Eyes that see the good in things: Canadian Pacific Holiday Train

The snow and the Christmas music wafting from the Rockford Theatre are definitely setting the scene for another holiday season. Our Christmas to-do lists are already long, but there is one item that is being added to mine this year. Although the Holiday Train comes very close to our area, making stops in both Carrington and Harvey, I must confess that I have only seen it once. The magical Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is back for its twentieth year of raising money, food and awareness for local food banks. It will again be making its way through Canada and across several northern states in the United States.

I’ve had this fascination with trains since I was a little girl and took the train with my parents. Since I have only seen the Holiday Train during the day, I think I’ve missed a little of the magic that I saw in pictures and video while I was reading about the train schedule. Therefore, I’ve decided that I want to see it in the country this year so I can see it lighting up the night as it snakes its way across the plains.

There are two Holiday Trains, The U.S. Train departs Montreal on Nov. 25 travelling south with stops in Quebec, New York and Southern Ontario before continuing its journey through the U.S. and into southern Saskatchewan for its final stop in Weyburn, Saskatchewan on Dec. 16.

The Canadian Train departs Montreal on Nov. 27 traveling west through Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia for its final show of the 2018 CP Holiday Train tour in Port Coquitlam on Dec. 18.

Local stops in our area are on Saturday, Dec. 15, and include stops in Carrington at the Carrington Rail Depot at 1:30 p.m.; in Harvey at 600 Lincoln Avenue at 3:45 p.m. and in Minot at Main Street crossing at 6:30 p.m.

A little history about the Holiday Train shows that over the past twenty years it has raised more than $14.5 million (CAD) and 4.3 million pounds of food for the North American food banks along its route. Canadian Pacific stresses that everything raised in the community stops stay in that community, plus Canadian Pacific makes donations at each stop. Canadian Pacific operates in over 1,100 communities and many of their employees are very proud of this program. Organizers say that the train has gained a tremendous following, one they are proud to be a part of, for their family members and for ours.

They say that at a typical Holiday Train event, the train arrives and pulls to a stop in front of a gathered crowd. The stage door lowers on the train car and a band opens with its first song. A brief presentation takes place with local food bank officials and the band continues to perform a mix of holiday-themed songs. Each stop lasts about 30 minutes and once the band plays its farewell song, the stage door closes, and the train moves off to its next stop where they are not only spreading the joy of Christmas but are also amazingly generous to people who may be in need of a little holiday cheer. The donations help to provide meals for struggling families during the holidays.

You can bring your whole family to watch the bright and colorful train pull into the town, enjoy the live performances, and make an important donation of money or non-perishable food to your local food bank to help out this year. The gift of giving is what Christmas is all about, and the CP Holiday Train is a fun way to incorporate fun into a lesson for your kids about compassion and giving! Viewing the train and the performances are entirely free of charge, but donations to your local food bank are encouraged.

Each and every month, millions of people across North America use food banks to make ends meet. Through the CP Holiday Train, we not only want to help restock food banks, we want to ensure people have access to nutritious food.

Here’s how they say we can help by making food donations. The food donations can include:

 • Grain Products – whole grain bread, brown rice, whole wheat crackers, hot and cold cereals, granola bars and muffins.

 • Vegetables and Fruit – canned fruit and vegetables, 100% fruit juice, tomato sauce, canned soup, tomato juice and applesauce

 • Milk Products – dry milk powder and pudding packs.

 • Meat and Protiens – canned meat and fish, peanut butter, canned baked beans, dried or canned beans and lentils.

They also invite you to spread the word to your friends and family and follow the progress of the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train on its Facebook page.

“It is a privilege for CP to be able to run a program like this and connect with so many communities across our network,” said Keith Creel, CP’s President and CEO, in a written statement. “I want to personally thank each individual who has made a donation over the past 20 years. Your collective efforts have made the Holiday Train a huge success for two decades.”

CP wants to see how you captured the spirit of the Holiday Train! If you’re visiting the CP Holiday Train this year, Canadian Pacific encourages you to take photos and enter the Capture the Spirit photo contest. You could win a trip for four aboard the 2019 CP Holiday Train, as well as a $1,000 donation to your local food bank.

We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing. Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript, 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.