(The following story by Dan Feldner appeared on the Minot Daily News website on December 11, 2009.)
MINOT, N.D. — The 2009 Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is fast approaching and promises another night of festive family fun, even if the temperatures stay well below freezing.
The train is scheduled to stop at the Main Street crossing in downtown Minot around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 and stay until 8 p.m. Along with Santa Claus, the train will also carry several musical entertainers.
Shaun Verreault, who has played on the Holiday Train in the past, is the lead singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer for Canadian blues rock trio Wide Mouth Mason. The Canadian Pacific Web site states Verreault’s solo music efforts have taken him to Afghanistan, Greece and the Middle East, while Wide Mouth Mason has sold hundreds of thousands of albums, toured with legendary bands like AC/DC and The Rolling Stones, was in a movie with Al Pacino, and was the first North American rock band to tour mainland China.
Willy Porter, whose current CD is “How To Rob A Bank,” has toured with artists such as Jeff Black and Tori Amos.
Prescott, a brother and sister duo who are third-generation musicians, is comprised of Kaylen and Kelly Prescott. Their debut CD, “The Lakeside Sessions,” features songs textured with rock and roots, heartbreak and love. Both siblings have performed on the Holiday Train in the past, although this year marks their first time performing together as Prescott.
Adam Puddington is a singer and songwriter from Almonte, Ontario, who grew up listening to the trains rumble through his town, and continues to be fascinated by them to this day. This is his first appearance on the Holiday Train.
While music and revelry are certainly a big part of the Holiday Train, it is by no means the only part. The mission of the Holiday Train, now in its 11th year, is to help stock local food pantries at a time of year when they have high demand and short supply. People are asked to bring any food or monetary donations they can spare to the Holiday Train, where it will go to help those in the community. CP will also make a corporate donation to each community it stops at.
The CP Web site states the Holiday Train will visit more than 130 communities in eight states and six Canadian provinces. In the last decade, the Holiday Train has helped raise $4 million and two million pounds of food for local food banks. The Web site states that during the current difficult economic climate, 20 percent more Canadians and 30 percent more Americans are turning to food banks so they don’t go hungry, making the Holiday Train’s mission all the more important this holiday season.