Huron Carole tour continues to grow

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Canadian entertainer Tom Jackson is ready to embark on his annual Christmas time concert tour of the Huron Carole.

The multi-city fundraiser for Canadian food banks has grown from a one performance show nine years ago to a 14 performance staple of a Canadian Christmas.

Jackson is kicking off this year's concert tour in Victoria on Nov. 27. He winds his way through the western provinces with the Alberta dates set for Nov. 30 in Calgary's Jack Singer Concert Hall, Dec. 1 at Edmonton's Winspear Centre, and Dec. 2 in Fort McMurray's Keyano Theatre. The Fort McMurray performance is the smallest venue of the 14 stops, with Jackson playing to a capacity theatre of 550. Winnipeg's Dec. 15 performance at the Centennial Concert Hall is the largest, with a theatre capacity of 2,305.

Each year, the performances raise thousands of dollars for food banks in the communities it plays.

Jackson said he is very happy that the Huron Carole plays in more communities each year.

"There's 14 now and they just keep going," he said.

This year, Jackson has already crossed the country on a summer tour, promoting the release of his new album, That Side of the Window, and doing presentations on homeless issues and suicide prevention. That tour has prepared him for the hectic two months on the road for the Huron Carole tour.

"We had a 17-stop summer tour to go into communities and speak to the issue of suicide prevention, so we are pretty well road worthy now," he said.

For Jackson, the fundraising tour hits very close to home. He has experienced life on the street first hand and has dedicated the profits from his last album to agencies assisting homeless people.

In past years, Jackson's Huron Carole has raised upward of $25,000 for individual food banks in the city hosting the performance.

The Huron Carole concert tour wraps up this year in Halifax on Dec. 22.

Tickets for the Alberta dates are expected to be on sale from the venue box offices by the first week of November.