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From Aug. 15-17 and Aug. 22-24, Thomas will make a stop at the Crossroads Village/Huckleberry Railroad, a popular Genesee County Parks & Recreation destination at 6140 Bray Road.

The event "Day Out With Thomas 2008: The Great Discovery" centers around the opportunity to take a ride on Thomas, meet Sir Topham Hatt, and other family activities like the Thomas & Friends Imagination Station.

This is 15-ton Thomas' 13th year traveling the U.S., and he is expected to carry approximately one million preschool-age children from over 45 cities in America this time around.

Crossroads Village will see more than 24,000 visitors between the two weekends that Thomas is in town.

In addition to the Thomas the Tank Engine appearances, there will be a live Bob the Builder event that coincides with the Day Out With Thomas 2008. Bob the Builder is a popular children's television character who is a construction contractor.

Fifi & the Flower Pots will also be present during the Day Out with Thomas weekends.

Thomas the Tank Engine originally came alive in books by the Rev. W.V. Awdry, and later reached many more audiences in the television series "Thomas and Friends" and "Shining Time Station."

"Thomas and Friends" narrators have included Ringo Starr, the recently deceased American comedian George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, and other international celebrities. The fictional Island of Sodor found in the books and television series is based on the Isle of Man in the British Isles.

Genesee County Parks & Recreation Marketing Specialist Hilda McShane says that "kids, of course, enjoy it, and it has a huge economic impact on the area.

"It (the Day out with Thomas 2008) allows us to promote our other programs when we have so many eyes on the village."

Crossroads Village is celebrating its 32nd year; attractions and events include the Genesee Belle, a paddle-wheel riverboat that cruises Mott Lake, 35 restored turn-of-the-century buildings, and an overall setting that mimics life in a small Michigan village more than 100 years ago.