Rural Roundup — Aug. 7, 2025

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This article was published 07/08/2025 (234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA

Neepawa’s downtown was alive with action and flooded with the sounds of laughter, healthy competition, and an eagerness to explore the community’s business sector as the first-ever Amazing Race Neepawa launched last month.

From mini fashion shows at the Salvation Army to karaoke at Tsibog’s Eatery & Catering, there was something to do for everyone downtown. Neepawa’s core was bustling with participants, and many businesses were part of the fun.

Each team received a passport that contained a map of all participating businesses. Teams then had to race to each location and complete tasks to collect all of the stamps.

A barbecue was also held alongside the race, and participants were encouraged to visit different businesses in the downtown.

Belinda Critchlow, co-owner of Hid’n Hollow, and one of the event’s organizers, said the idea was to encourage more activity downtown and promote the city as a destination.

The event may return in 2026, Critchlow said.

» Neepawa Banner & Press

RIVERS

A hootenanny at Rivers Provincial Park brought about 90 people together for celebration, camaraderie and local talent on a lively Saturday in July.

The 5th annual hootenanny included a beef-on-a-bun supper near the beach of Lake Wahtopanah, and music, cooking and family fun activities. It continued the tradition for another successful community party.

A lineup of live local entertainers included Jacques Thomson, Shaya, Jeff Worth, Rob Holden, Close But No Guitar and Murray Kernahan.

The event was a fundraiser for stewardship efforts in the area. A fundraising raffle was won by Frank Pockett, who took home a zero-gravity, two-seater lawn chair.

The event at CJ’s Snack Shack and Mini Golf was organized by the Friends of Rivers Lake volunteer group. The volunteers strive to maintain and improve the natural resources of the area, including the water quality at Lake Wahtopanah.

» Rivers Banner

KENTON

The Playground Project committee in the town of Kenton is ramping up for its next fundraiser, an outdoor concert at the community park.

The concert will feature 8 Track Shuffle on Aug. 9 at the open air bandstand in Kenton.

Committee member Nicole Wilson said a more modern play centre that is inclusive for all ages and abilities is badly needed. The playground will add to a large green space and open-air bandstand already at the community park.

In early June, the committee received $39,000 through Federated Co-op’s Community Spaces program, which brought them much closer to their $125,000 goal. The committee used the funds to buy the play structure and offset landscaping costs.

The outdoor concert will raise money for the last leg of the project, which includews a fence to secure the area.

» Discover Westman

AUSTIN

This year’s 69th Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede saw thousands of people join them for the fair held annually at the at the the Manitoba Agricultural Museum at Austin.

The event showcases what pioneer life was like over 100 years ago on the Prairies in Manitoba, through demonstrations, displays and tours.

One of those displays was “Aquaculture: Farming the Waters,” which offered a lesson in an area of agriculture that doesn’t typically receive much exposure, such as fish farms and kelp farming.

Summer student and curatorial assistant, Sara Thiessen, took the lead in setting up the exhibition. The museum hired about half a dozen students through the provincial government’s student grant programs, which help cover wages for the students.

Thiessen grew up not far from the Austin museum on an acreage with her family. She spent one year in college in Winnipeg, but is gearing up to attend Lakeland College in Vermillion, Alberta to study environmental sciences.

» Discover Westman