The T&P Museum celebrated their 100th Birthday on September 10, 2011 with a celebration that filled the streets of Baird with ‘party-goers’ from daylight til dawn. The day started with a 5K fun run sponsored by the Abilene Runners Club. The run up Mt. Airy hill and back was won by Belinda Southall of Abilene.
Boy Scout troop #222 from Baird and leader Joe Camacho raised the flag at the courthouse to officially begin the celebration. The Commerative Air Force had beautiful clear skies for the victory fly-over Market St.
The Car & Bike show was in the spotlight mid-morning. Entries from throughout Texas filled the block across from the museum.
We were honored to be joined by the Lubbock based West Texas Historical Association as they held their fall meeting at the Baird Activity Center.
Street vendors filled the street with a vast array of goods and goodies. The Chamber of Commerce's Dunk Tank was busy all day!
The Baird Volunteer Fire Department sold hamburgers and had a very successful day! The Wild West came alive with gunfights and bank robberies thanks to a group of talented men from Sweetwater who entertained throughout the day.
A special ceremony was held at the museum grounds featuring local dignitaries. A brief history of the T&P museum in Baird was given and an address by Karl Komatsu, the architect who worked on the restoration of the depot. A reception complete with birthday cake was held following the ceremony and museum tours were given all day.
The evening began as author Steve A. Goen presented a slide presentation on the history of the T&P railroad and many of the depots along the route from New Orleans to El Paso. Baird High School students helped dish ice cream during the intermission.
The Chamber of Commerce held the Uncle T’s Chili Feed in front of the recreated USO building and sold chili, crackers and orange soda to a large crowd.
The evening ran well into the night with the exciting WildFire Blues Fest, featuring the Blues Slobs Band. Great music and a jam session ended a very full day.
As, they say, a good time was had by all!! We wish to thank everyone involved in the day and a special thanks to our event sponsors, Hanner Chevrolet and Union Pacific.To commemorate the day, caps and T-shirts with our 100th Anniversary logo are available in our gift shop.
If you are interested in purchasing any of these items, please call the museum at 325-854-2003 or leave us a message on our Facebook page!
