Country music fans and kids eager to meet Santa lined up along the railroad tracks in downtown Davenport. Facing the River Bandit’s field, residents waited for the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train to reach its stop in the Quad Cities.
The brightly-decorated train stops in Davenport every other year, according to spokesman Andy Cummings. This year, it is one of 150 stops the train will make across North America in one month.
Cummings said the train has traveled across North America every year since 1999. At each location, the train stops, musicians perform, Santa comes out and donations are accepted for local food banks. Over the years, he said the Holiday Train has collected $9.5 million in cash donations and 3.3 million pounds of food.
Donations collected at the Davenport stop on Dec. 5 benefited the Hunger Program of Churches United of the Quad City Area.
“The goal of the CP Holiday Train is to reach as many communities as possible, as part of the fight against hunger,” Cummings said. “We’ve been coming to Davenport for many years. We want everyone to keep in mind that everything you donate at a Holiday Train stop stays locally.”
Cummings said all donations collected will go straight back to people in the Quad Cities community. And Churches United volunteer, Rick Martin, said this year’s collection was the largest ever.
“We see donations a lot this time of year, but the need for food is great all year long,” Martin said. “It’s really special to see the community come together like this. And, we’ve received hundreds of pounds of food, maybe even a thousand.”
Donations collected by Churches United will be distributed throughout 26 different food pantries in the Quad Cities area. Also, the Holiday Train crew and Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba presented Anne Wachal, Executive Director of Churches United, with a check for $8,000 to continue their work.
At the Davenport stop, country singer Kira Isabella performed Christmas music with the “Holiday Train Band.” Cummings said many residents come out to see the show, or just to see the train roll by.
“It’s a beautiful train,” Cummings said. “It’s approximately 1,000 feet long, with 14 rail-cars and a locomotive. And we decorate it up every year, with trees and lights and decorations. We get great turn out…A lot of people just see the train roll by, if for no other reason. And, the musicians we have on board are real pros.”
After stopping in the Quad Cities, the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train took off towards Iowa, where it will continue its tour.