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Holiday Train chugs into Marquette Dec. 8

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The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will once again bring holiday cheer to the area as it stops in Marquette, at the marina parking lot, on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 5:05 p.m. (NIT file photo)

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will once again bring holiday cheer to the area as it stops in Marquette, at the marina parking lot, on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 5:05 p.m.

Now in its 17th year, the Holiday Train is adorned with thousands of lights depicting holiday scenes on 14 rail cars, one of which turns into a stage for musical performances.

However, putting on a dazzling light display is just half of the Holiday Train equation, as attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item or monetary donation as admission. Since 1999, the train, which stops in 150 communities throughout the U.S. and Canada each year, has raised nearly $9.5 million and collected 3.3 million pounds of food.

One of the Clayton County Food Shelf’s largest donation campaigns, last year’s stops in Marquette and Guttenberg netted $12,085 and 7,493.25 pounds of food, said Food Shelf Director Utoni Ruff.

This year, the Holiday Train will stop in just three Iowa communities, one of which is Marquette. The other two are Mason City and Charles City.

Santa will make an appearance and Canadian country artist Kira Isabella and Canadian group Doc Walker will perform some classic holiday tunes at the Marquette stop, but Ruff said even more is planned this year. The local Victorian Carolers group will also perform and hot chocolate will be served.

“It’s a wonderful event, and it’s at a good time of night,” she said. “It’s way before bedtime.”

Since stops change year-to-year, Ruff said it’s important for people to attend, so the train continues to stop in Clayton County. She said people should enjoy the stop from the river side of the railroad tracks, as that’s the area where Canadian Pacific makes its head count.

With the food shelf anticipated to serve around 273 families for Christmas this year, Ruff said some items are in high demand, particularly protein, like peanut butter or canned tuna, as well as canned fruit. Also needed are paper products and toiletries, like toilet paper, hand soap, laundry soap, shampoo and toothpaste. Those latter items are harder to come by, Ruff said, because she receives no grant money to purchase them and recipients can also not purchase them with assistance.

The contribution of food or money “means the world to the food shelf and the clients,” Ruff said. “The more food we get, the more people we can help. Folks in the county are always very generous.”

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