Train Show Welcomes Youngest Exhibitor

March 13, 2010 by John Rook

Kimberly Gentile watched as her 7-year-old son, Justin, walked into Cheshire High School with all his train equipment and materials last Sunday. All around them, hobby store owners and collector enthusiasts crowded around, setting up their models for display, getting ready for the CHS Marching Ram Band Train Show.
Every once in a while, the display booth operators would look up and offer a wave of encouragement to their newest, and youngest, member of the train show family, and Gentile couldn’t help but feel proud of her son.
“It was really a wonderful moment, just to see him there, being a part if this,” said Gentile. “It was exciting.”
Justin Gentile’s journey to this local train show started some years ago when the youngster received his first train set. It set off a passion in him that only grew.
After a few years, Justin put aside some of his simpler trains and began to work with more complex models, culminating this year in a new electric train which, he admits, has quickly become his favorite.
“I like to build the tracks,” explained Justin. “I like to build them really big.”
Throughout the years, Justin’s family has taken him to train shows, encouraging his interest in the subject, and it didn’t take long for the locomotive enthusiast to admit to his parents that he wanted not only to go to the train shows, but also to be a part of them as well.
However, it wasn’t until this year that Kimberly Gentile believed it was the right time for her son to take part.
“He is a little older now,” she explained. “I think the train show was ready and Justin was ready.”
What was different about Justin’s participation in the train show was not just his age, but his purpose for taking part. While most of the other exhibits existed simply to display different trains to enthusiasts, Justin’s area would be cornered off for interaction.
A handcrafted sign, hung from one of the tables on which a train set was erected, announced that Justin’s section of the train show was called “Kidstown USA” and was for the use of the youngest participants at the event.
“He provided an opportunity for kids to have a hands-on experience and come and play with the trains he had brought,” Kimberly Gentile remarked. “It was great to see them all there having fun.”
To the event, Justin brought geo-tracks from Fisher Price that utilize remote controls, blue tracks, and standard wooden tracks, all with accompanying trains, on which to play. He also had a small television on hand, which played a DVD about the train sets he had brought.
“I liked seeing the other kids come and play,” explained Justin. “They had fun.”
Not only did Justin provide the materials for other youngsters to use and enjoy, he also spent his time explaining how to use his trains effectively, introducing younger students to the thrills of playing with trains.
“I think he really enjoyed showing (the kids) his trains and what to do with them,” said Kimberly Gentile. “It was really a proud moment for me.”
In addition to his train sets, Justin also had a donation box set up at the entrance to his “Kidstown USA.” All donations accepted will be donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen.
“We are excited to bring them to the church,” said Kimberly Gentile.
The experience was so rewarding, Justin and his family have plans to go back next year and, this time, he plans to bring a few different models.
“I want to go back next year and I will bring different trains,” he said, with a smile. “It will be a lot of fun.”