Canadian Pacific Holiday Train stops in Byron on this Friday

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will stop in Byron on Friday, Dec. 2, at 1 pm. The train will be stopped for approximately one hour at Colfax and 7^th Street, near the high school. Now in its 16 year, the brightly decorated Holiday Train raises food, money and awareness for food pantries across North America. Those viewing the train are asked to bring non-perishable food items or paper goods, or a cash donation, to People Helping People.

Two specially decorated Canadian Pacific freight trains will launch on their unique journeys in late November: The U.S. Holiday Train on Friday, Nov. 25, while the Canadian ‘train of lights’ will begin its cross-country trek the next day, Saturday, Nov. 26, from Beaconsfield, Quebec. Each Holiday Train is about 1,000 feet in length with 14 decorated rail cars, including a modified box car that has been turned into a traveling stage for performers. The two trains are assembled and decorated by CP employees in Montreal, Smith Falls and Calgary.

All food and donations collected at the Byron stop will remain in the community and be distributed by People Helping People. In addition, Canadian Pacific provides a corporate contribution to the food pantry. Since 1999, the CP Holiday Train program has raised $4.8 million and generated almost 2.3 million pounds of food donations for local food shelves. North American cash donations totalled close to $750,000 last year alone. This year, people in more than 70 communities in six provinces and 40 towns and cities in eight U.S. states will again experience the Holiday Train’s important mission of feeding our communities.

At each stop, Canadian Pacific provides musical talent performing from a box car converted into a stage. On board the U.S. train, Kelly Prescott will partner with Colin James. In January 2011, Kelly launched her first solo effort, “I Leave You Dreaming,” a collection of blues/soul songs co-written by Prescott and her husband, Adam Puddington. Colin has been named as an inductee into the 2016 Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame presented by FACTOR. In the Spring of 2015 Colin wrapped up his Hearts on Fire tour.

The 2016 CP Holiday Train schedule is available at www.cpr.ca. Visitors can follow both Holiday Trains on CP’s website with daily blog updates, interesting and heart warming stories and photos from the train. For more information, contact People Helping People at 815-234-4355, or the Byron Chamber of Commerce at 815-234-5500.