Canadian Pacific Holiday Train to return to Lansing and New Albin the evening of December 7 ...

The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train will return to the rails this season on its first cross-continent tour in three years, following virtual concerts in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The 24th Annual Holiday Train will again raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CP network, making its way through northeast Iowa Wednesday, December 7 with stops in Guttenberg, Marquette, Lansing and New Albin before a final stop that day in La Crescent, MN.

Highlighting the return of the Holiday Train will be a pair of concert performers, Alan Doyle and Kelly Prescott, who will present a half-hour show at each location. Singer, songwriter and actor Alan Doyle rose to fame as the frontman of the acclaimed folk-rock band Great Big Sea and is also well-known for his trio of well-received solo albums in addition to his work as an actor appearing in numerous films and television shows. With her influences including traditional country music, third generation singer/songwriter Kelly Prescott is a recording artist that has toured the U.S. and Canada, making her Grand Ole Opry debut with her family as guests of country music superstar Terri Clark in 2018.

The Holiday Train’s Wednesday, December 7 trek through northeast Iowa is scheduled for the following arrival/concert times: Guttenberg - 12:45 p.m./1-1:30 p.m., Marquette - 2:45 p.m./3-3:30 p.m., Lansing - 4:50 p.m./5-5:30 p.m., New Albin - 6:15 p.m./6:30-7 p.m. and La Crescent - 8:15 p.m./8:30-9 p.m. The two Allamakee County visits in Lansing and New Albin will find the Holiday Train coming to a stop near the ballfield in Lansing along South Front Street between North 2nd and Dodge Streets. The New Albin stop will take place near the parking lot adjacent to the railroad tracks on Railroad Street between Ross Avenue and Oak Street. Each location will have a variety of activities coinciding with the train’s arrival (see the advertisement on Page 2 inside this edition for information on New Albin activities).

Those attending the event are asked to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation if they are able. Those local donations, along with a presentation from Canadian Pacific, will benefit the Allamakee County Food Shelf, Lansing Iowa Food Trust (LIFT) and the Way Station in New Albin. CP launched the Holiday Train in 1999 to help raise money, collect food and draw attention to food security issues and the work of local food banks. In its first 23 years, the train has raised $21 million and collected five million pounds of food for local food banks. Submitted photo.