LCM building trades class helps Orange Train Depot

The annual Depot Day festival to support the historic Orange Train Depot is getting help this year from the Little Cypress-Mauriceville High building trades class.

The students in teacher Matthew Huckaby's class made wooden cutouts of a miniature train that will allow families at the festival to take photographs as they look out the windows of the train. Carrie Woliver, founder of the non-profit Friends of the Orange Depot, said local artist Lauren Leigh will paint the train in time for Depot Day on Saturday, May 6.

Woliver said Alicia Booker, president of the Friends board of directors, thought a train for posing would be a good idea. Board member Paul Burch, who also is a member of the Orange City Council, contacted Huckaby at LC-M, where Burch graduated. She said the building trades teacher and students enthusiastically volunteered for the project.

LC-M students working on the train cutouts were Marshall Oldbury, Zane Lopez, Richard Ammean, Blake Huckaby, Blake Kay, and Alec Westbrooks.

Depot Day will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at the grounds of the restored early 20th Century Southern Pacific train depot in the 1100 block of Green Avenue. The family-festival is free with minimum charges for some rides. Vendors and food trucks will participate. The annual fundraiser helps keep up with the maintenance and care of the depot-museum.