Canadian Pacific Railway announced last week the schedule for its Holiday Train, and that once again this December it will be visiting Annandale.
This marks the 19th year the Holiday Train has traveled across the United States and Canada, and its 14th consecutive appearance in Annandale.
The train will arrive at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, with Canadian country music stars Terri Clark and Dallas Smith the featured performers. They will be joined by Kelly Prescott, who played the Annandale stop in 2016.
Clark has won the Canadian Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year award eight times, and its Female Vocalist of the Year award five times.
She has topped the charts with hit songs such as "You’re Easy on the Eyes," "Girls Lie Too," and "I Just Wanna Be Mad."
Smith has recorded rock and country songs, and at this year’s CCMA awards won Album of the Year for "Side Effects," and Single of the Year for "Autograph."
Prescott is a country singer-songwriter.
The trio will perform from a box car stage for 30 minutes, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The train will leave the Oak Avenue crossing at about 8:30 p.m.
Annandale is one of 26 towns the train will visit, including three others on Dec. 11 – Loretto, Buffalo and Kimball.
"People come for the beautifully-lit train and stay for the incredible show – all in the name of community," said Keith Creel, CP’s president and chief executive officer.
There is no charge for the Holiday Train, which raises funds at each stop for local food banks.
"The Holiday Train program is all about local food banks and food shelves and the critical role they play in our communities," he said.
All the money and food raised in each community stays in that community, and Canadian Pacific also makes a donation at each stop, including $4,500 to the Annandale Food Shelf. This event is the biggest fundraiser for the Annandale Food Shelf.
CP encourages everyone who attends to donate either cash or food to help stock food shelves