Snuggle up with some holiday cheer as OnMilwaukee shares stories of everything merry and bright in the spirit of the season.
The OnMilwaukee Ho Ho Holiday Guide is brought to you by Educators Credit Union, Harley-Davidson Museum and MolsonCoors.
After two years stuck in the train shed due to the pandemic, the Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train returns to the rails this year to bring joy to folks along the route and raise money and food for local food banks.
The bedazzled train will arrive at Wauwatosa’s Harwood Avenue crossing at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, after having stopped at Caledonia’s 11402 County Road G crossing the night before at 8 p.m. Before heading to Caledonia, the festival freighter will also be at the Sturtevant Amtrak station on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 6:45 p.m.
Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea and Kelly Prescott will provide the musical entertainment at all three stops.
"I'm grateful to the CP team members who adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver two exceptional virtual Holiday Train shows and to all those who continued to donate while we kept community members safe," said Keith Creel, CP's president and CEO, in a statement.
"The Holiday Train is all about families and communities coming together to celebrate the season and help those in need. We are excited to be back out on the rails and in our communities, taking these two beautiful trains across our network and sharing the joy that comes with gathering in the spirit of giving."
There is no charge to attend the shows, which last about 30 minutes and start about 15 minutes after the train’s arrival time.
However, CP Rail urges attendees to make a cash or non-perishable food donation if they are able. Local food banks will be on hand to collect the donations.
Since the Holiday Train took to the tracks in 1999, it has raised more than $21 million and collecting 5 million pounds of food for food pantries in the U.S. and Canada.
"This year, more than ever, the support, awareness and goodwill that the CP Holiday Train brings will make an impact beyond imagination to the food support programs of East Side Neighborhood Services," said Mary Anstett, Vice President, Community Engagement for East Side Neighborhood Services in Minneapolis.
"With the support that Holiday Train brings in, we can rest assured that so many will have warm nutritious food on their tables in the coldest months."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
