My son Jared, like a lot of kids, is totally into trains. We've been to the California and Nevada state train museums in Sacramento and Carson City and have plans to visit a lot more of the rail-related attractions in Northern California. If you're anywhere near the four big train stations in the US, you might want to check out the events planned for National Train Day, this Saturday, May 10th.

There are going to be concerts, exhibits, and giveaways at Washington, DC's Union Station, New York City's Penn Station, Chicago's Union Station and Los Angeles' Union Station. The Harlem Globetrotters will perform in New York and Sara Bareilles in Washington D.C. Even if you're not near one of those stations, the official website has info to put together your own event.

The celebration takes place on the 139th anniversary of the Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah. It also serves to promote the recent success of Amtrak -- ridership grew by a million and a half to more than 25 million riders in 2007. Even if you're not near one of the big celebrations, it seems to me that this Saturday would be a good day to visit a railroad museum or take a ride on a train.