Historic holiday train ends U.S. tour in Carpio
Historic holiday train ends U.S. tour in Carpio By MARVIN BAKER A couple of surprises greeted everyone in Carpio Wednesday night when the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Holiday Train pulled into it’s final U.S. stop in the United States prior to crossing the international boundary for three performances in southern Saskatchewan. CP Rail officials gave a check for $1,000 to the Kenmare Food Pantry, which drew a large round of applause. Ironically, the presentation happened on the same day CP Rail announced it was laying off 600 people because of difficult economic conditions. The second surprise was Santa Claus, who opened the 40-minute show, dancing and gyrating as if Elvis Presley was on stage. He had adults and children dancing in the street despite the 10 below zero temperature. When Shaun Verreault entered stage left, he suggested Santa Claus was a tough act to follow. But he got the crowd going with his raspy guitar solos and bluesy melodies that made him famous as front man for Wide Mouth Mason, a Saskatoon-based rock group that has now released eight CDs. After several numbers that included some Christmas tunes, Melanie Doane took the stage with her high energy vocals and fiddle playing.
