Mark your calendar to save the date for the Great Train Robbery fundraising event, benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley. Scheduled for departure at 6:00 PM on Saturday, September 11, 2010, guests will be treated to a ride on the Fillmore & Western Railway serving an appetizer buffet, provided by several Santa Clara Valley restaurateurs, on each car. A full no-host bar will be provided by Fillmore & Western Railway.

Entertainment includes a ‘shoot out’ and ‘train-jacking’ by local desperadoes, played to the hilt by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Association Posse Riding Club, and the kidnapping of a mystery Club Benefactor at the Santa Paula station. Several arrests will occur during the trip by the Chief of Police Steve MacKinnon from Santa Paula and Police Chief Tim Hagel of Fillmore. Held in a special ‘jail’, arrestees can be ‘bailed out’ after an appearance before the ‘traveling judge’. Event passengers will be encouraged to enjoy the music on the dance car. The kidnapping victim will be rescued and his/her identity revealed at the end of the evening as the train returns to the Fillmore Station around 10:00 PM.

The route runs throughout the Heritage Valley by first going west to Santa Paula when departing Fillmore, then traveling east all the way to Piru before concluding the trip back in Fillmore. The entire trip will last approximately 4 hours.

Kid art will be on display and available for purchase throughout the event. Guests will be encouraged to ‘ransom’ the kidnapped benefactor, with all funds becoming the property of the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley.

Boarding tickets sell for $45 per person, and can be ordered by calling the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley at 805-525-7910. Advance sales are encouraged as seating is limited.

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley provides after school and Summer Camp programs for children ages 5 to 18, at the Club’s two locations; 1400 E. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula and 565 First St., Fillmore. Club members pay a $25 annual fee to attend the Club, and no child is turned away for their inability to pay the membership fee. It costs the Club $560 per child annually to provide services for its members. The obvious gap between cost of services and membership is bridged by generous donations from local businesses, private donors and local and national grants. Donors interested in providing financial assistance to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley are encouraged to contact the Club at 805-525-7910. All donations, regardless of amount, are gratefully appreciated.