15th Annual Steam Department Benefit at the Sanfilippo Estate
The 15th Annual Steam Department Benefit at the Sanfilippo Estate is on Sunday, November 22, 2026, at 1:00pm. The afternoon will feature a concert in the Estate’s Music Theatre on one of the world’s largest theater pipe organs. The original theater organ, a 1927 Wurlitzer from the Omaha Theater in Nebraska, has expanded and now controls 8,000 pipes, percussions, and sound effects. This year’s event features a Christmas sing-along and a short silent film. Prior to the concert, attendees are invited to explore the display rooms of the Sanfilippo Estate, which feature one of the largest collections of mechanical music in the world, several steam engines, and an array of arcade machines. After the concert, the Carousel Pavilion will be open, with rides available on the grand carousel.
Proceeds from this event benefit the Illinois Railway Museum Steam Department, supporting the restoration and operation of the steam locomotives.
Steam Department Benefit Concert and Raffle
The grounds open at 12:30pm on Sunday, November 22nd, and the estate opens at 1:00pm. At that time guests will be able to tour the Residence and its collections. Docents will be throughout the Estate to demonstrate many of the instruments for your enjoyment. No food or drink is permitted inside the Estate. There will be multiple raffles and prize opportunities (all raffles are cash only).
Door prizes include a family pass to the museum and two tickets to next year’s Steam Benefit
50/50 raffle – take home half the money collected for this raffle. Tickets are $1 each, or six for $5.
Two special drawings will take place. Tickets for this special raffle are $5 each, or five for $20:
Throttle Time on the Shay. You get to operate a real locomotive! You must be 18 years of age or older to win this raffle.
Cab Ride on the Shay. Ride in the cab and watch the engineer and fireman as they operate the locomotive. You must be 13 years of age or older to win this raffle.
About the Sanfilippo Estate
The Sanfilippo Estate, nicknamed Place de la Musique, is a 55,000 square foot private residence filled with magnificent collections of beautifully restored antique music machines, phonographs, arcade and gambling machines, chandeliers, art glass, a theatre pipe organ, clocks, steam engines and other functional mechanical antiques, displayed within a breathtaking French Second Empire setting. Step into a Parisian streetscape with the new Perfume Passage. Visit the Carousel Pavilion to see and hear several fairground organs, and take a ride on the Eden Palais, the most spectacular European salon carousel in existence. In addition, several restored steam engines will be on display. The Estate, owned by Jeff Sanfilippo, CEO of the parent company of Fisher Nuts, hosts charities holding fundraisers through the Sanfilippo Foundation.
Purchasing Steam Benefit Concert Tickets
Tickets, which are only available to purchase in advance, are $75 per person. NO TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR. Tickets and directions are sent by email. Your order may take several minutes to arrive. If you do not receive your tickets, please check your spam folder. The Estate is located in Barrington Hills, about 45 minutes northwest of Downtown Chicago.
Proceeds from this event benefit the Illinois Railway Museum Steam Department, supporting the restoration and operation of the steam locomotives.
Steam Department Benefit Concert and Raffle
The grounds open at 12:30pm on Sunday, November 22nd, and the estate opens at 1:00pm. At that time guests will be able to tour the Residence and its collections. Docents will be throughout the Estate to demonstrate many of the instruments for your enjoyment. No food or drink is permitted inside the Estate. There will be multiple raffles and prize opportunities (all raffles are cash only).
Door prizes include a family pass to the museum and two tickets to next year’s Steam Benefit
50/50 raffle – take home half the money collected for this raffle. Tickets are $1 each, or six for $5.
Two special drawings will take place. Tickets for this special raffle are $5 each, or five for $20:
Throttle Time on the Shay. You get to operate a real locomotive! You must be 18 years of age or older to win this raffle.
Cab Ride on the Shay. Ride in the cab and watch the engineer and fireman as they operate the locomotive. You must be 13 years of age or older to win this raffle.
About the Sanfilippo Estate
The Sanfilippo Estate, nicknamed Place de la Musique, is a 55,000 square foot private residence filled with magnificent collections of beautifully restored antique music machines, phonographs, arcade and gambling machines, chandeliers, art glass, a theatre pipe organ, clocks, steam engines and other functional mechanical antiques, displayed within a breathtaking French Second Empire setting. Step into a Parisian streetscape with the new Perfume Passage. Visit the Carousel Pavilion to see and hear several fairground organs, and take a ride on the Eden Palais, the most spectacular European salon carousel in existence. In addition, several restored steam engines will be on display. The Estate, owned by Jeff Sanfilippo, CEO of the parent company of Fisher Nuts, hosts charities holding fundraisers through the Sanfilippo Foundation.
Purchasing Steam Benefit Concert Tickets
Tickets, which are only available to purchase in advance, are $75 per person. NO TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR. Tickets and directions are sent by email. Your order may take several minutes to arrive. If you do not receive your tickets, please check your spam folder. The Estate is located in Barrington Hills, about 45 minutes northwest of Downtown Chicago.
Where is it happening?
Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States
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Host or PublisherIllinois Railway Museum Steam Benefit
