ABILENE, Kan. -  Republican Party presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife Mamie will arrive at the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad depot at noon on Thursday, Oct. 11. The candidate will make his case in a speech to voters that he is the best candidate for the presidency in 1952. Abilene Vice Mayor John Ray will introduce candidate Eisenhower, as well as a special presidential guest, whose identity will not be revealed until he steps out of the train.  

The Whistlestop Campaign Rally re-enacts Eisenhower's election train travels, which carried him more than 20,000 miles across the country. 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of Ike's 1952 election.

The Whistlestop Campaign Rally is jointly sponsored by the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum and the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad, both members of Abilene's Five Star Museum District. The campaign is also a component of the Ike and Harry 2012 project co-sponsored by the Eisenhower and Truman Presidential Libraries.

Southeast 5th street will be closed to through traffic for the duration of the event. Visitors are encouraged to gather in the street in front of the depot to welcome Ike and his distinguished guests.