Santa Claus is coming to town.
When the CP Rail Holiday train chugs into downtown Cochrane on Dec. 13, Santa will be there to greet it.
The CP Holiday Train is back for its 24th year of supporting food banks across Canada and the U.S. by raising money, food donations, and awareness for food security issues.
It will be the first time the train has toured in three years.
"The Holiday Train is all about families and communities coming together to celebrate the season and help those in need. We are excited to be back out on the rails and in our communities, taking these two beautiful trains across our network and sharing the joy that comes with gathering in the spirit of giving," said Keith Creel, CP's President and Chief Executive Officer in a press release.
Attendees are asked to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation if they are able. Local food banks will set up collection stations at the event, with all donations staying locally to help people in need.
Because local food banks buy food at a discount, cash donations are preferred as they can stretch further than food donations.
Since the Holiday Train program launched, it's raised more than $21 million and collected five million pounds of food for community food banks across North America.
The train departs Montreal Nov. 27 and follows CP tracks west all the way to Vancouver, B.C., performing free concerts along the way.
The festivities in Cochrane will start at 1:30 p.m. with Santa interacting with the kids. The train itself pulls in at 3 p.m., and when the doors open, Canadian country music stars MacKenzie Porter and Virginia to Vegas will entertain the crowd with a 30-minute concert.
Porter is a country singer, actress, and songwriter. She has released one self-titled album and achieved four Canada Country number-ones. She also played Shane in the 2007 movie Christmas in Wonderland.
Porter was nominated for a number of 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards, including the Spotify Female Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Video of the Year for her song "Pickup."
She has also been nominated for an American Music Award alongside Dustin Lynch for "Thinkin About You," for Best Country Song.
Porter grew up on a buffalo and cattle ranch outside Medicine Hat. Her brother Kalan won Canadian Idol in 2004.
Derik John Baker (known on stage as Virginia To Vegas), is an American-born Canadian musician, singer and songwriter based in Toronto.
He is best known for his gold and platinum-certified singles, "We Are Stars," "Lights Out," "Selfish," "Just Friends," and "Betterman." In 2021, he collaborated with Porter on the single "This Sucks."
The train stops behind the provincial building between Second Ave. W and Third Ave. W.
Organizers are counting on the train to spark interest in and awareness of the food bank’s local thrust at a crucial time of year.
“The potential of this could be almost overwhelming, in a positive way,” said organizer Dan Kroffat.
Marcia Gilbertson is president of Cochrane Activettes, which runs the food bank.
“This is our biggest season – we need food and monetary donations, so we’re calling for the community to support us,” she said.
“I can tell you, the number of people who need the food bank is way, way up.”
The Activettes provided 309 food hampers to families at Christmas last year.
Partners in the push to raise awareness of the need for food bank support include the Cochrane Chamber of Commerce, Cochrane Toyota, Bike Cochrane, and Garmin Canada Inc.
All of their coordinated efforts will feed into the arrival of the train come Dec. 13.
Organizers said that there was a new thrust for the food drive this year – a focus on welcoming newcomers.
Those looking to help out do not have to wait until the train gets here. For information on how to donate non-perishable food or make a monetary donation go to cochraneactivettes.com.
