The 26th Annual Tamaqua Summerfest will take place 10 to 5 on Father's Day Sunday in downtown Tamaqua with free admission and free parking.

This year's Summerfest will include the opening of the new Tamaqua Area Historical Museum, train rides, a rubber duck race on the river, car show, new businesses and more, according to organizers.Presented by the Tamaqua Historical Society, the event is the first big celebration of the summer season in eastern Schuylkill County and spreads over several blocks of West Broad, South Railroad and Berwick streets and part of Nescopec Street and Hegarty Avenue.Crafters and assorted vendors will display crafts and sale items along the thoroughfare.Train rides will be sponsored by the society in cooperation with Reading and Northern Railroad and Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.Three rides will be offered at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. at the 1874 Tamaqua railroad station. The excursions will be approximately 70 minutes round-trip with the first heading south to New Ringgold and return and the second and third heading north through the Tamaqua Tunnel to the Hometown High Bridge trestle before returning. The train will be diesel-powered. Passengers will ride in vintage coaches equipped with toilets.Advance tickets can only be purchased at Tink's Antique Shop located on South Railroad Street next to the public library, Freudenberger said.The Tamaqua Street Machine Association will conduct the Summerfest Car Show featuring antique and classic cars from 10 to 3 along South Railroad Street. "Peoples Choice" trophies will be presented to the top three vote-getters. Prizes will be awarded at 3 p.m. Registration is free. A disc jockey will spin tunes.Blacksmith Don Campbell of Hazleton area will demonstrate his skills in the historic 1848 Hegarty Blacksmith Shop on Hegarty Avenue. The shop was the oldest continually run business in Schuylkill County when it closed in 1974 after being operated by three generations of the Hegarty family since 1848.Freudenberger said "The 1801 Moser Log Home on East Broad Street is presently closed awaiting stairway and porch rebuilding and will not be open for Summerfest. Volunteers are needed to help care for and staff these properties as well as our new museum, which is run with all volunteers."A Rubber Duck Race on the Little Schuylkill River is planned by the Tamaqua Fire Police Association and will be held at 3 p.m. on the Little Schuylkill River in the center of town. The finish line is just south of the Cedar Street Bridge near Boyer's Market. Four prizes are available and winners need not be present to win. More information: 570-778-4170. Rain date for the Rubber Duck Race will be June 26.The Victorian Highwheelers of Tamaqua, fresh from winning awards at events in Scranton and Shamokin, will be on hand with vintage machines throughout the day, weather permitting.Several new businesses are expected to be open: the new Tamaqua Station Restaurant, the Station Creamery, Station Art and Gifts, Tink's Antiques and Candy Shop, Momma C's Bakery, Pamkakes, and the new Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce office.Leiby's Carriage Service will provide horse-drawn trolley car rides pulled by Belgian draft horses.Music will include a live broadcast of the WMGH Polka program with Polka Joe Manjack from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., DJ Shawn Frederickson and strolling musicians. The Eclectic Circus will perform during the day and Buster the Clown will entertain.Foods will include: homemade bleenies, halupki, halushki, pierogies, steak sandwiches, Hawaiian ice, fresh cut french fries, cotton candy, fudge, lemonade, homemade soups, pizza, funnel cake, Caribbean cuisine, Italian ice, meatball subs, baked goods, and fruit salad.More information: 610-597-6722.