The Mid-Ohio Valley Model Railroad Club will conduct the Louie Creel Memorial Open House Saturday. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The Mid-Ohio Valley Model Railroad Club will honor one of its own with an open house on Saturday.

Formerly known as the Cabin Fever Breaker Open House, the event has been renamed the Louie Creel Memorial Open House in honor of the late Creel, who was a 42-year club member and valued contributor. Creel, who passed away last July, was given the title of life member approximately two years before his death, in recognition of his many years of service to the club.

The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the club facility in the rear basement of NOE Office Equipment at 610 Green St. in downtown Parkersburg. Admission and parking are free, and a drawing will be conducted for a collectible, factory-sealed, Lionel Baltimore & Ohio O scale train set as well as a large, framed, John King photograph of a Chessie System train at a coaling facility and prints of hand-drawn Chessie locomotive images, created and donated by local artist Mike Penn.

The decision to rename the open house in Creel’s honor was an easy one for the club board of directors and membership, according to MOVMRC Vice President Tom Ratkovich, one of Creel’s closest friends.

“Louie was one of the founding fathers of the club, and we might not have a club today if it weren’t for guys like him,” said Ratkovich, recalling the days when the club had something of a nomadic existence. “Louie always wanted to be doing something for the club and, after we moved into the NOE building, we were at the club three or more days a week for more than 15 years. Louie was also going places, a lot, to pick up things for the club or take someone somewhere.”

Creel, who passed away at age 77, was a 1964 graduate of Parkersburg High School and a retired lead chemical operator at Shell Chemical Company’s Belpre plant. He also served in the Army National Guard and was a long-time resident of Belpre. His role as something of a godfather within the club came about through his involvement in many projects and performing many duties in the group’s early days. Creel was known to be quick-witted with an easy smile and served as a treasure trove of information for club members, particularly those inexperienced or new to the hobby.

“Dad loved the hobby, from painting engines, cars and buildings to the sound systems and scenery on the layouts,” recalled son Brendan Creel. “Dad did it the ‘old school’ way and was one of the best. But, you’d never hear him say that. He was humble and always willing to help other club members with their projects.”

A noted classic automobile, radio-controlled car and NASCAR fan, Creel also enjoyed the hobby of “railfanning” – chasing modern trains with friends at his side to view and photograph them. Creel is remembered as a knowledgeable fan of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Chessie System, which were prominent in the area in days gone by. The club will run B&O and Chessie trains, in four model scales, on five highly-detailed layouts during the open house in Creel’s memory. The club will also be displaying several framed railroad photographs from Creel’s collection and feature his caboose train in operation on the HO layout.

MOVMRC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to preserving and bringing to life, in miniature, the area’s rich railroading history, while educating guests at its events through prototypical operations, artifact displays, photographs and discussions.

At the Louie Creel Memorial Open House, guests will be afforded the opportunity to see trains running in HO, N, G and O scales. Even visitors who made it to the open houses two months ago will notice big changes at the club, including further remodeling of the N scale layout, continued progress on the HO layout upgrade project and a completely new (and huge) O scale layout in the early stages of construction.

“The new construction and changes we’ve made to the layouts are great ways to showcase the talents of our club members”, said club President Jonathan Insley. “We are excited to be able to offer refreshed and new layouts, new track plans and upgraded scenery so our guests will enjoy them and want to come back.”