25th CPKC Holiday Train
Holiday Train drone footage from 2022 above Notch Hill. Photo credit BAKK Industries
By Jo Anne Malpass
Notch Hill Hall will be open at 6:00 pm on December 15 with hot chocolate and a Christmas market when the 25th CPKC Holiday Train rolls into Notch Hill.
Each year, this beautifully illuminated train travels across CPKC’s network spreading holiday cheer and raising donations to help people struggling with food insecurity, says the announcement.
The Holiday Train raises money, food and awareness for the important work that food banks do in their communities. Professional musicians play free concerts from the brightly decorated train’s stage. CPKC makes a donation to the local food shelf at each stop and encourages attendees to also donate.
Since its inception in 1999, the CPKC Holiday Train has raised more than $22.5 million and more than 5 million pounds of food for community food banks across North America.
On December 15, there will be shows at Sicamous NW corner of HWY 1 at Silver Sand Road intersection at 5:15 pm, Canoe at the 50th Street railway crossing at 6:45 pm, Salmon Arm Lordco parking lot at 8:00 pm, Notch Hill Davies Road & Notch Hill Road crossing across from Notch Hill Hall at 9:30 pm (Train arrives at 9:10) and on Dec. 16, Chase north side of Shuswap Avenue at Ash Drive at 2:45 pm. The shows run for a half hour.
The Sorrento food bank will be set up in the lower hall parking lot of Notch Hill Hall and the Shuswap Fire Department will be helping with parking and road safety. CPKC Crew will be providing a fire below to help keep you warm. Winners of the Notch Hill Hall gingerbread house contest will be announced. Bring your entries between 4 and 6 pm on Dec. 14.
Playing in these shows is Tyler Shaw and Kiesza. Tyler Shaw is a multi-platinum-selling artist, music producer, and actor. The Chinese-Canadian, originally from Vancouver, quickly hit platinum sales in 2012 with his first hit song. His music has been nominated for multiple JUNO Awards, and he has opened for massive international artists. In 2021, Tyler spearheaded ArtistsCAN with Fefe Dobson to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross COVID-19.
Kiesza is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for her dynamic music career. She rose to fame with her breakthrough single “Hideaway” in 2014, which has accrued over a billion streams. Her debut album, “Sound of a Woman,” received critical acclaim, highlighting her eclectic musical style. After a life-changing car crash put her on a two-year hiatus, Kiesza has returned as an independent artist, releasing her sophomore album ‘CRAVE’ in 2020.
This year’s Holiday Train tour will include 191 live music shows in six provinces from Quebec to BC and 14 states from Maine to Texas.
On April 14, 2023, a ceremonial Final Spike was driven to celebrate the creation of CPKC, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City rail. With its global headquarters in Calgary, AB, CPKC is the first and only single-line transnational railway linking Canada, the United States and México, with access to major ports from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of México to Lázaro Cárdenas, México, stretching approximately 20,000 route miles and employing 20,000 railroaders.
