Trains, Games and Automobiles: Marinette’s ultimate summer mashup

MARINETTE – Marinette has long been celebrated for year-round outdoor adventures, but the next thrilling event is here for one weekend only.

The Marinette Community REC Center will be hosting the second annual Trains, Games and Automobiles convention this weekend on Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28.
This event combines a wide variety of interests with operational model train layouts, tabletop boardgame events, train and game vendors as well as a classic car show on Saturday.

One of the people making this event possible is Mike Bastien of Game Knights Hobby Store in Marinette. He has been catering to the various interests of those within the gaming community since he opened his store in 2016, which moved to downtown Marinette at 2100 Hall Ave. last year.

Bastien shared that some of the popular games that they will be bringing to the event includes the card game “Magic: The Gathering,” the tabletop game “Warhammer,” “BattleTech” and a wide variety of board games.

“We have a paint-and-take table so people can come and paint miniatures, we will provide all of the supplies. We’ll also have a couple people running different games throughout the day that anyone can jump in on to try them out and see what they like,” he explained.
Attendees will also be able to see the detailed setups from dedicated members of the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Model Railroad Club and check out or bring their classic cars thanks to the efforts of coordinator Jay Wessely and Enginehouse Services of Green Bay.
Bastien shared that this event serves as an opportunity to meet people with similar interests or expand existing hobbies.

“Everybody is super friendly. Just come hang out and check it out, you don’t have to jump in right away — you can just watch for a little bit and then see if it’s something you would like to try out… Everybody is more than willing to help teach the games and show off the different games,” he said.

The Trains, Games and Automobiles event will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the REC Center, located at 2501 Pierce Ave. The car show will run until 3 p.m., trains until 5 p.m. and games will be played until 8 p.m. Trains and games will be at the event on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There is no entry fee to attend and food will be available for purchase from food trucks.
For more information on the event, contact the REC Center at (715) 732-2006 or the Game Knights Hobby Store at (715) 330-6001.