A celebration was recently held at Marv's Place in Sardis to commemorate the opening of the Omal railway in Monroe County. Attending were members of the Hannibal Industrial Park, the Ohio Terminal Railway and the Monroe County Commissioners.

Honored during the celebration were Jeffrey Himmel, CEO of Hannibal Real Estate and Russell Peterson, CEO of the Ohio Terminal Railway. Proclamations read by the commissioners recognized their efforts in bringing back rail service to the county.

The proclamation honoring Jeffrey Himmel said, “This is a perfect demonstration of dedication to the citizens of Monroe County in creating employment for your dedicated employees who remain ever vigilant in the pursuit of continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.” It was said of Russell Peterson in another proclamation, “We now welcome the OHIO Terminal Railway to Monroe County, we note that through your affiliated railroads in Ohio and Pennsylvania you have a proven commitment to your employees, community and service.”

As part of the events, David Reid, Managing Director of the Hannibal Industrial Park gave a speech. Reid said in his speech, in reference to the six month process to re-open the railway, “The 12 miles of railway was steadily being overtaken by nature, and in many places the brush and undergrowth had completely covered the track. How is it, then, that this renaissance has been made possible? This only happens when unique individuals come together with a vision and a commitment to cause change.”