There is a house at 26 Washington Street in Rocky Hill with a 5,000-square-foot HO-scale railroad inside. More than 12,000 feet of hand-laid track run through it, and a model railroad club has kept it running since 1964. On Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, the Pacific Southern Model Railroad Club opens the house for its 47th Annual Holiday Show. All proceeds go to Rocky Hill's First Aid & Rescue Squad and Fire Department.
Much of the rest of the Montgomery Township calendar between now and early December works the same way. The dates you can count on belong to volunteer clubs, nonprofits and the Montgomery Business Association, and most of them send something back into town: ticket money to a rescue squad, groceries to the food pantry, toys and gift cards to families. The new Montgomery Promenade on Route 206 is still opening one storefront at a time. For now it works best as the place you eat before or after the dates that are already fixed.
The Railroad Has a New Steward
When the layout's future came into question in 2024, comedian James Murray stepped in and bought the property. Murray is a star and executive producer of truTV's Impractical Jokers. The Montgomery News reported that he now serves as the club's "chief marketing officer." He and his wife Melyssa, CEO of No. 95 Candles, will greet visitors at this year's show.
The club has more than one layout now. It has expanded into the backyard garage, where members are rebuilding a 230-foot layout that came from the defunct Muscoot Valley Railroad Club of Armonk, New York. The garage will also have skee ball and tabletop basketball. A tent nearby will hold a Lionel setup of Murray's and a layout from the Somerset County 4-H Trainmasters. Club president Jeff Bernardis told The Montgomery News that members are planning programmable overhead lighting for the main layout:
"We are looking into a more intricate overhead lighting system, using colored LED lamps so that we can show dusk or evening scenes, all programmable and controllable from a central location."
In the same article, he said the goal is for people to keep "coming back year after year to see changes to the layout." If your household went last year, that is a good reason to go again.
What to know before you go
- Times: Shows run on the half hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days.
- Admission: $10 per person. Children 10 and under get in free. Online tickets carry a $2.51 Eventbrite fee. Walk-ups are welcome if tickets are left, and you can pay at the door with cash or credit card. Tickets are at HolidayTrainShow.com.
- Parking: Street parking only, so the club advises arriving early.
- On site: Marisol's food truck, hot chocolate, a balloon artist, a working R2-D2, photo ops with Murray, his books, and No. 95 Candles.
- To take home: Four styles of custom HO box cars celebrating the club's founder and later owners, $40 each.
For a child who wants more than one visit a year, the club meets on Wednesday evenings. Dues are free for members 12 and under and half the adult rate for ages 13 to 18.
The Rest of the Calendar Follows the Same Pattern
The train show is the biggest date this month, and the dates around it work much the same way. A volunteer group or nonprofit runs each one, and most ask you to bring something or send the proceeds to a local cause.
| Date | What | Where | Run by, and where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | Farmers market with produce, flowers, bread, prepared food and live music | Municipal Center parking lot, 100 Community Drive, Skillman | Montgomery Friends of Open Space, with regional vendors |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | "Talk of the Sourlands" Q&A with Dr. Emile DeVito on the region's plants and animals | See the Conservancy's listing | Sourland Conservancy |
| By Fri., Nov. 13 | Thanksgiving meal baskets for 70 families | Drop-off at Otto Kaufman Center | Montgomery Food Pantry |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 21–22 | 47th Annual Holiday Train Show | 26 Washington Street, Rocky Hill | Pacific Southern club; proceeds to Rocky Hill First Aid & Rescue and Fire Department |
| Wed., Dec. 2, 6–9 p.m. | MBA Holiday Party | Montgomery Shopping Center, 1325 US-206, Skillman | Montgomery Business Association; toy or gift-card donations for the local pantry |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 10:30–11:15 a.m. | Stuffed-animal sleepover | Montgomery branch library | Somerset County Library System of NJ |
| Mon., Dec. 7, 10:30 a.m.–noon | Pistachio-shell penguin ornament craft | Montgomery branch library | Somerset County Library System of NJ |
A few rows need more detail. The township calendar lists the Friends of Open Space market for Saturday, November 7. That is two days after this post goes up, and it is the only November market on the calendar. The township's October 19 notice set the Food Pantry's basket count at 70 families and the drop-off deadline at November 13. That leaves about a week from the date you are reading this.
The MBA Holiday Party is open to members and their guests. It moves through three businesses at Montgomery Shopping Center: welcome drinks at Village Shoes, appetizers at Party Fair, then dinner at Beniamino's Cucina & Pizza. Registration is $35 for members before December 1 and $45 at the door. Guests who are not yet members pay $45 and $55. Every guest is asked to bring a toy or a gift card for the local pantry, and the association notes that the party usually sells out.
The Promenade Is Still Opening One Storefront at a Time
Across Route 206, Montgomery Promenade has grown since summer, but in stages. Whole Foods Market and Ulta Beauty held their grand openings on August 21. Wonder's online ordering is live for its 3 Nevius Boulevard location, with listed hours of 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day. YogaSix still lists its Montgomery studio at 39 Nevius Blvd., Suite 1220, as "Coming Soon." In its fall newsletter, the Montgomery Business Association said signs were up for Shake Shack and that Dunkin' and Alloy Fitness were preparing their spaces.
Panera shows why it pays to check before you plan around a Promenade opening. The Montgomery News reported that the bakery-café at 30 Bolmer Corner opened at 7 a.m. on Thursday, September 24, with a grand opening the MBA helped host. It closed that afternoon because its building did not yet have a certificate of occupancy. That building, Building 400, also holds AFC Urgent Care. According to building tenants quoted in the paper's October 1 update, the reopening was expected on Friday, October 9. At a center still going up building by building, a sign on the window does not mean the door is open. Call ahead or check the business's own page before you build a lunch plan around it.
The newer spots up the road are already open. The Montgomery News reported that oasisVRX opened its second location at Princeton North Shopping Center, 1225 Route 206 in Skillman, on Saturday, October 17. It offers more than 30 virtual-reality and motion experiences. That gives older kids an indoor option on a cold Saturday.
One Weekend, Put Together
Here is one way to fit the calendar and the new stores into a single weekend, the weekend before Thanksgiving:
- Saturday, November 21, mid-morning: Get to Washington Street in Rocky Hill early for street parking and catch a 10:30 or 11:00 show. The garage and the 4-H tent are worth a stop too, so plan on more than one showing.
- Lunch: Eat at Marisol's food truck at the show, or drive back up Route 206 to whatever is confirmed open at the Promenade that day.
- Afternoon: Shop for Thanksgiving at Whole Foods. Pick up extra canned goods and staples while you are there if your household is putting together a pantry basket next year, since this year's deadline will have passed on November 13.
- If the kids still have energy: Head to oasisVRX at Princeton North Shopping Center.
Sunday, November 22, has the same show hours and the same proceeds, which helps if Saturday is already full.
The calendar picks up again in December. On Wednesday, December 2, the business association's members fill Montgomery Shopping Center with a toy collection under way. Two days later, Montgomery branch library staff send stuffed animals home from an overnight stay. Both are fixed dates, and both are run by the people who organize them every year.
Maura Mills has spent more than 30 years in Greater Princeton, and she follows these dates because they show how a town spends its time. If you are considering a move within Montgomery or nearby and want an advisor who knows Route 206 from Rocky Hill to Belle Mead, Maura Mills welcomes the conversation. Request a Personalized Consultation.
