Canadian Pacific Railway Holiday Train

Is this another sign that we’re on the verge of a new Depression, or is it simply a really imaginative charity event? The Holiday Train is a string of thirteen cars outfitted with lights and decorations and a boxcar that converts to a stage. Willy Porter, Twin Citizen and Red House recording artist John Gorka, Tracey Brown, the Ennis Sisters, and other folk and folk-ish musicians will perform at free concerts across the Midwest, while also gathering contributions for local food shelves. The train’s first stop in Minnesota is Winona, and from there you can catch shows in thirteen other cities, including Red Wing, Cottage Grove, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Buffalo, Annandale, Brooten, Eagle Lake, and Thief River Falls. Not since the days when guys with harmonicas rode the rails has free music rolled into town on a train, and the sheer sparkly festiveness of this spectacle makes it well worth a few canned goods. Hell, bring a few bags’ worth’a full-scale Depression might not be imminent, but that doesn’t mean plenty of people around here aren’t going hungry. For the full Holiday Train itinerary, visit http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/General+Public/Holiday+Train/Schedules/US+Midwest+schedule.htm?wbc_purpose=basicEvents