(Canadian Pacific issued the following news release on November 14.)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A poem written on Christmas Day 1864 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a challenge issued in the last century in Ireland and the timeless appeal of unconditional love inspired some of the songs in this year’s upcoming shows on the lighted Holiday Train in the Midwest.
Folk singer/songwriter John Gorka of the Twin Cities, folk-rocker Willy Porter of Milwaukee, Canadian Country Music Association Hall of Famer Tracey Brown and her daughter, Kelly Prescott, and the Ennis Sisters, a Celtic-pop trio from Newfoundland, will perform in the outdoor Holiday Train shows several times a night between Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. The shows are performed from a boxcar stage at whistle stops along Canadian Pacific Railway tracks from Chicago through Minot, N.D., while Santa wanders the crowd, distributing toy train whistles and candy canes. The free concerts are fundraisers for food shelves, so crowds are asked to bring nonperishable food and money to donate. All donations will remain local. In addition, CPR presents checks at each stop to a food pantry. The Holiday Train program has collected close to 378 tons of food and taken in more than $1.9 million Cdn for North American food banks since it began in 1999.
When Longfellow wrote “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” he was recovering from the loss of his wife, Fanny, in a fire in 1861 and the severe injury of their son Charles in the Civil War. The seven-stanza poem reflects Longfellow’s grief and despair over the long war to his joyful hope for the peace that was just months away. The poem led to the carol of the same name. The carol omitted two stanzas, dropping references to the Civil War.
About 15 years ago, John Gorka was looking for a holiday song to record for Windham Hill’s “Winter’s Solstice III” CD. Scanning sheet music for inspiration, John came across the hymn. “Since I don’t read music all that well, I started singing the words, making up a tune as I went along,” he said.
John’s version can be heard on the Holiday Train CD, which features music from last year’s and this year’s Holiday Trains. It will be available through the end of the year for free downloading at www.cpr.ca by going to the Holiday Train page. Click on the Holiday Train icon on the Website’s home page, then click on the word “Entertainers” in the box at the left to access the 13-track CD, which includes “Christmas Bells.”
John is looking forward to his five-day Holiday Train tour across Minnesota and North Dakota, living with other professional musicians in vintage private rail cars on a 13-car freight train outlined in hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights. The boxcar shows will be performed in some unusual venues, such as railroad grade crossings over small town main streets, next to grain elevators and on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Mahnomen, Minn.
“I like to play for audiences that are not the usual kind. It’s fun to be new to an audience. That’s what I’ll be hoping to see — a lot of new people — people who may have heard my name but have no idea what I do,” said John, who tours nationally. Biographies and high-resolution photos of John and the other entertainers are available on the Holiday Train page or visit http://www.johngorka.com/ for more information.
The Ennis Sisters, Tracey and Kelly, who performed on the 2002 Midwest Holiday Train, will begin their trip Nov. 30 in Scranton, Penn. The train makes appearances in Scranton, New York and Ontario before reaching the Midwest.
Karen Ennis and her sisters, Maureen and Teresa, know a thing or two about making live music in the subzero and at unusual venues. Over the summer, they entertained Canadian troops on a ship and in the desert in the Persian Gulf. They performed through two snowstorms on the 2003 Holiday Train in the Midwest and traveled from Montreal to Vancouver, British Columbia, on the 2004 Canadian Holiday Train.
Last year, Karen played a penny whistle and sister Teresa played the bodhran (pronounced BOH’-rahn), an ancient Celtic drum made out of goatskin, in the Canadian Holiday Train shows, weather permitting. Maureen, who writes many of their songs, plays acoustic guitar.
If the temperature drops too low, the fast fingerings for the penny whistle become impossible to perform. “If it’s too cold, it tends to get out of tune,” Karen said. “I keep it up my coat sleeve to keep it warm until I’m ready to play. The warm air from my breath keeps it warm.
“With the bodhran, it depends on the moisture. If it’s very damp, the (drum) skin will get loose. If it’s too dry, it gets too tight,” Karen said.
Weather permitting, they’ll use the old-fashioned instruments on “Touch Me If You Dare,” which was written in the 1900s.
