COVID derailed plenty of holiday traditions the last couple years, including the decked-out trains Canadian Pacific rolled through cities from one side of the continent to the other. This December, the illuminated locomotive will return to southeastern Wisconsin, with six stops planned.
The tour, which starts Nov. 22, actually involves two trains — one stays entirely north of the border, and the other makes appearances in both countries. The latter departs from Montreal and will be in our area on the following dates:
- Dec. 8 at 6:45 p.m. in Sturtevant
- Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. in Caledonia
- Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. in Wauwatosa
- Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in Hartland
- Dec. 9 at 6:40 p.m. in Oconomowoc
- Dec. 9 at 7:50 p.m. in Watertown
Besides seeing a train that just looks cool all lit up (seriously, check out the gallery below), you also get a concert for your trouble. Performing out of the customized train car in Wisconsin are a pair of Canadian-born artists — Alan Doyle and Kelly Prescott.
The show is free, and of course it doesn’t cost anything to look at a train. But CP makes a very reasonable request of its audience: Donate a nonperishable food item or, even better, money to a local food bank. They’ll have collection stations set up at each stop, and monetary contributions in particular go much further for food banks.
“Rather than paying retail prices, our network of food banks works with major manufacturers, retailers, and farmers to secure healthy food,” Feeding America explains on its website. “This means that when you donate a dollar, you’re able to put more meals on the tables of families than if you donated food you'd purchased at the store.”
More information on the train, its scheduled stops and the performers is available on the CP Holiday Train website.
