Trains, Christmas lights, rides: How Edaville's new owner is getting 'back to its roots'

CARVER — As the train pulls into Edaville Station with puffs of black smoke filling the air, children and their families wait excitedly to meet Santa.

The Edaville Christmas Wonderland at Edaville Family Theme Park in Carver has returned under new ownership.

As she sat on his shoulders, her father, Paul Dugis, showed 3-year-old Elizabeth around Edaville to soak in the sights and sounds.

“Ooh, everything’s lighting up,” she said when asked about the best part of their first visit to Edaville and the Christmas Festival of Lights. “Lookit!”

Dugis thought she would like going and bought the tickets online about a month before. He was proven right. They live in neighboring Wareham.

“She loves everything Christmas,” he said. “She loved the train ride, and the elephant ride was cool, too.”

Three-year-old Olivia Whelan of Halifax took piece after piece of the puffy pink cotton candy and put it into her mouth while waiting for the train ride as she sat next to her grandmother, Elaine Yochim, of North Easton.

Yochim didn’t know that Edaville had reopened, so when her daughter asked if she could babysit Olivia overnight and suggested they go, she was excited about taking her. The last time she was there was with Olivia’s older sister years before the pandemic.

She said there had been a question of whether Edaville would open again, especially at Christmastime, so she fully expects the family will go back again.

“I know my daughter is very happy it’s open again,” she said. “She loves it here and the kids all love it here so it’s great."

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Preserving Edaville's history

New owner Brian Fanslau said preserving Edaville’s history was a big reason he wanted to buy the business but he also did it for the people who work at the park.

“Edaville I think needs to get back its roots,” he said. “It’s got to go back to its local brand, local theme and be more family-oriented.”

He said the return of the Christmas lights festival was a last minute decision similar to the planning of the 75th anniversary celebration of Edaville’s founding in the spring that featured the steam-powered trains the families are riding in.

“This wasn’t our goal or our intent to do this but the offer was there in August and I thought if I don’t do it I might regret not giving it a try,” he said.

Fanslau and Maine Locomotive & Machine Works based in Alna, Maine, partnered with Edaville Railroad under former owner Jon Delli Priscoli to celebrate Edaville’s 75th anniversary in April. Maine Locomotive & Machine has taken care of Edaville’s railroad and equipment for many years.

The founder of Edaville, Ellis D. Atwood, started the railroad to service his cranberry bogs. He soon found out that there was a demand for passenger train rides around these bogs. Walt Disney visited the park.

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The current steam engine, Edaville Number 11, was built in 1925 by HK Porter company for the Raritan Copper Works in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. This steam engine was on static display at Edaville until the early 1990s.

Many visitors to Edaville have relayed their stories of climbing on this engine as children.

Originally 3-foot gauge, Number 11 was regauged to 2-foot gauge and rebuilt for Edaville by Maine Locomotive & Machine Works. Aside from regauging, ML&M built this engine a new boiler to ASME code standards and built a tender to carry coal and water behind it.

All lit up for fun

Visitors to the park can access CranCentral, the Dickens’ Village and Ellis’ Playhouse where they can ride the steam train, ride Edaville’s outdoor and indoor amusement rides, shop the European-style market and indoor gift shop and try out the different food booths.

Among the businesses include Hippy Pilgrim Homemade Garlic Salts & Gourmet Seasonings, Blackbeard’s General Store, Coat of Arms, Montillo’s Baking Company and Besse’s Gift Shoppe at Edaville.

Under the new ownership, Edaville now offers a general admission ticket intended to make the park more accessible. Thomas Land and Dino Land are closed. Tickets are available online at www.edaville.com.

General admission is $12, including admission to the park and the Festival of Lights, with an increase to $15 Saturdays in December. Children 4 years and under always get in free.

A silver ticket also includes unlimited train rides for $29, with an increase to $32 Saturdays in December. A gold ticket adds unlimited train rides and Edaville’s amusement rides for $39, with an increase to $42 Saturdays in December. Season passes are also available.

The hours of operation are from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Nov. 10 through Jan. 1. Edaville will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @kgallreporter. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Edaville's new owners bring back Christmas Festival of Lights, train