The weather was perfect on Saturday October 18th in RailRoad Park for the first "Art in the Park" event. Over 15 Artists selling hand-made Art held shop at RailRoad Park and somewhere between 175-200 people visited, perused and purchased local Art. All proceeds from the Art Vendor's space rental went towards the completion of the Tehachapi Depot fund.

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Public support makes the Tehachapi Depot fundraiser a huge success

The August 23^rd Concert Fundraiser held at Marx Central Park was an overwhelming success, netting over $3,700 for the completion of the Tehachapi Depot. Those attending were treated to a concert by local musicians joined by special guests. Speakers such as Del Troy, local historian, related the history of the railroad and the Depot and added their memories of the days when Tehachapi depended on the passengers and freight that passed through the Depot doors. Donations, drawings for door prizes, and t-shirt sales all helped raise funds.

The event was emceed by City Councilman Ed Grimes. The musical program was put together by Tehachapi Mayor Debby Hand and the logistics were handled by Larry Barrett of Coldwell Banker Realty. Many other volunteers helped, particularly Claudia Henson, Shane Reed and Holly Hart.

The funds raised at the concert will go to help in the rebuilding and to complete the Railroad Museum to be housed in the Depot. The Museum and park surrounding the Depot will showcase the Stokoe Collection of Railroad items, including the signals that were featured by Huell Howser in a segment of California Gold. Howser plans a return visit the once the Stokoe items are on display in the rebuilt Depot.

Several misconceptions about the funds needed to complete the Depot have been heard lately. While it is true that the City of Tehachapi had insurance on the building, the policy is for replacement value, not for $1 million dollars as some have heard. At replacement value, the insurance will help rebuild the Depot to a level of completion at the time of the fire. There is no easy calculation as to what level of completion was reached, although there have been estimates ranging from 85% to 90%.

As the planning progresses, the level of completion will be determined. Once the insurance company pays its portion to help rebuild the Depot, RDA funds previously budgeted by the City will be used towards the project.

The "Back on Track" committee, formed to help make up the shortfall in funds, is made up of a of volunteers from the Friends of the Tehachapi Depot (FOTD), the Tehachapi Heritage League, Main Street Tehachapi and other individuals. Collected funds will be transferred to the City of Tehachapi, which is acting as the lead agency in rebuilding the Depot. Funds may be used for construction, landscaping, and installing the Railroad Museum in the rebuilt Depot. The goal for completion is to have the Depot open in time for the 2009 Tehachapi Centennial Celebration.

Donations are tax deductible under the IRS nonprofit status of the FOTD. To make a donation or to plan a fundraiser, contact Charles White, "Back on Track" chairperson at 661-972-0958.

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The “Back On Track” Concert in the park was a huge success, thanks to the generous support of the entire Tehachapi community. The effort raised over $3700 for the completion of the Depot and the Railroad Museum. A big thank you to Debby Hand of Mountain Music for organizing the musicians and acting as stage manager and to Larry Barrett who managed the logistics of planning and setting up the concert.

The many musicians and bands that performed were generous in donating their time and presented a great showcase of the music from the Tehachapi area. Thanks to Ed Grimes who performed superbly as the MC and to Del Troy who gave a history of the Depot and railroad history.

The vendors, including: Three Hog Night BBQ Sauce, Jake's For Steaks, Lee Esther's Louisiana BBQ, Randy Horne Graphics, Suzi Mac of Coldwell Banker, Radar and Jennifer Pratt of Expresso on The Move and the Petting Zoo of Mary Lewis-Knowles all donated a large percentage of their proceeds to the fundraiser.

Richard and Christine Sparks of SparksArts contributed with the logo, web site and poster and ‘hachapi Tees assisted with t-shirt printing. RST Cranes provided the crane and large flag for the park. K-Mart provided a digital television to play the DVD showing the story of the Depot.

Door prizes and Silent Auction items were provided by: The Home Depot, Henry's Home 4 Less, Tehachapi (Ace) Hardware City, Slicker's Restaurant, The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, True Value Pioneer Hardware, City Slicker's Restaurant, Kohnen's Bakery, Trains, etc, Kelly's Restaurant, Primo Burgers, Henry's Restaurant, Las Palmas Restaurant, Albertsons, Absolutely Rockin', The Tehachapi Candle Company, Red Carpet Pet Grooming, Del Taco, Baskin Robbins, SaveMart, Jake's For Steaks, Picture Perfect and Stamps of Approval, Expresso on The Move, Mountain Music, and the performing musicians who provided their CDs.

To all the above, to the volunteers who helped and to anyone whose name was inadvertently left off the list, a big Thank You for helping put the Tehachapi Depot “Back on Track!”