Holidays at the Depot

Please join us for our annual holiday fundraising auction in support of Buchanan County Tourism to be held ONLINE in 2020! Once again, through the generosity of our donors, you may bid on handcrafted trees and wreaths along with unique specialty items, with the added bonus of being able to watch your bids through this website.

Due to COVID-19 we will not be offering public viewing of items at the Depot this year. HOWEVER, we will have a rotating display of auction items in the windows of the Independence Area Chamber of Commerce office in downtown Independence. All bidding will take place online.

Proceeds will go to promotion of Buchanan County as a great place to visit and to maintaining the historic Illinois Central Railroad Depot, home to our tourism office. Most recent projects include launching a new website, expanding our social media presence, publishing a new brochure, and upgrading the depot utilities. We plan to continue to expand our marketing efforts and do some needed exterior maintenance in 2021.

A portion of the proceeds will go to support the Independence Area Food Pantry.

We want to thank our community sponsors for their financial support that made it possible for Tourism to hold an auction online. They are listed below. We are fortunate to have the support of so many businesses and individuals throughout the county.

The Buchanan County Tourism Bureau is a non-profit organization established to promote area attractions and amenities to all Iowans and beyond. It provides on-site visitor information services at the Illinois Central Depot along with outreach through online services and tourism partnerships. The organization publishes a tourism brochure, maintains a website, and uses social media to promote events, sites, and travel itineraries. It also maintains the Depot as both a tourism office and historical museum. It is supported by a stipend from the county, membership, fundraisers, and donations.