Friday, October 30, 2009

Canadian Holiday Train comes to the Junction for the second year in a row.

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Councillor Bill Saundercook hosted the CPR Railroad and local police in his office today making preparations for the evening  the train visits the Junction. Mr Saundercook spearheaded getting trains here last year moving it here from its downtown stopping place, which took him a number of years. The blog knows he does it for the community but we also think he like the people who attended last year that the  entertainment is great and that the trains are neat too.

about the train...

At each event, the Holiday Train provides a box car stage, a line up of great musical talent and a corporate contribution to the local food bank. The community, in turn, is encouraged to donate food and funds, all of which stays in the community.

This is the 11th year that the Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train has been raising food, money and awareness for food banks in communities across Canada and the U.S. To date, we've helped raise $4 million and 2 million pounds of food with our Holiday Train program.

From the initial partnership with the National Food sharing program this was a new idea formed in 1999.That December, CP began running a freight train decorated with thousands of Christmas lights across Canada, to raise awareness of the issue of hunger prevalent in all communities. In 2001, CP launched a second Holiday Train in the United States.

The Canadian Holiday Train will be in the Junction as part of it's US and | Canadian tour Toronto – December 1st - 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., 87 Ethel Avenue, adjacent to RONA



Entertainers on the Canadian train include the Odds, an alternative rock bank, bringing their energy and full voiced harmonies to the Holiday Train stage for the first time. They will be joined by Shaun Verrault of the Canadian blues-rock trio Wide Mouth Mason.

CPR Holiday Train Photo Essay of last years visit (opens in new tab)

5 comments:

  1. I was there last year and I have some suggestions on how to make this better:

    -Have santa and the bands up first, then the politicians
    -Don't spend so much time thanking long lists of CN/CP employees and politicians. The public doesnt care much about that and the children that are there care even less.
    -Provide a proper audience area with organization so that everyone can see. Last year was just a clump of people standing in a muddy lot.
    -More press = more people and more donations

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  2. Nonetheless, courtesy and politeness to CP employees for the effort is called for. But I know that these things can get annoyingly long.

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  3. I'm just saying.... we dont need to thank people for doing their jobs. That was brutal last year. 15 minutes of thanking random people before anything started. Do the thanking at the end... we beg you

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  4. Hi John, I really wonder if the CPR is paying the train gentlemen while they work on the night of the visit

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  5. Union men on an unpaid gig? I think not.

    When you go to most charity/free events you don't have 15 minutes of thanking in the beginning. The norm is to do that at the end of an event. You enjoy that part? Last year while that was going on, kids were getting restless "Where is santa?".

    The actual performance of Santa and the band was shorter than the thanking and Saundercook's speech. I kid you not!

    Is what I'm asking out of line? Move the thanking and politics to the end of the event. Those that are interested in that will stick around for that part.

    Do they roll the credits of a movie BEFORE the picture? There is a reason for that.

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