“Two men in a bar in Ireland were having an argument. One guy challenged another guy and said, `Touch me if you dare,’ sort of egging him on. There was a fight that broke out, and somebody there thought this would make a good song. Now, I don’t know how true this is,” Karen concedes, with a laugh.
Crowds who heard the sisters perform the song last year on the Canadian Holiday Train “just went nuts over it. Whatever it is about Celtic tunes, people’s immediate reaction is to jump up and down and clap your hands,” Karen said. The song will be on their upcoming CD to be released by next spring. Visit http://www.ennissisters.com/ for more information about the trio.
Willy Porter chose the toe-tapping Chuck Berry tune, “Run Rudolph Run” for one of his numbers. Willy, a tenor who plays acoustic guitar, will perform on the Holiday Train during its first three days in the Midwest, starting in Gurnee, Ill., on Dec. 9 through Red Wing, Minn., on Dec. 11.
Willy also will perform “Unconditional,” the opening track on his newly reissued surround CD of his self-titled album, “Willy Porter,” on Six Degrees Records. It’s about the love between a mother and child, a motorcyclist who dies in a crash and a man’s last moments as he is dying with his family around him.
“It deals with the idea there is something larger than us, and everybody is on a quest to find it, even those who don’t believe in it,” said Willy, whose Website is www.willyporter.com
Tracey, who has performed in every Holiday Train show since 2000, produces the shows with her husband, music producer Randall Prescott. Their daughter, Kelly, will sing either “I Love Christmas” from the Holiday Train CD or “Merry Christmas Baby.” Tracey will sing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” in an up-tempo swing beat. “I was thinking of all those who will be away from home for Christmas, and it’s one of my favorites,” she said.
After five years of performing outside in the winter on the Holiday Train, the cold doesn’t faze the seasoned entertainer.
Tracey credits her stamina to long underwear, living in Ontario and the reception the entertainers receive at each stop.
“I know this sounds corny, but you look down at the crowd and you feel warm all over. It’s not like other concerts where people are checking you out to see what you can do. They’re thrilled to be there,” Tracey said. To read more about Tracey’s other charitable work and her music, visit www.traceybrown.org
Editors’ Note:
For more information about the Midwest Holiday Train, visit www.cpr.ca and click on Media, then News, then Show Archives and go to the Oct. 10-dated news release: `Midwest train of lights to feature Minnesota’s John Gorka, Wisconsin’s Willy Porter.’
From the home page, click on the Holiday Train icon to access:
Downloadable radio PSAs by John Gorka (for Dec. 12-16 Hastings, Minn., through Minot, N.D.) and Tracey Brown (for Dec. 9-11 Gurnee, Ill., to Red Wing, Minn.) in the right column on the Holiday Train page.
The free downloadable CD is available by clicking on Entertainers in the left column box on the Holiday Train page. The songs will appear at the top of the page for listening and downloading.
High-resolution downloadable photos of the train are available under Photo Gallery on the Holiday Train page. High-res downloadable photos of the musicians and the train’s route map are also on the Holiday Train page.
Midwest Holiday Train 2005 Schedule
All times are approximate. Please check the arrival time at www.cpr.ca prior to attending the event. All times are local
Friday, Dec. 9
Illinois
Gurnee, Ill. – 6:45-7:35 p.m. -North side of Grand Avenue underpass, east side of Depot Road across from Viking Middle School Park, 4460 Old Grand Ave. Benefits Northern Illinois Food Bank.
Wisconsin
Sturtevant, Wis. – 8:05-8:45 p.m.- Amtrak depot, 2904 Wisconsin St. (one block north of Highway 11 and Wisconsin Street.) Benefits Racine County Food Bank.
Brookfield, Wis.- 9:45-10:35 p.m. – Fox Brook Park (between North Avenue and Capitol Drive. Barker Road at River Road.) Benefits Food Pantry of Waukesha County.
Saturday, Dec. 10
Wisconsin
Watertown, Wis.– 5:30-6:10 p.m. -Third Street crossing near the Clark gas station at 1000 S. Third St. Benefits Watertown Food Pantry.
Portage, Wis.- 7:00-7:50 p.m. – Amtrak station, 400 West Oneida St. Benefits Portage Food Pantry.
Mauston, Wis.- 8:30-9:20 p.m. – Mauston Industrial Park, West State Street. Benefits Mauston Community Sharing Pantry.
