OXFORD – Anyone driving through Oxford on Saturday may have thought they had been magically transported to the North Pole as the Pumpkinshell Nursery School held their Polar Express fundraiser on Dec. 8.

Over 100 people attended the event, which included a train ride, story telling, and visit with Santa Claus. The event began at 10 am, with Oxford ninth grader–and part time elf–Joshua Hull taking tickets and escorting visitors onto the train. Train Engineer, Carmen Gumble of Binghamton, took children and adults on an open air train ride around Fort Hill Park.

Conductor Bill Brower was on hand to read Chris Van Allsburg’s classic Christmas tale, “The Polar Express.” Those in attendance were given hot cocoa, cookies, and a special souvenir to remember their trip.

The event concluded with a visit with Santa Claus.

All proceeds went to benefit the Oxford Pumpkinshell Nursery School. Pumpkinshell Teacher, Marilyn Oliver expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped make the event possible, including New York Central Mutual and David and Kim Burrell for their donations, and all of the individuals who volunteered their time to help at the event.

The Pumpkinshell Nursery School is a parent cooperative serving three and four year old students. They are still accepting students for the current school year. For more information about Pumpkinshell, call the school at 843-9830.