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This article was published 21/09/2023 (926 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

KILLARNEY

The staff at the Killarney Paterson Grain Terminal had a nice surprise when Jamie Shule, an area farmer, passed on his contest winnings to treat them to a free lunch.

Shule won the lunch, valued at $150, in CJRB’s Meals in the Field contest, and the food was supplied by Boundary Co-op’s deli.

Shule is a long-time customer of the Killarney Paterson Grain Terminal, said general manager Shayne Skeoch. Skeoch was pleasantly surprised when he got the call from the CJRB office about receiving the free lunch for his staff courtesy of Shule.

“I guess he thought that maybe he would be too busy, or it wasn’t going to be the right timing, so he passed it on to us. The last two weeks have been really busy with long hours, so we really appreciate this,” Skeoch said.

After a summer of plenty of heat and little rain, Skeoch said he’s been pleased with the amount of grain still coming into the elevator.

“I’ve been very surprised at what’s coming off, so I think it’s above average in our area,” he said.

Eleven staff members work out of the Killarney terminal for Paterson Grain. The terminal is open during the harvest from six in the morning to nine o’clock at night.

“It’s some long hours, so we appreciate the meal,” Skeoch said.

» DiscoverWestman.com

VIRDEN

The 47th Manitoba Welsh Pony & Cob Association show was held at the end of August at the fairgrounds in Virden.

A highlight of the show was local resident Everett More’s exhibit of a well-matched team of registered Section B ponies — seven-year-old mare Frontier Pixie Dust and four-year-old gelding Frontier Dusty Boots. The two ponies were shown as Welsh pairs under harness, and they proudly pulled a modified, vintage wooden-wheeled buggy — the same buggy that Moore drove to school back in 1957.

Moore said his father bought the buggy at an auction that year so that he, in Grade 6 at the time, could drive himself and his brother to the local school of West Hall. That only lasted a year, since, due to declining enrolment, the school was forced to amalgamate with the neighbouring school of Dand before it eventually closed and students attended Elgin School for a short time before moving on to Hartney. Moore graduated from Hartney School, having attended four different schools in the span of six years, yet never having moved from the family farm.

The last time the buggy was used by Moore was a parade in 1982, and since then it has been in storage. This was not his first time attending the Virden show. His daughter, Aleaha, exhibited there around 30 years ago, but never in the harness division. When he made the decision to once again get involved with Welsh ponies, it sparked a renewed interest in driving and the well-maintained family heirloom was brought out of retirement.

The annual Welsh show features registered purebred and pat-bred Section A, B, C and D Welsh ponies. It boasts over 60 classes for every age and in every discipline possible — halter and showmanship, in-hand trail, bareback, English and Western saddle classes, a full slate of driving classes, liberty, pole bending, barrel racing, reining and some fun classes.

Just over 20 ponies competed at this year’s show from exhibitors throughout Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The judge for the event was Brian McClelland of Calgary, Alta.

JMR Narcissus, a Section B stallion owned by Marg Allen of Glenella, was crowned Supreme Champion. Reserve Champion was CMWFE Mogs Choice, a Section D stallion owned by Louise Saunders of Borden, Sask. and exhibited by Haley Moats.

»Virden Empire-Advance

VIRDEN

As Tundra Oil & Gas Place staff transitioned the arena from rodeo to the upcoming hockey season, several hundred Virden locals stood patiently in line outside the Sunrise Banquet Hall awaiting their turn to witness a piece of hockey history.

For about an hour at the end of last month, Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Zach Whitecloud reunited with local fans who were given an opportunity to pose for a photo with him and the Stanley Cup.

Whitecloud, 26, grew up in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, and from 2013 to 2016, he was an integral part of the Virden Oil Capitals junior hockey team. He moved on to a pro hockey career, and since 2018 has played for the Knights, the team that captured the cup this year.

Whitecloud’s Virden appearance followed an earlier celebration at Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.

» Virden Empire-Advance

VIRDEN

Professional artist Opeyemi Olukotun is working at the CPR Historic Centre in Virden where Arts Mosaic’s office, art gallery and market are located.

Olukotun, a 33 year-old who holds an arts degree and an education degree from his home country of Nigeria, said he felt the position with Arts Mosaic was a good fit for him and could broaden his horizons.

“I want to have experience in the gallery space, because I’ve been painting professionally for a long time,” he said.

