Think of them as brightly-decorated railcars full of Christmas cheer. A fund-raiser for food banks in Canada and the U.S., Canadian Pacific’s Holiday Trains — one travels through Canada, the other in the U.S. — have covered over 100,000 miles and raised close to $9.5 million and 3.3 million pounds of food since the program started in 1999.
The trains will roll into Wright County this weekend, after stops in Cottage Grove and Minneapolis on Thursday, and one at Union Depot in St. Paul Friday.
The train will roll into Loretto at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, stopping on the Hennepin County 19 crossing, just south of Minnesota Highway 55. A performance featuring the band of the week – Home Free, along with musician Kira Isabella, will take place from 4:30 to 5:15.
Then, the train – adorned with lights, music, decorations and, yes, music, will make its way up the track to Buffalo, stopping at 612 3rd Ave. at 5:45 p.m. A performance will be held from 6 to 6:45.
The train continues west Saturday night, with stops in Annandale at 7:15 p.m. (Downtown Park) and then Eden Valley.
The Holiday Trains make stops in communities across CP’s service area, offering free concerts and seasonal festivities from a boxcar CP has turned into a traveling stage. Over the three weeks of the program, the musicians on board the trains will play more than 150 free concerts from their boxcar stage. This year we are lucky to feature the star talent of Tracey Brown, Kira Isabella and Home Free.
The concerts are free, but you’re encouraged to make a donation to the food bank—either a non-perishable food item or a cash donation. All contributions will stay within the local community.
