By Wayne Stewart

The Palestine Herald

Whiskey Myers, a band with deep Anderson County roots, will be returning to the area on Sept. 5 to take part in RailFest 2009.

The band, made up of Cody Cannon, Cody Tate, John Jeffers, Gary Brown and Jeff Hogg will take the stage at the Texas State Railroad’s Palestine Depot at 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5 at the first annual event.

Touring almost constantly since they hit the Texas music scene a couple of years ago, the five piece band, which got its start in Elkhart has had two well-received singles with their debut album, “Road of Life,” cracking the top 10 on the Texas Music Chart. The band members come from Elkhart, Neches and Palestine.

According to Rachel Cave with Ambiance Artists, “Whiskey Myers has taken the Texas Country/Red Dirt scene by storm with their boundless vitality and rockabilly, jammin’ country style and has now headlined shows at almost every major venue in the Texas/Oklahoma area.

“They have also shared the stage with everyone from Roger Creager to Randy Rogers Band. They have participated in a number of festivals including Red Dirt Round Up that featured artists such as Stoney LaRue, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Brandon Jerkins. The band will be making stops all over Texas and even hit stages in Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana and Tennessee.”

RailFest 2009, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Palestine Depot of the Texas State Railroad located off of U.S. 84.

The event will feature Euro-bungee, motor car rides, live steamers, retail and food vendors, bounce houses, petting zoo, miniature train ride, shop tour, T&P; Steam Engine 201 and 610 on display along with the live musical entertainment provided by Whiskey Myers, at 5 p.m., The Papers at 3 p.m. and Lauren Alexander at 12:15 p.m.

According to Texas State Railroad Marketing Manager Lori Pennington, the festival will begin with a ceremony with local politicians including State Sen. Nichols and VIPs for a dedication of the newly restored Steam Engine 300. Local firefighters and peace officers also will be honored during the event and fire engines from Palestine, Rusk, and Maydelle will be on display.

On Sunday, there will be a special RailFest Steam Engine excursion with Engine 300 from the Palestine Depot to the Maydelle Turntable from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. This will be followed by a barbecue lunch and live musical entertainment (included in ticket price) from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased in advanced by calling the reservation office at (888)987-2461 or by booking online at www.TexasStateRR.com. Tickets will also be sold at the gate. Tickets prices for Saturday (to enter the event) are $20 for adults and $10 for children 3 to 11. Children 2 and under may enter for free. Ticket prices for the Sunday train ride in coach seating are $40 for adults and $23 for children 3 to 11; in climate controlled seating cost is $43.50 for adults and $25 for child. Children 2 and under ride free.

Special discounts are offered when both events are booked together (advanced reservations only).

For more on the Texas State Railroad and RailFest 2009, visit the Web site at www.TexasStateRR.com