CERA’s 75th Anniversary events are fast approaching, and are now less than a month away!
CERA is pulling out all the stops as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary this Sept. 20, 21, and 22. Tickets are on sale now by mail and through the CERA web site.
CERA has taken delivery on Trolley Sparks Special #1, and copies will be distributed starting on September 21st.
As detailed in our 75th Anniversary brochure, there are special fantrips to ride the Kenosha streetcars and visit both the Illinois Railway Museum and the Fox River Trolley Museum. You can either drive to these events or take our charter bus.
CNS&M line car 606 at North Chicago Junction in July 1962. (Photographer unknown) Our 75th Anniversary program will feature rare films of the North Shore Line. According to Don’s Rail Photos, “606 was built by Cincinnati in January 1923, #2620. In 1963 it became Chicago Transit Authority S-606 and burned in 1978. The remains were sold to the Indiana Transportation Museum.”
All this will be capped off on Saturday night, Sept. 21st, at our 75th Anniversary Banquet and Program. Longtime CERA Member, Director, and President Walter Keevil will present the program. Since this is the 50th anniversary of the North Shore Line’s demise, Walter will show rare films of that famous interurban from his extensive collection.
The hour-long program will include material from 1941 to 1962, with the Shore Line and streetcars included, as well as the mainline, Mundelein branch and scenes on the “L”. Preceding the program, we will have a short presentation of photos from CERA fantrips going back to 1938.
Tickets for the 75th Anniversary Banquet and Program are on sale now online and by mail. You can purchase tickets directly through our web site, using PayPal, credit or debit cards, or print out order forms.
CERA has negotiated a special $99 promotional rate with the Chicago Marriott O’Hare. You can make your reservations directly with the hotel (by telephone) using the special promotional code “CERA.”
Trolley Sparks Special #1
Everyone who attends the banquet and program on September 21st will receive a copy of Trolley Sparks Special #1, a limited-edition commemorative 80-page full color book celebrating CERA’s first 75 years. If you cannot make the banquet, you can still pre-order a copy here. Demand for this book is high, so reserve your copy now for this collector’s item, which is sure to sell out quickly. The books have been printed and will be distributed starting September 21st.
The $29 pre-order price includes domestic shipping only. Outside the US, shipping is via USPS First Class International for an additional $12 USD. Illinois residents should include 9.25% sales tax, making the total $31.68.
Myles Jarrow To Receive CERA Founder’s Award
The CERA Board of Directors has invited longtime member Myles Jarrow (#23) to be an honored guest at our 75th Anniversary Banquet and Program, where he will receive the prestigious Founder’s Award for his service and commitment to the organization. Myles is 91 years old and is the last living person who attended the earliest CERA meetings. We hope that you will join us in honoring Mr. Jarrow at the event for a lifetime of dedication.
We look forward to seeing you at this once-in-a-lifetime celebration!
Notes on the back of this photograph say this is Indiana (Railroad) 458 and 320 on a CERA/Indianapolis RR Club Special at Jeffersonville, Indiana on August 12, 1938. This event is not listed as a numbered CERA fantrip, but that could simply be because of the involvement of another group. (Photographer unknown)
This photo was likely taken on August 20, 1938, during a CERA fantrip that used Indiana Railroad car 58. (Photographer unknown)
This picture is from one of three fantrips CERA held on the Milwaukee Electric during 1939-40. (Photographer unknown)
