day.
Jones Robertson, 4, looks for Woody and Buzz Lightyear on the scavenger hunt at NorthPark’s Train exhibit. Amanda Robertson said she’s been coming to the exhibit since she was a kid and wants to continue the family tradition for her own children.
Keren Carrión
The trains pass by the small replicas of downtown Dallas. The exhibit features over 600 trains and is considered the most elaborate miniature toy train exhibit in Texas.
Keren Carrión
Annie Byrd holds her son Charlie, 2, while watching the trains run through miniature New York City with her family. Although they recently moved about an hour from Dallas, the Byrds have been coming to the exhibit for 10 years. “It’s December first, so we decided to surprise the kids to see the trains in NorthPark,” she said.
Keren Carrión
Woody and Buzzlightyear were among the 30 objects included in the exhibit’s scavenger hunt. Chris Hubbard took his two-year-old son Oliver to the exhibit. “He likes the characters they hide,” Hubbard said. “His favorite part is to find the hidden figurines.”
Keren Carrión
Three-year-old Penelope Shelley is mesmerized by the trains passing through the tiny village of New York City. Her mother was excited to kick off the Christmas spirit with this activity for the little ones. The exhibit will remain open until Jan. 2, 2022.
Keren Carrión
Keren Carrión is a corps member with Report For America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Got a tip? Email Keren at Kcarrion@kera.org. You can follow Keren on Twitter @kerencarrion8.
Keren I. Carrión is a visual journalist for KERA in Dallas as well as The Texas Newsroom, a journalism collaboration among the public radio stations of Texas and NPR. She is currently a Report for America corps member.