An artist himself, Olukotun’s large, vivid paintings have gained him international recognition. Three years ago, in Nigeria, his paintings captured people going about their daily lives. Lately, he’s been working on painting faces. His work was most recently shown in a gallery in Spain where he did a residency.

Olukotun moved to Canada about a year ago and has lived in Brandon until recently. During his first weeks on the job, he said he was feeling good about living in Virden.

“I kind of like it here. I was inspired when I went into the Costume Closet and I saw some old vintage costumes,” he said.

As an artist, Olukotun is interested in painting activities in Brandon, Virden and other places that are quintessentially Manitoban.

Last winter was a new experience for the Nigerian artist.

“I had trouble with frostbite on my legs. I’m struggling to express that level of cold. I saw online, refugees from war, in the cold. I want to do a show on that,” he said.

Olukotun also attended the Virden Indoor Rodeo with his daughter and a friend. “It was fun and exciting! That was my first time seeing it live.”

Olukotun has also become part of the Virden scene. This summer he played keyboard and sang at Music in the Park during the August finale. He said he’s had no formal training but plays keys, drums and some guitar. He’s also a singer and is part of the choir in the church he attends.

» Virden Empire-Advance

MINNEDOSA

On Sept. 7, at approximately 11:35 a.m., Spruce Plains RCMP received a report that a semi-trailer transporting farm equipment had become lodged under the Canadian Pacific Railway overpass on Highway 10 near Minnedosa in the Rural Municipality of Minto-Odanah.

Officers responded and observed that the farm equipment loaded on the semi-trailer was too high and collided with the bridge, causing the semi to become stuck. The Minnedosa Fire Department also responded to assist. A tow truck company was called to clear the vehicle to free up the lane, and CP was called so that they were aware of the incident and could examine and ensure the integrity of the bridge.

Traffic in the area was affected for approximately two hours, and nobody was injured in the incident. The damage to the bridge appears to be minor. At the time of writing, the investigation was ongoing.

» DiscoverWestman.com

STE. ROSE

Farmers in the Ste. Rose du Lac who want to contribute towards the construction of a basketball court in the community now have a chance to do so.

Shelly Brunel, a committee member of the board of the basketball court project, says they have talked with several producers who want to donate to the project, leading the group to create a “Producer Challenge.”

“A producer can donate the proceeds of five acres of any crop that they have grown to our court project. And then they will be honoured with signage that will be up at the site as being part of this challenge and receive a charitable donation receipt as well,” Bruel said.

The idea for the challenge originated from a Field of Dreams project that the committee has done before, she added.

“To kick off our fundraising last year, Derek Brunel and David Hopfner each donated 70 acres of their own land, and then got donations of inputs before growing the crops for our project. We have harvested both of those crops and are just in the process of selling those crops, and the proceeds will be donated to our basketball project,” Brunel said.

The response for the project from the local farming community has been very good so far, she added.

“We have had our first producer donate to the challenge – Sheldon and Kristi Kehler are from our area, which is great. They’ve kicked things off for us and are helping to spread the word.”

Farmers who are interested in taking part in the project can contact either Derek Brunel at 204-648-3174 or David Hopfner at 204-647-7619.

Ground will be able to be broken on the $300,000 basketball court project before the year’s end, and it will be opened in 2024, Brunel said.

» 730 CDKM

PARKLAND

Several Parkland residents have been nominated for the Manitoba Country Music Association Awards.

Highlighting the list is Emma Peterson of Winnipegosis, who is up for five awards — including Fan’s Choice, Female Artist of the Year, and Interactive Artist of the Year. Her song “Got it Back” is also nominated for Single and Music Video of the Year.

Peterson will be competing in both of those categories against Roblin’s Ryan Keown and his song “A Lie I Can Live With.”

Meanwhile, Dauphin’s Desiree Dorion received three nominations for Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and the Indigenous Country Music award.

Nelson Little, who originally hails from the Winnipegosis and Pine River area, is also up for the Indigenous Country Music award, and Top Male Artist and the Roots Artist of the Year.

Other Parkland-area nominees include Ethelbert’s Jerry Sereda for both Album of the Year and the Indigenous Country Music award, and Alonsa’s Rylan Knaggs, who was nominated for the All-Star Band as a guitar player.

730 CDKM has been nominated for Radio Station of the Year, and the stations midday host Alex DeVries has been nominated for radio personality of the year. The awards will be handed out on Nov. 4 in Winnipeg.

» 730 CKDM