Holiday train to roll through
Published 11:13 am Monday, December 5, 2011
The 2011 CP Holiday Train will roll into Austin 6:30 p.m. Dec. 8 with lights and live entertainment. It is seeking donations that will be given back to the local Salvation Army food shelf. -- Photo provided
Free event to focus on local food shelves
Canadian Pacific Railways likes to rock it like a boogie woogie choo choo train.
A daytime crowd watches the Holiday Train show in the Midwest.
But that’s not all it likes. It likes to raise awareness for hunger at the same time.
The CP Holiday Train kicked off its 2011 campaign on Nov. 25 in the Northeast and will roll into Austin at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 8 between 10th Street and 11th Street NE (stage facing west, toward downtown).
The goal, as always, is to throw the focus on local food shelves. By featuring a train car lit more than a Christmas tree and headline rocker Willy Porter, CP hopes visitors will throw the spotlight on the local Salvation Army with canned-good donations.
This year’s show has a brand new stage and lighting design with three miles of LED rope lighting, and it’s free to the public with a non-perishable donation.
Sarah Proud, coordinator of internal communications for CP, said hunger is important to her company and its employees.
“Hunger is an issue that can and does impact our neighbors,” she said.
The train, which was in Austin two years ago and has been touring CP lines around the Midwest and Canada for 13 years, has raised nearly $5.6 million and 2.5 million pounds of food for North American food banks. Another Holiday Train is currently touring Canada, as well.
