The Santa Parade marks the unofficial beginning of the holiday season, and it's a celebration that our community eagerly anticipates. The streets will be alive with the spirit of the season as the annual Santa Parade makes its way through the heart of our city on November 18th, starting at 6pm. With colorful floats, festive music, and of course, the jolly old man himself, Santa Claus, this parade is a cherished celebration that brings smiles to faces young and old. All float entries will be considered for several different judging categories including Best Parade Theme, Best Decorated Vehicle, People’s Choice and most original.

Brett Fry, a local beer hockey goalie, has found another hobby.  He is taking his two dogs, Memphis a 3 year old Whippet and Sonic a 1.5 year old Border Collie, on tour so to speak. Fry told BDNMB.CA that he has been training his dogs since they were only 10 weeks old.  They will attempt to participate in as many events as possible with The Canine Stars. "We do as much events as we can a year, depends on  my work schedule as a full time mechanic, we perform with the Woof Jocks at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in March, Wild Dogs based out of Winnipeg and with of course the Canine stars!" Brett also told BDNMB.CA that "I’m an  active club member at Crocus Obedience And Kennel Club , where we train in disc, agility and  Flyball. I love to train and perform with my dogs it’s something I never considered when growing up and has a special place in my heart."

The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba is proud to announce the opening of a new exhibition featuring five professional artists from Manitoba, as well as a selection of work by the Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Digital Art and Design Program Class of 2023. The exhibition, titled Oneirophyte, will be on display in the AGSM Main Gallery from September 21 to November 11, 2023. Lucie Lederhendler, the exhibition’s curator, explains the central theme of the exhibition arose from her interest in the state of Digital Arts in Manitoba. “Since I joined the AGSM in January 2021,” she says, “I noticed a lot of real excitement surrounding the potential of, and the desire for, more digital infrastructure here in Westman.” Lederhendler references an increase in the AGSM’s digital content, the inauguration of the Centre for Creative Media at ACC this past January, and the WestmAnimation and Open Circuits festivals, which are both set to return this Autumn. The concept for Oneirophyte emerged because there was a substantial amount of digital art being created in Manitoba that talked about plants in a personal, or spiritual way. The title of the exhibition combines the Greek roots for “dream” and “plant,” which speaks to this interest. The exhibition’s artists are Helga Jakobson, Casey Koyczan, Erika Jean Lincoln, Sylvia Matas, and Taylor McArthur, who use artificial intelligence, 3-D scanning technologies, and game design that allows visitors to listen to, think like, and immerse themselves in plants. The ACC Digital Art class of 2023 was given a preview of the exhibition and asked to respond to the premise in their own way, and produced conceptual designs in 3-D models, video, and graphic illustration and design. An opening reception with several artists present will be held on September 21 at 7 PM. A “Lunch & Look” guided tour will take place on September 22 at 1 PM. Additional digital programming, supported by the Open Circuits Festival and the WestmAnimation festival, will include talks, workshops, and screenings that will be announced via the AGSM’s social media. The AGSM would like to thank the Manitoba Arts Council, the City of Brandon, and the Canada Council for the Arts, for their continued support of the Gallery’s programming. The Manitoba Arts Council is also a supporter of the WestmAnimation festival. Thanks to the Province of Manitoba for its support of the Open Circuits and WestmAnimation Festivals.

The Department of Natural Resources and Northern Development’s Manitoba Parks branch is inviting all Manitobans to enjoy the great outdoors for the last long weekend of summer with free entry to provincial parks. Vehicle permits are not required to visit provincial parks on the Labour Day long weekend from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4. Overnight camping fees and entrance fees to national parks still apply. Individuals who wish to camp can make a reservation through the Parks Reservation Service at www.manitobaparks.com or by calling toll free at 1-888-482-2267. Several provincial park campsites, cabins and yurts remain open through the fall, allowing campers to stay as late as Thanksgiving weekend in October. Tips for visitors and campers at provincial parks include: be ‘Wildlife Smart’ by maintaining a clean campsite, keeping all food, trash, toiletries and cooking utensils locked in a vehicle or trailer, and pack out trash and recyclables before leaving; keep all pets on leash; keep all campfires in approved pits such as those found in campsites, check with the campground office for any campfire restrictions; and to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer, firewood should not be transported outside Winnipeg and can result in charges and fines of up to $1,300 for individuals or $15,000 for businesses. Firewood should be obtained and burned locally, and is available for purchase from local retailers at most campgrounds. To prevent and contain the spread of aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels, all water users including boaters, fishers and beachgoers, must follow the specific decontamination and bait requirements in place in control zones. Anyone transporting watercraft including canoes and kayaks must stop at watercraft inspection stations when they are open. For more information on invasive species, visit: www.manitoba.ca/StopAIS. Schools are encouraged to participate in free interpretive programs this fall at Birds Hill, Spruce Woods and Whiteshell provincial parks. Park Interpreters deliver trail hikes, exploration activities and other curriculum-based learning experiences for all grades on cultural history, ecology and flora and fauna study, as well as outdoor skills. Teachers can find program details and plan field trips to parks by visiting www.manitobaparks.com. Manitobans can stay up to date with provincial park news, activities and events by following Manitoba Parks on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, at https://twitter.com/MBGovParks or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MBGovParks.

New yurts at Childs Lake Campground in Duck Mountain Provincial Park will be ready to welcome guests in mid-August, a project completed under the Manitoba government’s new Provincial Parks Infrastructure Renewal Strategy, Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt announced today. “We know many Manitoba campers are eager to experience our beautiful provincial parks by camping in a yurt, and that is why I am excited to announce that four new yurts will be ready to welcome guests within the next few weeks,” said Nesbitt. “This is one of many projects that are underway and being developed as part of our government’s new parks strategy that we unveiled in May. This bold plan prioritizes projects that enhance recreational opportunities and protect our precious ecosystems.” With blue-green water fed by fresh springs, the Childs Lake Campground is located in Duck Mountain Provincial Park, which rises in long hills near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. Yurts in Manitoba’s provincial parks–unique, large, fabric-sided accommodations that are part cabin, part tent–are extremely popular with campers and this new development comes to further satisfy this demand, the minister noted. It is anticipated that the four new yurts will be ready by Aug. 18. Reservations for the new yurts will open Aug. 10 at 9 a.m. For more information, visit www.manitobaparks.com. As part of the $220 million Manitoba Provincial Parks Infrastructure Renewal Strategy, campers will see a 50 per cent increase in yurts, more campsites with electrical service, enhanced interactive experiences along with improved services and access to nature in each of the 20 busiest provincial parks. The strategy focuses on two streams that invest $121 million in parks infrastructure and $103 million in roadway renewal within and around provincial parks over the next 10 years. To learn more about the Manitoba Provincial Parks Infrastructure Renewal Strategy and view the list of projects, visit www.gov.mb.ca/nrnd/parks/parks-strategy.html. Since the Provincial Parks Act was proclaimed in 1960, there have been 93 parks established in Manitoba including the designation of Pemmican Island Provincial Park in July. Manitobans can stay up to date with provincial park news, activities and events by following Manitoba Parks on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MBGovParks or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBGovParks.