SATURDAY, April 11, 2026
Al. Ringling Theater, 136 4th Avenue, Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913
Join us for our annual social gathering and history presentation event where like-minded individuals can share experiences, learn new history, and enjoy excellent visual programming of railroading-related subjects and great food. Event includes a catered box lunch, door prizes, and access to the “Company store,” a fund raiser featuring books, magazines, and other surplus items from Lake States archives. Optional pre-event Friday Open House at archive building and evening dinner gathering at local restaurant/distillery (see below).
SATURDAY MAIN SCHEDULE
9:00 am Doors Open for Check-in and Social Hour (coffee and rolls available), Company Store Open
10:00 am Presentations Begin (see below for details)
12:00 noon Box Lunch in Theater (please select your menu choice when registering below)
12:30 pm Annual Report on LSRHA and “Best of LSRHA” Program
1:00 pm Presentations Resume (see below for details)
2:45 pm Break, Company Store Still Open (coffee and desserts available)
3:00 pm Presentations Resume (see below for details)
5:00 pm Doors Close, Optional Baraboo Town Square Bar Crawl for after-event celebration!
7:00 pm Symposium Concludes, Thank You for Your Support!
Box Lunch Menu Choices (included in price above, NOTE: registrations made after Sunday April 5 will NOT include box lunch. You will be responsible for lunch on your own.):
— Roast Beef/Cheddar on Brioch
— Turkey Club on Multigrain
— Tuna Salad on Croissant
FRIDAY, April 10 PRE-EVENT ACTIVITIES
FRIDAY OPEN HOUSE: For those of you arriving in Baraboo the day before the Symposium, the LSRHA Archive building will be open and available for tours from 9am until 5pm on Friday, April 10. Our building is located at 330 Lynn Street in Baraboo, across the street from Circus World’s own library/archive. Our front office and library will be open for browsing. We also have many surplus books and magazines for sale that you may peruse (many of these will not be available at the “company store” on Saturday due to limited space at the Al. Ringling). We will offer tours in the archive warehouse in groups of 4-6 people at a time on a first-come first-served basis as time allows.
FRIDAY EVENING DINNER: If you wish to join us for evening dinner, we will have a dining room reserved at the Driftless Glen Distillery, 300 Water Street, Baraboo, less than 5 minutes from our building. We will plan to be seated beginning at 6:00pm, to order off their menu of fine cuisine at diner’s own expense. If you desire a pre-dinner cocktail, we’ll be at their bar by 5:30pm for a social half-hour. If you wish to join us for dinner, please indicate so on your reservation form. We must receive notice no later than Friday, April 3 to allow Driftless Glen to reserve enough room for our group.
HOTEL DISCOUNT RATE
If you plan on staying overnight in Baraboo, Lake States has arranged for a limited number of rooms at a discounted rate at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 932 Gateway Drive, Baraboo, WI. When making reservation by phone (608) 581-5299, mention Lake States Railway Historical Association. See you, in Baraboo!
Book On-Line Now With Credit Card
Or click HERE to download the registration form that contains full event information and parking instructions. PLEASE NOTE: Registrations made Sunday, April 5 or later MUST use Credit Card option above. No cancellations/refunds. Registrations made after April 5, 2026 will not include a box lunch.
2026 RAILROAD HISTORY SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
Don L. Hofsommer “My Minneapolis & St. Louis”
Retired professor of history at St. Cloud State (Minnesota) University Don L. Hofsommer is one of the most respected and prolific railroad historians in the United States. He is known for his detailed work on Midwestern railroads and the cultural, economic, and technological stories behind them. He is the author or co-author of many books on railroad history, including The Tootin’ Louie: A History of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway, The Great Northern Railway: A History, Minneapolis & The Age of Railways, and The Southern Pacific, 1901–1985. He served as a special representative and historian for Southern Pacific in San Francisco (1981–85) and historical consultant for Burlington Northern in Seattle (1985–87). The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway holds a special place in his heart since he grew up along the M&StL, worked a summer on their track gangs, authored two books on the railroad, and was present on the day the “Louie” was merged into the Chicago & North Western in 1960. Don will present his reminisces of this long gone railroad, including many fascinating photos of the railroad and the people who made it go.
David P. Oroszi “My Railfan Life”
Railroad enthusiast, historian, photographer, and Summerail founder David P. Oroszi began taking railroad photos in 1967 and has been active in the railfan community ever since. He also leads the Carillon Park Rail Festival held annually in Dayton. He has co-authored several books on American railroads, often focusing on regional lines and historical eras. His photographs document infrastructure, operations, and the changing face of American railroading. Dave will discuss his “railfan life” describing his lifetime journey as a photographer and author. Dave’s program will include some of his favorite photos taken in nearly 60 years of railfan photography. Along with his wife Jill, his high school sweetheart he met while playing in a rock and roll band in 1967, he continues to roam the country taking railroad photographs.
David Schauer “Rail and Sail Connections in the Twin Ports”
When you think Twin Ports railroading, inevitably the name David Schauer comes up. Well known for his intimate knowledge of Northeastern Minnesota railroading and the photography of railroading in the region, he’s increasingly recognized for his work documenting Twin Ports shipping and the boats that ply the Great Lakes, with an emphasis on drone photography. Dave attended Central High School (Duluth) and the University of Minnesota-Duluth, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He lives in Duluth with his wife Laura, twin daughters Gretchen and Teresa, and son Gus. After spending 30 years in the marketing and advertising industry, he is now self-employed as a consultant. His volunteer work includes serving on the board of directors of the Lake Superior Maritime Museum Association, Destination Duluth, and the Lake Superior Railroad Museum where he is currently president of the North Shore Scenic Railroad. His program will feature images of various docks located along the western shore of Lake Superior and relate how railroads and vessels serve those facilities.
Eric Hendrickson “The Project Dispatcher: Managing Unique Projects on Class I Rails”
If you have seen the Clinchfield F3 pulling the Santa Train or enjoyed specially painted veteran’s locomotives on CSX, witnessed Chesapeake & Ohio steam locomotive 2716 or Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis 4-8-4 No. 576 being moved for restoration, or seen the Delaware & Hudson SD70ACe on Norfolk Southern, you’ve seen some of the work of Eric Hendrickson. He has led special projects on both CSX and Norfolk Southern, convincing often reluctant executives there the value in increasing the railroads visibility to the public. His railroad career began with the Soo Line as a crew caller, then train dispatcher and power manager for Canadian Pacific after it absorbed the Soo. After a short stint with Amtrak he moved to CSX, eventually rising to the position of Senior Director of Network Planning. After almost 20 years with CSX, in 2021 he moved to Norfolk Southern where he resides in St. Augustine, Fla. with his wife Heather and two children. Eric will discuss some of the projects he worked on in the past, how he’s worked with those in the C-suite, and what the future might hold with a merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.
Kelly Lynch “Fort Wayne Railroad Faces the Future”
Formed in 1972, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society was the first all-volunteer, non-profit organization to successfully restore and operate a steam locomotive, Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765. Since 1980, FWRHS has operated passenger train excursions, private charters, public exhibitions, and education outreach programs with the 765 and a variety of other vintage railroad equipment. In 2022, it established the Indiana Rail Experience in Northeast Indiana, which has welcomed over 70,000 visitors and created over $5 million in economic activity, and raised over $3 million in grants and fundraising in just under 140 operating days, allowing the organization to restore and assemble an entirely new excursion train set of nine cars in just 3 years. Now under the group’s first-ever Executive Director, Kelly Lynch, the group is about to tackle the restoration of New York Central 4-8-2 No. 3001. Kelly has been active at FWRHS for over 20 years and has worked in operations and administrative roles for dozens of railroads, non-profits, museums, and institutions dedicated to historic transportation preservation. He is a consultant for FMW Solutions and has recently served as a movie train advisor for television and film, including A Man Called Otto (2021), Sinners (2025), and, most recently, Steven Spielberg’s upcoming untitled action-thriller, which will premiere in 2026. Lynch will discuss the aforementioned NYC 3001 Project.
Bill and Marshall Beecher “A Journey in Railroad Photography”
Brothers Marshall and William (Bill) Beecher are widely known for their inventive railroad photography and extraordinary video and visual presentations. They were barely out of diapers when they were riding trains with their locomotive engineer father in the early 1970s. That began a journey into railroad photography and employment, with Bill becoming a locomotive engineer and Marshall working at Metra, Chicago’s commuter railroad. They are regular contributors to railway publications such as Trains and Railway Age, and Bill is also a video contributor to C-Vision Productions. You can also find their work on photo web site Flickr. The Beechers’ shows are a regular feature at Beecherfest, a railroad multi-media show held in the Milwaukee area each November they host and curate. Marshall and Bill will discuss “How they do it” and show examples of their varied and innovative work at the Symposium.
Ray Buhrmaster Odyssey “A Scholar and A Gentleman”
One of the original founders of Lake States in 2006, the legendary Ray Buhrmaster was well known in the rail history community for his many years of active involvement in equipment restorations, photography collecting, and keen interest of rail history, particularly the Upper Midwest. Along the way, Ray documented branchline railroading and little-known out-of-the-way places. Ray’s photographic collections have been donated to Lake States where we will continue work to digitize these priceless images for future generations to enjoy. He preferred B&W photography, but did shoot color on occasion which will be the subject of this multi-media presentation of scholar and gentleman Ray Buhrmaster’s work.
OUR VENUE
The historic Al. Ringling theatre is located in the heart of downtown Baraboo. Dubbed “American’s Prettiest Playhouse,” it was built in 1915 by Albert Ringling, of circus fame. The Ringling Brothers’ circus wintered at Baraboo at the time. The Wisconsin Historical Society recently assumed ownership of the theater from the Al. Ringling Theatre Friends, Inc.
The Ringling is located just north of the Sauk County Courthouse in downtown Baraboo at:
136 4th Avenue, Baraboo, WI 53913
— The main floor of the auditorium is ADA accessible
— No photography allowed inside the theater
— No outside food or beverage is allowed in the theater
— LSRHA will provide beverages for the box lunches
— Coffee/snacks will be provided during the afternoon break
More information on the Al. Ringling may be found at: www.alringling.org
Street parking is available around the courthouse square and also within walking distance at public parking lots located at the following addresses:
— Behind Sauk County West Square: 505 Broadway Street
— Public Lot (off street): 126 5th Avenue
— Behind the Public Library: 224 5th Avenue