So this news just popped up on one of my news feeds. The Canadian Country Music Association has awarded the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train the 2021 Gary Slaight Music Humanitarian Award, and will be honored during Country Music Week later this year in London, Ontario.
Wow. Big wow and big props.
Here’s a link to the press release, from the CCMA’s website.
As you know from reading this blog, photographing the Holiday Train is one of my personal exciting experiences. Whether it’s at the concert stops, or as it travels through upstate New York, I’ve had great fun in chasing the train, photographing the train, and making charitable donations afterwards to both the local food pantries and national donations to Feeding America.
But last year, with COVID-19 charging through the nation, the Holiday Train was limited to a single virtual concert. Hunger isn’t stopped by COVID, in fact, there’s more food insecurity with the pandemic than at any other time of late. So kudos to Canadian Pacific for still finding a way to bring Christmas music and holiday cheer to all of us.
But then, as I read through the press release for the CP Holiday Train award, I noticed this little fragment of text.
“With planning for the 2021 CP Holiday Train Program already underway, Canadians are encouraged to visit cpr.ca/holiday-train to keep up with 2021 stop announcements.”
Um … 2021 stop announcements?
As in … there’s going to be a train this year??
You mean … as in … all lit up with Christmas lights and holiday music and Santa Claus and everything???
Oh, man, oh, man… please let this happen. Please, pretty please with tinsel on top.
I’ve spent the past two years thinking about photograph shooting spots. New ones, not the ones I’ve done before. I want this more than I want a stocking full of Christmas candy.
The only thing I’m worried about right now, if this does happen – will there be two trains this year – one in Canada and one in America – or just one train in Canada?
Because the American train (2246) starts in Quebec, chugs to New York for two days, then travels through Ontario before going down through Detroit and Chicago and Iowa and other locales. And there’s still that little cross-border issue that may or may not be too difficult to surpass.
I don’t know. All I know right now is that there’s still a slight glimmer of hope for this to actually happen. Please let this happen.
I’ve got several cameras, a caseload of film, and lots of hope.
Come on, Canadian Pacific. Make my holiday wishes come true. Please.
Chuck The Writer 
Chuck has been good this year, CP.
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