Provincial Exhibition names new president

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This article was published 08/02/2022 (1688 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new president has taken over at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba.

Longtime volunteer and Westman community member Kathy Cleaver was elected president of the Provincial Exhibition board at the director’s annual general meeting Monday. She replaces Greg Crisanti, who held the position since February 2020. He will remain on the executive as past-president.

Clint Swain was elected vice-president and five directors — Connie Bok, Dallas Johnston, Clarke Swain, Shirley Neudorf and Brent Miller — were elected to two-year terms.

“I believe in the organization. I’ve worked hard for years,” Cleaver said. “We all just need to put our backs together and stay the course until we get back in businesses properly.”

Cleaver has been a key player in the organization, previously serving as a past-president, vice-president and director. She first became involved as a director in 2005 and gradually took on different roles and obligations. Cleaver also sits on the Keystone Centre board as a representative from the Provincial Ex.

“My heart’s in making sure that building thrives and our organization thrives. We have synergy where we work together,” Cleaver said. “It’s just really been a good fit for me.”

Cleaver initially became immersed with the Provincial Ex as a “horse kid” and went on to work for Agriculture Canada for 32 years as a barley breeder technician. She was also a rodeo enthusiast and showed her horse, giving her a natural inclination toward anything equine.

“The Winter Fair was a must-attend since I moved to Brandon in 1976. That is where you went in the spring,” Cleaver said. “I just really invested my whole social life around the Keystone Centre.”

Cleaver comes to the role after the organization has faced two years of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the most pressing issues at the non-profit has been fundraising after seeing major events such as the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair cancelled for two years in a row during the public health crisis.

While events have not always been possible during the pandemic, the non-profit has obligations to fulfil as an organization — including the mortgage on the Dome Building.

The crew is planning for the Winter Fair, Cleaver said, and “every hope and prayer” is centred on public measures being eased so the community staple can take place.

“I think the future is very bright. We’ve worked really hard to keep our necks above water,” Cleaver said. “We’re in the event business, so everyone that’s there is looking forward to better times.”

The organization is also gearing up for the President’s Dinner taking place Feb. 24 at the Victoria Inn and the Winter Fair at the end of March at the Keystone Centre. The event has been cancelled the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the President’s Dinner was unable to go ahead in 2021.

Agricultural education is a critical piece of the non-profit and the official mandate of the organization.

Cleaver said she has a growing concern that people are increasingly becoming divorced from agriculture as the greater population opts for urban life.

“Every kid used to have grandpa and grandma on the farm. You went to the farm. Now we’re more urban — there’s an obligation to give a true story about agriculture, how your food is raised. A true story of animal husbandry. I think that you believe what you hear first; we have a mandate and a strong ag education program where we bring that to them and let them learn,” Cleaver said.

It is critical to provide Brandonites with access to tangible and textile agricultural experiences where people can “smell it, hear it, feel it, see it.”

There are so many pivotal agriculture stories to tell, Cleaver said, adding she feels strongly about keeping ag at the forefront while helping out the community.

Upcoming Provincial Ex events have only been bolstered by the up to $25,000 in grant funding announced by the provincial government in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The funds were announced Sunday and are designed to leave a legacy for the queen while celebrating Manitoba history.

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is one of six organizations earmarked for the funding, along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Royal Manitoba Yacht Club, Royal Military Institute of Manitoba, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.

To mark the occasion, the province of Manitoba is providing grant funding with a focus on reconciliation to facilitate initiatives throughout 2022.

“The goal is to honour our past and our history with the royal family and the queen, and also to give and to tie the two and to live with truth and reconciliation,” Cleaver said.

The jubilee money and the development behind it will be partially geared toward agriculture at Provincial Ex, Cleaver said, adding it is exciting to be building a “bricks and mortar” legacy for the organization.

“There should be something left there for future generations to see.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp