BOXCAR FROM FRANCE MARKS 75 YEARS IN MISSOURI

The rain didn’t deter over 60 veterans, civic leaders, and community members from celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Gratitude Train arriving in Missouri, carrying gifts from the people of France.

A ceremony outside the Beef House on the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia on Saturday, across from the boxcar, marked 75 years since French residents sent 49 boxcars to the U.S. loaded with gifts. The boxcar for Missouri has called Sedalia home since the 1950s, according to Cliff McBride, the Chef de Gare of the State Fair Voiture 333.

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McBride says the Voiture consists of veterans in the area who volunteer to maintain the boxcar and tell the story of France’s gratitude to the U.S. aiding in its liberation from fascism during World War Two, and for sending aid to help Europe rebuild. McBride says the boxcar is different from other war memorials in that it was a sign of appreciation from everyday citizens rather than governments.

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Donations to the State Fair Voiture 333 provide for the boxcar’s maintenance. Several of the gifts that came in the boxcar are now on display at the Pettis County Historic Museum.