A reborn model-train-and-hobby show is returning to Chilliwack and organizers are putting a big emphasis on the hobby side of it.

After a six-year hiatus, All About Expos has taken on the former Mt. Cheam Lions Club Model Train and Hobby Show. The newly named Train and Hobby Show will be at Chilliwack Heritage Park on Oct. 19 and 20.

"We want to have that traditional train presence, but we really want to engage in the hobby side," said organizer Sharon Dueck. "We want to branch out so that so that it brings every element of what we call a hobby."

She calls it a "great, real community show" that All About Expos was excited to take on.

They're pulling in people to demonstrate their art or hobby so others can actually learn and see how it's done. The goal is for folks to find out more about a hobby they're interested in, or find a completely new one.

"It runs the breadth everywhere from steel work, wood word, quilters, sewers, crocheters, you name it," Dueck said.

Aside from model trains, there will be remote-controlled cars, a painter, photographer, illustrator, stone-and-wire artist, carver, candle maker, soap maker, antique fabric collector, Lego enthusiasts and more.

Brent Sutton, whose hobby is model trains and has been involved in the Lions train show from the beginning, said the event is a way to open up people's minds and to see there's a lot out there in the way of hobbies.

"Nowadays, people don't understand what a hobby is," Sutton said. "Whatever makes you happy and whatever makes you create, that is a hobby."

He's been building model railway sets for decades. He makes things out of wood, metal, and uses a 3-D printer to create miniature items for his train setup like barrels and pallets. Instead of making items for fellow model train enthusiasts and charging them, he much prefers to invite people into his workshop and show them how to make something for themselves.

"I'm trying to get them encouraged and show them how it's all done," he said. "Everything is a hobby if you make it a hobby. And that is what I try to do for people."

The hands-on learning that Sutton offers at no charge is exactly the type of experience Dueck is envisioning throughout the Train and Hobby Show.

"It's trying to really engage with our community and pull in all these resources that are out there," she said.

Anyone who wants to share their hobby is welcome to set up a table at the event at no charge. But, they must interact with people and demonstrate what their hobby is all about.

There will also be a swap meet (tables are $30 each day) and a vendors' area (booths are $125).

The very first train show put on by the Mt. Cheam Lions Club was in September 1998 as a new way to raise funds for the community. It ran for 21 straight years with the last one taking place in 2018. By that point, members were getting older and it got to be too much work for them. In addition to trains, the show featured other items as the years went on, like remote-controlled cars, and the Lions Club was on track to fill the show with all sorts of other hobbies, Dueck said.

All About Expos wants to follow in their footsteps, not just by bringing the show back to the public and offering an array of hobbies, but by making it accessible and affordable. Admission is $6 per person for both days.

"This is the heart of the Lions… we want to make it reachable, we want to make it doable," Dueck said. "It's all about doing things with your community. It's another way to get involved, another way to do something different, another way to make friends."

The Train and Hobby Show by All About Expos is Saturday, Oct 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at Chilliwack Heritage Park. Admission is $6 (two-day wristband), and it's free admission for kids aged five and under.

Those interested in demonstrating their hobby for free at the show, or people wanting to buy a table at the swap meet or vendors' area, or those wanting to sponsor the event can email info@allaboutexpos.ca or call Sharon Dueck at 604-701-1465.

People wanting to share their hobby are asked to bring their own table; organizers have some tables to rent for a minimal fee.