GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Casey Jones is a beloved part of KARE 11's past and a Twin Cities TV icon.
The real Casey Jones was a railroad engineer who died a hero in the year 1900.
But in the 1950s, the character of Casey Jones was revived in a children's TV show on KARE 11. "Casey Jones," whose real name was Roger Awsumb, invited kids to join him for lunch, skits, songs and cartoons.
Awsumb's show ran on KARE in different variations from 1954 to 1973.
Now we're taking some time to celebrate Awsumb, who passed away in 2002. Join us for a "Casey Jones Birthday Party" on March 16 - the weekend of the "real" Casey Jones' birthday - to celebrate both the original engineer Casey Jones, and our beloved character of Casey Jones.
The event at the Minnesota Transportation Museum in St. Paul will feature historical pictures, videos of KARE 11's Casey Jones, birthday cupcakes, and photo ops in front of the locomotive that was featured on KARE 11.
For more information about Roger Awsumb, click here.
Casey Jones Birthday Party
Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
MN Transportation Museum
193 Pennsylvania Avenue East, St. Paul