A massive crowd gathered in Wauwatosa late Sunday afternoon to greet the festive Canadian Pacific Kansas City Holiday Train, which made its annual stop in the city’s Village area.
Warmer than normal temperatures and a weekend stop led large throngs of people to gather along both sides of the railroad tracks near the Harts Mills Lot. The train, decked out in colorful holiday lights, made an hourlong stop. One of the train’s cars transformed into a makeshift stage, with doors folding out on each side to create platforms. The crowd cheered loudly as the performers took the stage to play a mix of their own material as well as some holiday favorites.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Tiera Kennedy, a country singer-songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama, who was featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, opened the show.
The Lone Bellow, a Nashville-based alt-country trio formed in the New York City borough of Brooklyn in 2013, then entertained the crowd with its raucous mix of folk-pop and Americana music.
The Holiday Train made stops in Sturtevant and Caledonia on Saturday. The Wauwatosa visit was first on the itinerary on Sunday, with additional stops later in the night in Hartland, Oconomowoc, Watertown and Columbus.
Planned stops on Monday include Portage, Wisconsin Dells, Mauston, Tomah, Sparta and La Crosse.
The Holiday Train’s appearances are aimed at raising money and donations for community food banks. Since 1999, the Holiday Train event has raised more than $22 million and collected more than 5 million pounds of food for food banks in Canada and the U.S.
At the Wauwatosa stop, Canadian Pacific Kansas City presented a check for $7,000 to Tosa Cares, a nonprofit food pantry organized and operated by a group of community volunteers.
