Not only did the famous Canadian Pacific Holiday Train show up to rock out with a standing-room only sized crowd, the Salvation Army, who has been performing Christmas miracles to those that need it for over 150 years, got a huge boost for their amazing humanitarian work to the tune of $4 000.
That money will go directly to helping those that need an extra helping hand for the Christmas spirit.
“Today, the city [of Yorkton has] come around to present us with a cheque and food rations that all go to the food bank to help those in need,” said Lieutenant Samuel Tim of the Salvation Army.
“At Christmas time, we feed the hungry. We don’t want them feeling bad. They [should] all have food to eat at Christmastime and year round.”
“Bringing the CP Holiday Train to Yorkton, we have two main goals,” said City of Yorkton Councillor Randy Goulden.
“One is to bring residents and our visitors to downtown Yorkton to really start and kick off the Christmas season. The second is of course to fill the shelves of the Salvation Army Food Bank. We know at this time of year, as in many times, we need to help the people that are probably needing the help the most, so that is the goal. Plus, we get to showcase some great entertainment to everyone that’s here.”
The great entertainment Goulden referred didn’t disappoint: Madeleine Merlo, a CCMA and two-time BCCMA winning artist originally from Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Merlo, whose tastes provided echoes of Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Etta James and Billie Holiday in a modern package, thrilled the audiences with her energetic performance.
Scott Helman, a 2018 Juno-award nominee, also rocked the stage with a performances that showed clear influences to his self-proclaimed musical idols of Arcade Fire, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, The Cure, Bon Iver and Paul Simon.
The train stopped in Yorkton fresh off its stop from Bredenbury.
For more information on the CP Holiday Train, visit https://www.cpr.ca/holiday-train/canada.
