By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–Helena residents know all too well that trains are a large part of the community and as annoying as it might be to wait on a train, there’s not much that can be done to prevent them from passing through town.

However, one Helena business came up with an idea to alleviate the frustration of getting stopped by a train in Helena in the form of a contest.

Mayer Insurance Services, LLC, will start a contest beginning Thursday, April 13, called “Train Traffic Thursday,” and those who are stopped by trains on certain Thursdays have a chance to win a prize.

The contest begins April 13, and will continue every second and fourth Thursday of each month through August. The rules of the contest are as follows:

–If you get stopped at the train tracks in Old Town Helena on Shelby County 261 or on Shelby County 52 near Donut Joes on the day of a contest before 7 p.m., take a picture while completely stopped.

–After taking a picture, post the photo to the Mayer Insurances Services, LLC Facebook page with the hash tags #MayerInsurance and #TrainTrafficThursday.

–As long as the post includes both hash tags, you will automatically be entered into the contest with a chance to be a winner. Mayer Insurance will comment on the post to confirm the entry.

–The winner will receive a giveaway for discounts from a local Helena business.

Laura Mayer with Mayer Insurance said they started the contest in the fall of 2016 and received great feedback so the business is hosting the contest once again.

“It’s just a way to support Helena businesses in town and make the trains a little more bearable,” Mayer said. “We wanted to do something that’s a Helena thing and we thought it would be a fun way to give back for people that are stuck by trains. The giveaways are always for local Helena businesses and we always try to do a variety of prizes.”

The prizes will include numerous gift certificates to local Helena restaurants, retail shops and more.

The first giveaway on April 13 will be to Party Art in Old Town Helena for a free adult paint party for up to eight adults.

For more information and to keep up when a contest takes place, visit Facebook.com/mayerinsuranceservices/.