Rural Roundup for Thursday, August 24

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This article was published 24/08/2023 (951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CARBERRY

Westman Communications Group (WCG) hosted a charity barbecue event in Carberry on July 27 as part of their 2023 Connecting Westman Tour. All the proceeds went to the Carberry and Area Community foundation, an initiative chosen by the residents of Carberry. After a matched donation from WCG, the event raised $2,947.

WCG served hotdogs and smokies at Carberry Heritage Square Park. There were no set prices on the barbecue, as residents were asked to donate whatever they liked. Thanks to the support from the community, participants donated a total of $1,473.50. After the event, WCG presented the proceeds to the Carberry and Area Community Foundation members.

“I want to thank Westman Communications Group for putting this on for us and helping the community in Carberry,” said Devin Waldner, one of the directors of the board of the foundation. “We donate to community projects or non-profits that are in need.”

WCG is proud of the continued success of their Connecting Westman Tour, said the company’s marketing manager, Brandi Crowe.

“Hosting these charity events allows us to raise funds for important causes in our communities and meet the wonderful people we serve. The enthusiasm of Carberry residents was fantastic to see, and we’re so glad that the community came together for such a worthwhile initiative.”

>> Neepawa Banner & Press

DAUPHIN

Rev. Oleg Bodnarski, along with Marvin Procyshyn, conducted a service honouring Ukrainian pioneers at the Trembowla Cross of Freedom site on Aug. 6.

The ceremony was part of Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival, which ran from Aug. 4 to 6 in Dauphin. Aug. 6 also celebrated the 125th anniversary of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, which was built in 1898 at Mink River and moved to the Trembowla site in 1967.

The first Ukrainian settlement in Manitoba was established in 1869, in the Trembowla area along the Drifting River in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin. The following spring, Rev. Nestor Dmytriw arrived from Pennsylvania to celebrate the first Ukrainian Catholic Liturgy on Canadian soil for Ukrainian pioneers.

To commemorate the occasion, the settlers erected a large Cross of Freedom representing freedom in a new land. Later that year, the settlers of Volkiwtsi, known as Mink River, were also visited by Rev. Dmytriw, who consecrated their cemetery and advised them to build a church. The following year, the settlers erected a small chapel of logs and later build an addition to the permanent church. It was consecrated in 1902 as St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church and served the parish of Mink River until 1960.

The church was then relocated to the Cross of Freedom historic site in 1967 where it is preserved as the first Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada. Commemorative markers were erected at the site by the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba.

>> The Dauphin Herald

Within weeks, 10 acres of tomatoes, destined for distribution all over the Prairies, are growing at Vermillion Growers, a new greenhouse in Dauphin. Maria Deschauer, managing director of the greenhouse, says she and her team have been planning for this for so long, getting things up and running feels “surreal.”

“We’ve been at it for such a long time, we’re all so ready,” she said.

July 27 marked the grand opening of the company’s state-of-the-art greenhouse. The event came after seven years of planning, raising capital and building, Deshauer said. Construction began in August 2022. The previous year was dedicated to laying down 18 kilometres of underground pipe and conduits.

The first tomato plants will go in at the beginning of September.

>> Manitoba Co-operator

KENTON

A large crowd of people came out to support the second annual Jenelle’s Fudge Cancer Concert in Kenton on July 15.

This year, the Fudge Cancer proceeds were split equally between the Hamiota Health Centre Foundation and CancerCare Manitoba. The event featured live music, food catered by Brierwood Creek Café and auctions.

A total of $1,995 was raised from a Saskatoon pie auction alone, and throughout the day people were encouraged to buy tickets for the penny auction, where 24 different donated prizes were up for grabs. The total raised from the penny auction was $3,865. The total raised from the silent auction was $4,196. The live auction raised a further $7,550.

The days’ auction total was $17,606, and some direct donations totalled approximately $3,000, with more coming in at the time of writing.

>> Rivers Banner

KILLARNEY

The Killarney Flying Club held their annual fly-in (or drive-in) pancake breakfast earlier this month, serving well over 700 plates.

