Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

|| High Country Press Newswire

May 8, 2008 issue

Letterland Comes to Tweetsie Friday

Story by Jason R. Sakurai

Letterland characters pose with Tweetsie guests. Photos courtesy of Tweetsie Railroad Letterland, the United Kingdom-based reading system that teaches young children the alphabet and phonics skills by bringing the letters to life, is coming to Tweetsie Railroad on three consecutive Fridays: May 9, 16 and 23.

Blowing Rock’s Tweetsie Railroad, best known for family fun, cowboys and Indians and the famed Engine #12 steam locomotive, is North Carolina’s first theme park. When the park becomes Letterland, the letters of the alphabet will come alive. Letterland is a reading system that has helped raise literacy standards among children throughout the world and in North Carolina as well.

Some of Letterland’s favorite characters, including Yellow Yo-Yo Man, Eddy Elephant, Harry Hat Man and the King and Queen of Letterland, will be on hand at Tweetsie. Guests can also ride on Firefighter Fred’s Ferris Wheel, Talking Tess’s Train and Golden Girl’s Go-carts.

This year, Letterland’s author and originator, Lyn Wendon, and her son Mark, Letterland’s managing director, will be visiting from the United Kingdom to participate in Letterland at Tweetsie on May 16 and 23.

Letterland characters in their colorful costumes are ready to welcome children to the theme park. Later in the season, as part of Tweetsie’s continuing education efforts, visitors will have an opportunity to experience the Learning Express every Friday after Labor Day through October 31. Included in a full day of fun at Tweetsie Railroad is a ride on the Learning Express Train that gives teachers and parents a way to make history, math and science memorable and fun. Tweetsie’s website, tweetsie.com, offers curriculum guides for parents and teachers.

Tweetsie Railroad is currently open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. From May 23 through August 24, the park will be open seven days a week and then return to the weekend schedule from August 29 through November 2, including Labor Day Monday. The 2008 season ends Sunday, November 2.

The park’s regular hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Daily admission is $30 for adults and $22 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. You can purchase tickets in advance by clicking to tweetsie.com.