THUNDER BAY - It’s a concert tour unlike any other and every year huge crowds gather on a cold night to wait for the tracks to light up while also helping people in need have a brighter holiday.
On Sunday night, the CP Holiday Train rolled into Thunder Bay as part of its cross-Canada journey.
“Every time we roll into a new town, it can be such a small town, and the crowds go absolutely wild,” said Mallory McCredie, media relations advisory with the CP Holiday Train. “Or we can do big shows like Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and to roll in to see so many people excited to see the train is awesome.”
The crowd filled the platform at the old CP station on Syndicate Avenue to watch the arrival of the train decorated with Christmas lights and take in musical performances by Terri Clark, Sierra Noble, and Kelly Prescott.
This is the 20th year for the CP Holiday Train and this year two trains will be making stops in 160 cites across Canada and the United States.
And while everyone loves to see the colourful lights of the train and enjoy the unique concert experience, the Holiday Train has also been helping families in need across Canada.
In the last 20 years, the Holiday Train has raised more than $14.5 million and collected more than 4.3 million pounds of food for local food banks across the country.
“I think it’s really important that we help out the communities in which we operate,” McCredie said. “We have a lot of employees who come from all over Canada and the U.S. so partnering with the food banks is really great because everything we raise in the community stays in the community.”
Brendan Carlin, community services manager with the Regional Food Distribution Association, said the CP Holiday Train helps kick off the giving season and goes a long way in helping fill area food banks.
“It’s a great time to kick off the season,” he said. “We have a lot of people come out to see Santa Claus and who are really generous and it’s a really good way for us to start off the holiday season and get them into the giving spirit.”
People were encouraged to bring in food items for donation and Carlin said the RFDA usually collects two tons of food and $2,000 in donations by the end of the night. CP also donated an additional $13,000 to the RFDA.
“It’s a huge difference,” Carlin said. “This time of year the demand is so high. People have a lot of tough choices to make. They have family coming over, or gifts for kids, so the more we can get and provide for our food banks the better.”
The CP Holiday Train will be travelling to Ignace Monday morning.