Sparta, Wis.– 10:10-11:00 p.m. –South Water Street crossing across from chamber of commerce office,111 Milwaukee St. Benefits Couleecap Food Pantry.
Sunday, Dec. 11
Wisconsin
La Crosse, Wis.– 5:10-5:50 p.m. – Amtrak station, 601 Saint Andrew St. Benefits WAFER.
Minnesota
Winona, Minn.- 6:30-7:20 p.m. – Amtrak depot,65 E. Mark St. Benefits Winona Volunteer Services food shelf.
Lake City, Minn.- 8:50-9:30 p.m. – Hearth-n-Home Technologies, 800 W. Jefferson St. Benefits Lake City Food Shelf.
Red Wing, Minn.- 9:50-10:40 p.m. -Amtrak depot, 420 Levee St. Benefits Red Wing Area Food Shelf.
Monday, Dec. 12
Minnesota
Hastings, Minn.- 4:50-5:40 p.m., Canadian Pacific Railway Depot, 500 E. Second St. Benefits Hastings Family Service food shelf.
Cottage Grove, Minn. – 6:00-6:50p.m. – The Belden Street railroad crossing behind the Marathon gas station on Hadley Avenue South (under the Sieben bridge on Highway 61), Benefits Friends in Need Food Shelf.
St. Paul, Minn.- 7:10-8:00 p.m. – Upper level of Central Parking System ramp at Broadway & Kellogg under the Lafayette freeway bridge and east of old post office, lowertown St. Paul. Benefits Second Harvest Heartland.
Minneapolis- 9:10-9:50 p.m. – Canadian Pacific Railway yard, 2800 Central Ave. NE. GATES OPEN AT 8 P.M. TO BEGIN PARKING. Benefits Salvation Army.
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Minnesota
Loretto, Minn.- 5:25-6:15 p.m. – Hennepin County Road 19 crossing/Chippewa Trail across from the Choo-Choo Restaurant & Bar. Benefits Hanover Area Food Shelf.
Buffalo, Minn.- 6:40-7:20 p.m. -612 NE Third Ave. behind McDonald’s on Highway 55. Benefits Buffalo Food Shelf.
Annandale, Minn.- 8:05-8:45 p.m. – West side of downtown park over Oak Avenue crossing. Benefits Annandale Community Food Shelf.
Brooten, Minn.- 10:00-10:50 p.m. -Main Street crossing (County Road 18). Benefits BBE Area Food Shelf.
Wednesday, Dec. 14
Minnesota
Mahnomen, Minn.- 5:45-6:35 p.m. -300 East Jefferson Ave. by Shooting Star Casino. Benefits Helping Hands Food Shelf.
Thief River Falls, Minn.- 8:05-9:00 p.m. – Depot/City Hall, 2017 Highway 59 SE. Benefits Thief River Falls Area Food Shelf.
Thursday, Dec. 15
Minnesota
Elbow Lake, Minn.- 4:50-5:40 p.m. -Main Street crossing. Benefits Grant County Emergency Food Shelf.
North Dakota
Hankinson, N.D.- 6:45-7:35 p.m. – Former depot site, 410 First St. SE. Benefits Richland-Wilkin Emergency Food Pantry.
Enderlin, N.D.- 9:25-10:15 p.m. – CPR depot, 101 Harvest Lane. Benefits Ransom County Food Pantry.
Friday, Dec. 16
North Dakota
Carrington, N.D.- 4:35-5:15 p.m. – Former depot at Sixth Avenue North. Benefits Foster County Food Pantry.
Harvey, N.D.- 6:30-7:20 p.m. – CPR Depot, 600 Lincoln Ave. Benefits Central Dakota Ministerial Alliance.
Minot, N.D.- 9:20-10:00 p.m. – Main Street crossing. Benefits Minot Area Homeless Coalition.
Canadian Pacific Railway is a transcontinental carrier operating in Canada and the U.S. Its 14,000-mile rail network serves the principal centers of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, and the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions. CPR feeds directly into America’s heartland from the East and West coasts. Alliances with other carriers extend its market reach throughout the U.S. and into Mexico. Canadian Pacific Logistics Solutions provides logistics and supply chain expertise worldwide. For more information, visit CPR’s Website at www.cpr.ca