The Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Company announced on Tuesday it was canceling its train garden for the 2026 holiday seaaon.
Wise Avenue VFC said it received a lot of reaction (most disappointment) from the community and sent out a public letter to the addressing those concerns. Here is their letter:
Our Dundalk Community, Friends, and Supporters:
We hear you. We understand your disappointment, and most importantly, we want you to know that your voices, concerns, and opinions have not fallen on deaf ears.
Over the past several days, we have received an overwhelming amount of feedback regarding the announcement to cancel our beloved Christmas Train Garden for the 2026–2027 season. We recognize the frustration, sadness, and disappointment this decision has caused throughout our community.
For 45 years, the Wise Avenue Christmas Train Garden has been more than just a holiday attraction. It has been a tradition, a legacy, and a cherished part of Dundalk’s history. Generations of families have walked through our doors, created lasting memories, and made the Train Garden part of their Christmas celebrations. We understand what this tradition means to so many of you because it means just as much to us.
Please understand that this was not an easy decision, nor was it one made without careful consideration.
As a volunteer organization, everything we do depends on the dedication, commitment, and participation of individuals willing to give their time. Unfortunately, the number of volunteers available to help construct, operate, maintain, and eventually dismantle the Train Garden has declined significantly. The amount of time, manpower, and preparation required to make this event successful is tremendous, and the responsibility has increasingly fallen on a limited number of individuals.
We also have a responsibility to maintain our primary mission of providing emergency services to the citizens of Dundalk and surrounding communities. Balancing those responsibilities with the demands of the Train Garden has become increasingly challenging.
However, we want to make one thing very clear: We are listening, and we are not ignoring the concerns of our community.
In light of the feedback we have received, we are evaluating whether there are any realistic and feasible options that could allow this tradition to continue for the upcoming season. While we cannot make any promises or guarantee that the decision will be reversed, we believe it is important to explore what may be possible before closing the door completely.
We also ask our community to understand that preserving a tradition of this magnitude requires more than words of encouragement. It requires people willing to step forward, volunteer their time, and actively participate in making it happen. Community support has always been the foundation of Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Company, and that partnership is more important now than ever.
To those who have expressed disappointment, offered suggestions, shared memories, or voiced concerns, we sincerely thank you. We value every opinion, even when we may not agree, because it demonstrates how deeply this tradition is rooted in the hearts of our community.
We respectfully ask for your patience, understanding, and continued support as we evaluate our options. We also encourage anyone genuinely interested in helping with the construction, daily operation, or dismantling of the Train Garden to contact us at traingarden@wavfc.org.
Our community deserves transparency, and our traditions deserve every reasonable effort to preserve them.
Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Company has proudly served this community for generations, and we remain committed to strengthening that relationship. We may face challenges, and we may have to make difficult decisions, but our dedication to Dundalk and the people we serve has not changed.
Thank you for your passion, your feedback, and your continued support. Together, we can work toward preserving the traditions that make our community special.
Respectfully,
Public Information Officer
Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.
Proudly Serving the Dundalk Community Since 1942