The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is coming to Olds for the first time in years.
The train, which raises money and food for food banks, will stop in Olds on Friday, Dec. 9.
Lots of festivities have been planned around its arrival.
At 12:30 p.m., the Mayfair Cinema will hold a special showing of the movie The Polar Express. Admission for adults is 10 non-perishable food items. Admission for children is five non-perishable food items.
When the movie ends, Denis Patry, the Town Crier, is scheduled to lead a parade of people from the movie to the train, which is expected to arrive in town at about 2:45 p.m. It's expected to park right on the 50th Street crossing, which will be closed for about 90 minutes, from about 2 to about 3:30 p.m.
Hot chocolate and cookies will be available at the 50th Street crossing. A platform will be set up. Musical guests Dallas Smith and the alternate rock group Odd will perform. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand as well.
Those who come to see the train and enjoy the entertainment are encouraged to bring healthy, non-perishable food items. Those items and money collected will go to support the Mountain View Food Bank.
The stage will be facing west, according to town community facilitator Heather Dixon.
Parking lots at Scotiabank and by the Carlyle & Cody law office will be barricaded off, as will the little piece of 50th Street that runs from the railway tracks to 50th Avenue.
“That way, people can be right in front of the train. So the train pulls up, it opens to the west, (and) people will see it there,” she says.
Dixon says people will be able to park “kind of all over the Uptowne area.” They will also be able to park in a public lot by St. Paul's Lutheran Church along 52nd Street, west of 50th Avenue.
Those who want to cross the railway tracks while the Holiday Train is in Olds will have to use the crossings on Highway 27 or 54th Street.
The fact the holiday train is coming arose during the monthly Uptowne Olds committee meeting in town council chambers.
Uptowne committee chair Leon Durand said he was “glad” to hear the train is coming here. Other committee members agreed.
“You know how many people come to these things when they stop? We're not talking 10 or 20 people; we're talking hundreds of people,” he said.
"You know how many people come to these things when they stop? We're not talking 10 or 20 people; we're talking hundreds of people." LEON DURAND UPTOWNE OLDS COMMITTEE CHAIR
