A lot of lucky dads got to celebrate Father's Day in a special way in Tamaqua on Sunday.

They got the opportunity that occurs just a few times a year - a train ride to the High Bridge railroad trestle in Hometown.The train rides were given as part of the 27th annual Tamaqua Summerfest Celebration, sponsored by the Tamaqua Historical Society.The celebration, which was held along several blocks in the downtown area of Tamaqua, featured an Irish wake, horse-drawn carriage rides, a car show, crafters, an art display, a clown and plenty of food.Three train rides were offered by the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway Inc., with two going through the Tamaqua Tunnel to the High Bridge. The other was a scenic rail ride to New Ringgold.Matt Fisher, general manager of Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, said several hundred people rode the train."It was a very successful day today," Fisher said, saying that the weather cooperated and contributed to the fine turnout.The daylong celebration got off to a shaky start with cloudy skies and even a few sprinkles. That morning weather threat kept the number of vehicles down in the car show held in conjunction with the celebration.By late morning, it was mostly sunny and the crowds arrived.Visitors gathered in the Tamaqua Historical Society building to view the Irish wake, performed by members of the newly formed Tamaqua Heritage Players. The performance depicted the wake of an Irish mine worker and the heartless reactions of the mine boss.Bob Vybrenner of Tamaqua, who portrayed the father of the deceased miner, explained the story told was based on a true incident of a funeral in St. Jerome's Cemetery in 1873. He said an original coffin from the 1890s was used for the wake.During the wake, the deceased miner's parents, brother and son mourned, although the father also displayed anger at the mine boss.The mine boss, played by Daniel Bobby of Freeland, interrupted the proceedings and attempted to order the brother and son of the deceased back to work. The father and mother chastised the boss, who threatened to fire them and have them evicted from the company home in which they resided.Vybrenner said when a miner was killed, the recovered body (or body parts) were tossed into a vehicle nicknamed the "Black Mariah." He said the vehicle would travel through the small mining towns until it reached the residence of the miner. There the body was usually tossed onto the porch.He mentioned some of the traditions of the Irish wake, including loud wailing by attendees who tried to make as much noise as possible in the belief it would hasten the uplifting of the soul of the deceased to heaven.When the mother of the miner asked the father why he wasn't sad, the father responded, "I'll not be selling tears for the likes of him (pointing to the mine boss)."Of the deceased, the father said, "He is now in peace. He won't have to live the life we do."At the Hegarty Blacksmith Shop, Don Campbell of the Hazleton area demonstrated his skills. Hegarty Blacksmith Shop was once the oldest continuously run business in Schuylkill County, operated by three generations of the Hegarty family from 1848 until it closed in 1974.Hundreds of people also took part in the rubber duck race on the Little Schuylkill River, sponsored by the Tamaqua Fire Police Association. Some fire police members wore duck costumes for the Summerfest Celebration.