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The 150th anniversary of the driving of the ‘Golden Spike’ is bringing a lot of ‘green’ to Weber County

Posted at 6:30 PM, May 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-07 21:41:12-04

WEBER COUNTY, Utah -- Weber County is getting ready for this weekend’s Spike 150 celebration, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad.

Thousands upon thousands of people will be coming into Ogden, more than half from out of state.

There’s something for everybody. It is not something to miss,” said Aimee McConkie, president of Spike 150. “Do not be scared! There’s going to be crowds there, but it is part of the celebration, and we are ready for everybody!”

Ty Cherry, general manager of Rooster’s Brewing Company, said he’s hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

“You know I don’t really know what to expect," he said. "It’s going to be a little bit crazy. The number of people we’ve been told are coming down is pretty extreme, the most accurate one I got was 300,000 people in three days.”

Hotel managers across Ogden said their rooms have been booked for months.

“Rates started climbing based on demand last year,” said Dirk Sanderson, director of sales for Hampton Inn and Suites. “People are coming in from Australia and New Zealand, all over the world, and I think they’re going to be just really happy with how beautiful Utah is."

“We had a table in here last night. It was eight gentlemen that were here from Russia to see one specific train,” Cherry said. “I can’t imagine traveling that far for a train, but if you’re into it, you’re into it!”

There’s no doubt, people in the service industry were just as excited as those coming into town for the celebrations. The only problem is, the celebration will be so big they probably won’t get to see any of it.

“With how busy this restaurant’s projected to be, I might even sleep here tonight,” Cherry said. “I will be in here the entire time.”

“I’m not going to celebrate. It’s all hands on deck,” Sanderson said. “Everybody will be here working and we’ll take care of the guests and make sure they’re happy, and that’s our job.”

If you’re not able to make it up to Promontory Summit for some of the celebrations and festivities, there will be watch parties in Ogden and across Utah. You can also watch live online.

Here's a list of all the events going on this weekend.