Club president Bob Weibe said that 38 planes touched down for the breakfast and 44 plane rides were taken, making the event a memorable one.

“There were lots of people who came out for breakfast. I think it was one of our biggest yet,” Weibe said. “Everything worked out good. It was a beautiful day, and there were a lot of people.”

At the time of writing, the amount of money raised at the event was still being counted, but Weibe believes it to be between $7,000 to $8,000, which will all go towards maintenance and operating costs at the Killarney Airport.

The fly-in breakfast is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the airport, but it also helps raise awareness of the facility in the community and why it’s valuable. Both STARS Air Ambulance and LifeFlight Air Ambulance Services use the Killarney airport to transport patients to Winnipeg hospitals.

The local flying club has equipped the airport with a fueling station specifically for the air ambulances.

“We provide this air ambulance service beyond the Killarney area. I believe our first patient flown out of here was an accident victim along Highway 10 just north of Boissevain,” Weibe said.

Weibe said that community support and the 20 or so volunteers who worked the event were both incredible.

“I’ve got a spectacular crew that’s helped me manage,” he said. “I’ve got spectacular people who helped me out.”

>> DiscoverWestman.com

The Turtle Mountain Souris Plains Heritage Association will be expanding the number of geocache sites across southwest Manitoba.

The Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain and the Town of Melita have both recently joined the association, and new geocache sites will be added to the list. Currently, there are close to 30 treasures to be found in the region, with each location sharing its own unique history.

Geocaching is a great opportunity to share the area’s heritage with local people and those who come in to visit to take part in the activity, said committee Chair Jane McClelland.

“Our sites have been really busy this year, which is very exciting and encouraging. I’ve seen some of the logbooks from this year and some of our sites have already had six visitors this year, so it’s exciting to know that people are really looking at that aspect of heritage tourism, and tourism in general.”

McClelland said the association is hoping to add at least a half dozen geocache sites to its current number.

>> DiscoverWestman.com

DELORAINE

This summer, the Deloraine Tourism Building is highlighting a collection of vintage clothing, including wedding gowns and fashions from the ‘70s and outfits from the ‘20s.

Jan McClelland, a Deloraine-Winchester Heritage Society member, said the display is a wonderful piece of the community’s history.

“It’s just a really neat little display. All the vintage clothing came from the local area residents,” she said.

Other items in the display include McClelland’s own wedding dress and cape.

“You know you’re getting older when your stuff shows up in a vintage clothing display,” she said.

One dress of note is an icy pink flapper frock from the roaring ‘20s, which was made in France. A note attached to the garment says that Mary Smith’s mother had a cousin from Los Angeles who had the flapper dress custom made in Paris in the 1920s.

“It’s an absolutely stunning dress, and everybody should have a look at it,” McClelland said.

>> DiscoverWestman.com

SOURIS

Lupins, a species of herbaceous perennial flowers, have been put to the test in crop trials near Souris in the southwest, at the Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation just south of Roblin, and in Manitoba’s banana belt near Melita.

The Westman Agricultural Diversification Centre featured trials set up by Manitoba Agriculture pulse specialist Dennis Lange this year. Two varieties were tested in the trials – blue lupin and sweet white lupin.

Lupin is being looked at for its protein potential, especially since Protein Industries Canada announced its focus on plant-based protein, giving funding to projects featuring various pulses.

The trials showed that lupins cannot be treated like any other pulse. If it is sprayed with herbicides Basagran or Viper, it will die. Producers are limited to spraying it with Edge or Sencor.

It was also discovered that sweet white lupins will tolerate up to 7.8 soil pH, while 7.2 is the limit for blue lupins. The crop likes soil with organic mater around four per cent, and prefers growing on cereal stubble, unless its fall rye. Canola ground should be avoided due to lack of weed control options.

Grasshoppers were found to love the crop, and though they did not touch the peas, they still devastated the lupins. The blister beetle is another pest of concern for lupins.

Lupins were also not found to produce better yield than other pea and bean crops.

>> Manitoba Co-operator