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Thomas the Tank Engine Along with His Engine Friends Will Be at Tweetsie Railroad From May 13 to June 9

May 16, 2013. Bring your preschoolers to take the ride of their lives! Seen on the pages of favorite storybooks, in playrooms, and on the television screen, Thomas the Tank Engine® is adored by little engineers everywhere. Now, Thomas is pulling into the station for a larger than life experience at Day Out With Thomas®: The GO GO Thomas Tour 2013, visiting Tweetsie Railroad May 31 through June 9. The event, now in its 18th year, is presented by HIT Entertainment and sponsored by MEGA Brands, a leading toy company, and all inclusive Hard Rock Hotels.

imagesThomas the Tank Engine, star of Thomas & Friends®, is making tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS® and Sprout®. Along with his engine friends, Thomas captivates children in more than 145 countries and 30 languages. The #1 blue engine and his friends invite children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. To date, 200 million Thomas & Friends books and e-books have been sold and the CGI-animatedThomas & Friends series is more popular than ever, rating as one of the top programs for children ages 2 to 5.  

Day Out with Thomas: The Go Go Thomas Tour 2013 is a fun-filled event that provides children of all ages the opportunity to climb aboard and take a ride with Thomas as well as participate in Thomas & Friends themed activities. The tour kicks off in March and is expected to welcome nearly one million passengers through November. For two back-to-back weekends, little engineers and their families are invited to take a 25 minute ride on their favorite engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt®, Controller of the Railway and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and coloring sheets. Tweetsie Railroad also offers amusement park rides for all ages, live entertainment including the Tweetsie Palace Saloon Show, Tweetsie¹s Miner¹s Mountain Magic Show, mascot characters Hopper and Porter¹s popular children¹s show and much more.

Thomas the Tank Engine rides depart every 30 minutes, rain or shine, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on both Saturdays (park open 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and between 9:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Sundays through Fridays (park open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). Tickets for the Day Out With Thomas: The Go Go Thomas Tour 2013 are $37 for adults and $23 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free.

Tickets are on sale now and available by logging onto Tweetsie.com or by calling Tweetsie Railroad toll-free at 877.TWEETSIE (877.893.3874). Tickets and Golden Rail Season Passes are available online.

For general information or to find a Day Out With Thomas: The Go Go Thomas Tour 2013 event near you, visit www.thomasandfriends.com/dowt.

About Tweetsie Railroad

North Carolina¹s first theme park opened on July 4, 1957, and is now in its 56th season. The heart of the park is the famous three-mile train ride behind Tweetsie Railroad¹s historic steam locomotives, including Engine Number 12.

Tweetsie Railroad is open seven days a week from May 31 through August 18. The park returns to the weekend schedule from August 19 through November 3, including Labor Day Monday. The 2013 season ends Sunday, November 3. Daily admission to Tweetsie Railroad is $37 for adults and $23 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. Tickets and Golden Rail Season Passes are available at Tweetsie.com.

Tweetsie Railroad is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains on U.S. Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. For more information about the 2013 season at Tweetsie Railroad, visit Tweetsie.com or call 877.TWEETSIE (877.893.3874). Find Tweetsie on Facebook or follow Tweetsie on Twitter @TweetsieRR.

About Thomas & Friends®

Thomas the Tank Engine was created by a father for his son over 65 years ago and today is enjoyed by families in more than 185 territories and in 30 languages.  The #1 blue engine and his friends invite children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Children embark on adventures with their engine friends while experiencing life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation.  Thomas & Friends makes tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS®, Sprout® and with downloadable episodes available through iTunes. For more information, please visitwww.thomasandfriends.com. Follow Thomas on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thomasandfriends and Twitter @TrueBlueEngine.

About HIT Entertainment

HIT Entertainment is one of the world’s leading children’s entertainment producers and rights owners. HIT Entertainment is a division of Fisher-Price.  HIT¹s portfolio includes properties, such as Thomas & Friends®, Barney®, Bob the Builder®, Fireman Sam®, Angelina Ballerina®, Mike the Knight, Pingu® andRainbow Magic®. Launched in 1989, HIT¹s lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing, digital media, and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. For more information, visitwww.hitentertainment.com