Rural Roundup for Sept. 30

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This article was published 30/09/2021 (1711 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Waskada

Waskada School greeted the new school year with the installation of the innovative Wolverine Sensory Pathway. Tara Cameron-Tilokani brought the idea of the sensory pathway to the school after completing work on her master’s of occupational therapy in Nunavut in 2020.

Asensory pathway is a way for students to take three to five minutes to complete a physical activity, which in turn helps them focus in class. The path can be used as a tool by groups or individuals between classes, indoor recesses, when moving between classrooms or by students needing a break.

“Using movement breaks on the sensory pathway has been linked to improved attention during tasks, decreased movement when sitting and improved academic performance,” said Cameron-Tilokani.

“Teachers can incorporate the pathway into their student’s daily routine or provide extra time for students who require increased movement opportunities.”

The installation was originally planned for February 2020 but was delayed. The pathway has a four-season theme including skiing, hay bale jumping, walking on reeds and animals from the area. Vinyl has been installed on the floor with the help of students, parents and teachers, and the installation has been sealed with wax to preserve it in pristine shape.

»The Recorder

 

Cypress River

The Cypress River Improvement Committee held its second meeting Sept. 20. The goal of the committee is to brainstorm achievable ideas and provide a foundation to achieve future tasks in the area.

Committee member Jim Cassels said establishing improvement ideas and seeing them through to fruition can inspire the committee. Ideas put forth at the first committee meeting included setting up local daycare spots, a bus shelter and a town sign on Highway 2. These suggestions provide a basis on what improvements can be built on in town.

“Building a daycare would take years,” Cassels said. “But if you do something right away, like fix a sidewalk, all of sudden you have something accomplished and can work through to building something bigger.”

»The Gazette

 

Shoal Lake

Park West School Division has commissioned improvements for a drainage situation in front of Shoal Lake School, adjacent to Highway 21. The poor drainage in the area had created a rough, muddy and unsightly mess in front of the school. Countryside Trenching completed work on the area.

The portion close to the high school end was a deep and muddy mess. The implementation of a sub-drainage system of weeping tile and crushed rock was used to alleviate the pooling of water that occurred around the sidewalk.

Supt. Stephen Davis said the maintenance and upgrading of the parking areas and bus loading zones are part of regular maintenance in the school division.

“Three years ago, the priority area was the lot across the street from the school used for student parking and bus fueling,” David said. “Last year, the school bus loading areas adjacent to the school required attention. There was significant frost boils in the area. Once the ground dried out, it was repaired. This included the installation of a membrane of crush rock.”

»Crossroads This Week

 

Souris

The Glenwood and Souris Regional Library has reopened to the public with a fresh new look and hours after extensive renovations. As part of the restorations, new paint and flooring have been added, giving the space a welcoming appearance, said head librarian Connie Bradshaw.

While the renovation work did not take an extensive amount of time, COVID-19 restrictions did extend how long the library was closed to the public. The library shut its doors for renovations in April and the work took about a month to complete. The library officially opened at the end of July.

The library is also sporting new directions signage and a fresh logo thanks to a grant from the Souris Glenwood Foundation. Local artist Ruth Martin will be enhancing the space with a hand-painted mural soon. The Glenwood and Souris Regional Library is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12:30 to 4 p.m.

»The Recorder

 

Virden 

Kenton residents Donna Hunter and Doreen Lawlor were recently honoured as founding members of both the Manitoba Welsh Pony and Cob Association and their long-running Welsh show. At their 45th annual show held Sept. 4 and 5 in Virden, commemorative plaques were presented to both Donna and Doreen.

Since the association was founded in 1975, the Hunter and Lawlor families have raised and shown ponies of this beautiful Welsh breed. The two-day event continues to be a great time for pony lovers of all ages.

True to the founders’ vision, the camaraderie among Welsh pony enthusiasts is an important part of the show that draws participants and an audience from as far as Alberta and western Ontario.

»Virden Empire-Advance

 

Wallace-Woodworth

On Sept. 3, Ryan Carter and his father Denis Carter were combining a dry field of wheat when Ryan smelled smoke and reached for the fire extinguisher that farm operators carry in their equipment. The extinguisher failed, as did his second one.

With no working fire extinguisher, in the heat of the moment, he attempted to clear the debris by hand when it seemed a fuel line caught fire. In that sudden small burst of fire, his right hand was burned with first- and second-degree burns.

Carter is thankful that was the worst, as in less than a minute it seemed, the combine was consumed in flames. Fuel, along with hydraulic lines carrying oil, fed the fire.

Farmer and former Woodworth fire Chief Ken Bond spotted the fire from his field about five kilometres away. “He had called me from the field. He offered to bring over his tractor and disc,” Carter said. He had a vulnerable nearby canola field and told Bond to come.

A post on the Woodworth (Kenton) Fire Department Facebook says, “At 1507 hrs (about 3 p.m.) Friday, Sept 3, we were paged out to an unknown fire south of Kenton on 21 Hwy., after talking to 911. The caller was having difficulty with cellphone reception and kept getting cut off.

“After several attempts, they were able to get that it was a combine and field fire. Upon arrival, the combine was fully involved and not salvageable so we turned our attention to the standing wheat that was burning out of control being pushed by some strong wind gusts towards a neighbour’s standing canola field.”

»Virden Empire-Advance

 

Minnedosa

Former Minnedosa Mayor Duane LaCoste died Sept. 10, at the age of 80. LaCoste originally hailed from Saskatchewan and later moved to Minnedosa, which he called home for more than 40 years.

LaCoste moved to Minnedosa in 1978 as an RCMP Sergeant. He would later hang up his badge after more than 20 years of service to become the secretary-treasurer for the Rolling River School Division.

In October 2002, LaCoste was elected to council, and in a 2004 mayoral by-election, he became mayor of Minnedosa by acclamation. He spent two terms on town council.

»The Minnedosa Tribune

 

Dauphin

The Cargill Curling Training Centre Mixed Doubles Tour, presented by Asham Curling Supplies, will be hosting its first-ever event, Sept. 24 to 26, in Morris, and will make Dauphin its second stop, Oct. 22 to 24. Tour co-chair Steve Michaleski has been curling for 25 years, but only got into competitive mixed doubles in the last three or four years.

“Realistically, if you want to make it to nationals, it’s tough to do it without travelling east or west. There aren’t really as many qualifying tournaments or point-generating tournaments in Manitoba as there would be around the greater Toronto area and out west in Alberta,” he said.

There is no denying the curling talent Manitoba has, Michaleski said, especially considering the last national mixed doubles tournament saw three of the four competitors in the final who were from the province.

The goal of the new tournament, Michaleski said, is to have six to 10 events. Tour organizers, he said, are in talks with East St. Paul to host an event in November.

»The Dauphin Herald

 

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp