Hundreds across Greer and the Upstate gathered at Greer City Park on Saturday to celebrate Railfest.

An annual event of the town, Railfest aims to offer a family-friendly day of learning about trains and rail safety. The festival falls within “See Tracks? Think Train Week,” formerly Rail Safety Week, a national effort to educate the population on railroad safety.

This is an especially important lesson in a rail town like Greer. Michele Turner, an events coordinator with the city, emphasized this importance — noting that the city has been putting on Railfest for the past 10 years.

“Since we live in Greer and there are two major train lines that go through us, we feel like it's a good thing to have,” said Turner. “... It seems like we got a lot of people out here. The turnout seems great, so we're really excited.”

Staff at the Greer Heritage Museum were able to speak to residents about the town’s railroad history at the event. Jonathan Lovegrove, the events coordinator at the museum, was set up with a model train to show kids who passed by the exhibit.

“What starts in a little train exhibit gets them into the museum, where they can learn all about the history of our town and the importance of the railroad,” Lovegrove said. “... I love the moment the kids see the train running. Their eyes light up, and they just run to it.”

There were several activities for kids to enjoy while at Railfest, including a trackless train ride, face painting, balloon animals, mini golf and crafts. Jay Tickle, a resident of Duncan, says he and his family try to go every year that it is hosted.

“It means a lot. It makes it a very desirable place to live when there's fun things to do,” Tickle said. “Friends that we may not run into very often, we get to run into them at these events and just feel like [we’re] part of a community that cares about the people who live there.”

This year, both of Tickle’s older boys got to get their faces painted to look like tigers. Some families enjoyed performances by a juggler, or watched a magician perform magic tricks. The event also featured a live music performance by Polk County Line Bluegrass.

Railfest is an annual celebration held by the City of Greer. For more information, visit the city’s special events page on their website.

Follow Breanna Laws on X @GreerByBreanna