All aboard the Time Warp Express

VOLO – The public is invited to hop aboard the Time Warp Express for a Jolly Trolley Adventure to Save Santa this holiday season at the Volo Museum.

The museum recently acquired two Molly Trolleys – high-end trolleys on wheels with handcrafted ash seats, oak interiors and brass trim.

“The vehicles are fully enclosed and heated for passenger comfort,” said Jim Wojdyla, marketing director for the museum at 27582 Volo Village Road.

”These gleaming, red trolleys will be perfect for the very special holiday event we have planned,” Wojdyla said. “Things will start out with a traditional gathering featuring complimentary hot chocolate and cookies with Santa and his elves. But it quickly will turn into an adventurous trolley tour to save Santa.”

Limited tickets for the Jolly Trolley Adventure are available. Shows are at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays only from Nov. 10 to Dec. 23. A sneak peek weekend for museum members only will be Nov. 3-4. Tickets are $25 in November and $29.95 in December. Children 4 and younger are admitted free but must sit on a parent’s or guardian’s lap while aboard the trolley.

Those attending will begin their adventure in the Grams Central Station, where cookies and hot cocoa will be served. Pizza, hot dogs, desserts, adult beverages, coffee, cider drinks and more will be available to buy.

”Bring your wish list and your holiday spirit,” Wojdyla said. “Santa, along with his joyful elves, will eagerly await your arrival.”

The museum is collaborating with Woodstock-based Theatre 121 for a North Pole crew.

While at the station, attendees can take part in a complimentary photo session. Then it’s off to save Santa aboard the Time Warp Express.

Why will Santa need saving? Be there to find out. We can reveal the adventure will take trolley riders through the Ice Age, the Jurassic period, the 1800s and into the modern era, passing everything from helicopters and tanks to giant shopping carts and Radio Flyers along the way. There’s even a stop planned at the museum’s jaw-dropping Jupiter train.

Museum Director Brian Grams said the Christmas adventure is a project two years in the making and will mark the first time that groups are invited to tour the newly developed acreage north of the original museum and antique malls property.

”People have been asking what it’ll be, asking to venture back there on their own to check it out,” Grams said. “This will be the first of many exciting, themed tour experiences to come.”

”The Jolly Trolley Adventure will not only be a feast for the eyes, but also for young minds,” Wojdyla said. “Santa’s elves will ride along, providing a fun, interactive storytelling experience with surprises that simply won’t be found anywhere else.”

Ticket sales will close when trolley capacities are reached. For tickets, go to volofun.com, click attractions, then click Volo Museum and find Time Warp Express within the Events & Promos tab. Event tickets are good for the Time Warp Express/Jolly Trolley Adventure only. While the Grams Central Station will be open for ticket holders, the rest of the museum complex – including the Titanic Exhibit and Jurassic Gardens – closes at 5 p.m. daily.