Local food shelves welcome the Holiday Train

December 8, 10:02 AMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the South St. Paul Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is roaring into our area Fri., Dec 12, raising food, money, and awareness for local food banks and it will make two stops, just down the street and across the Mississippi River from South St. Paul.

The first will be in Hastings at 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. - CP Depot, 500 East Second St. The other will be in Cottage Grove from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. - West Point Douglas Road, South of Seiben Bridge in front of the Youth Service Bureau. The timing is perfect. It's late enough where school will have been let out, and not so late when we might not take the kids to see this very spectacular train.

The 10th anniversary Holiday Train hit the rails on November 26th and will visit over 100 communities in seven states and six provinces by the time they wrap it up for this year. They ask you to bring your cash and food donations and support your local food bank. To date, they have raised 3 million dollars and 1.6 million pounds of food.

This is not simply just a few stops and  a go affair. In the the U.S. Midwest, the Holiday Train started its journey Dec. 5, in Pingree Grove, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. On December 18, the train will continue into Saskatchewan for its final 3 performances. Entertainers on this train include Shaun Verreault, best known as the singer/guitarist/song-writer for blues-rockers and Canadian live favorites Wide Mouth Mason, and Juno award-winning singer and songwriter Melanie Doane.

Some things, like train schedules, never change and they ask you to please arrive at least fifteen minutes early, as the train arrivals may not be just right in sinc.

There will be, of course, the Jolly Old Elf and his reindeer along for the ride surrounded by hundreds of thousands of lights. There are a number of places you can go to experience Christmas in your neighborhoods, but this one is something special, not only for the show, but for the cause it supports.