Holiday Train rolls into Wauwatosa, boosting holiday spirit

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - There are still 21 days until Christmas but the holiday spirit rolled through Wauwatosa on Monday, Dec. 4.

The Canadian-Pacific Holiday Train made a stop Monday and provided entertainment to many.

Four-year-old Connor Huberty had some nerves as he waited in downtown Wauwatosa for the big moment.

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"Pure joy, prismatic, and he is so excited," West Bend resident Nick Huberty said. "We picked him up from school today and we took him here as a surprise."

Since 2015, the Canadian-Pacific Holiday Train has stopped in town for a special visit.

Nine-year-old Micayla Edwards and her cousin Stacey Sims saw the train for the first time.

"It was very beautiful," Edwards. "It was very cool just seeing the lights."

But there is more than just music and Santa; the Canadian-Pacific Holiday Train also helps the greater community.

The holiday train collects money and food donations for pantries across the U.S. On Monday, $7,000 was raised, and will be given to the Tosa Cares food pantry.

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"I’m impressed that it’s gone on and continued to bring people over the years," said Madison Sveum, who helped bring the holiday train to Wauwatosa eight years ago. "Everyone has kind of picked up and carried on the tradition and that’s been wonderful to see."

Since it started in 1999, the Canadian-Pacific Holiday Train has raised more than $22.5 million and more than 5 million pounds of food for community food banks across North America. It will be making stops in 190 communities this year.