The train tracks in Boone are starting to rumble as the 26th annual Pufferbilly Days rolls in Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

But what is a pufferbilly?

“A pufferbilly is a steam engine,” says Alicia Owens, the festival’s coordinator. Pufferbilly Days is a celebration of Boone’s railroad heritage, she says.

Larry Reynoldson, festival chair, says trains have almost always been part of Boone’s history. “For years, Boone has been a place where [trains] changed crews,” Reynoldson says. “Trains have always been a big deal here.”

Owens says Pufferbilly Days is one of the top five festivals in Iowa. “The population of Boone doubles in size for this event,” she says. “People drive from all around to take a ride on the train and see the parade.”

Lindsay Shannon, junior in art and design, says she has attended Pufferbilly Days every year since she was 7 years old.

“The parade is pretty long,” says Shannon, a Boone native. “They usually have quite a few marching bands, community businesses, sometimes the governor [of Iowa] and stuff like that.”

In addition to the parade, people attending the festival can watch live entertainment every night, see a model train display, visit the Railroad Heritage Attractions, eat at the food court and drink at the beer tent.

Reynoldson says he thinks college students would enjoy the karaoke on Saturday afternoon, the entertainment in the evenings, the beer tent and the sand volleyball tournament on Sunday.

On Friday night, Jason David Smith, who hails from the University of Northern Iowa, will perform. Katie Lynn, formerly from Boone and current performer in Branson, Mo., will perform along with the Smokin’ Okies on Friday night. A Buddy Holly tribute band will perform on Saturday night and on Thursday night the Boone Municipal Band will play.

Reynoldson says he enjoys seeing young people having fun at the event. “I like to watch people come in and enjoy themselves,” Reynoldson says. “To me, that’s the most exciting part.”

Admission for most events is free. Buttons for admission to Friday and Saturday night’s entertainment can be purchased on Friday for $5.