The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train visited an estimated 3,000 people at Lions Park, 37th Avenue NE and Stinson Boulevard, where Northeast Minneapolis, St. Anthony and Columbia Heights meet Saturday Dec. 10. While waiting, guests could visit several vendors and create art works in the Created To Grow tent. Santa was there, and Stanley’s On Wheels food truck. Unique Thrift Store was selling holiday jewelry.
The temperature was 12 with wind chill of 1, the light snow quite pretty. The 17-car beautifully decorated train arrived at 7:45. It was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. but left the previous stop late and had to stop at Shoreham Yard to repair a part that had frozen.
The project started in 1999. Two Holiday Trains make 150 stops traveling from Atlantic to Pacific. This train left the Montreal area Nov. 25 and will do final shows in Saskatchewan Dec. 15. One train goes through Canada and the other through part of the United States including Minnesota. They gather food, supplies and money for food shelves and local charities. The donations here went to East Side Neighborhood Services.
At each stop one of the cars opens up into a stage where a group performs Christmas music. Kelly Prescott and Colin James delivered a variety of music from Boogie Woogie Santa to Elvis Presley’s Blue Christmas.
Photos by Carol Jensen.
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