If you’re looking for the best Christmas Light display in Brandon then you owe it to yourself to check out the impressive light and sound show at 239 Princess Ave E. Homeowner, Jason Cross said the show will either start Saturday Dec. 1 or Sunday Dec. 2, 2018 (depending on how final setup went this morning).   This iconic light show features 1,776 lights synchronized to some rocking Christmas tunes coming through your very own car radio (104.1 FM). According to Jason, this year the show is basically the same as last year as he had weeks of work to do after a major software update broke the entire show.  Any donations received will go to Muscular Dystrophy.  A link to their Facebook page can be fund at this link. Sundays - Thursdays: 5pm - 10pm Fridays - Saturdays: 5pm - 11pm  

When we’re kids all we want to do is celebrate more birthday’s and be older than what we are. When we actually become adults, many of us long for the easy, playful, simple days of when we were kids. Adulting is hard. There are always so many things to think about — work responsibilities, relationship commitments, cleaning, maintenance, and bills to pay. One of the biggest challenges can be learning how to manage your finances and keep your bank account balanced. For many, the largest monthly expense when you’re just starting out in the real world is likely rent. There may even be times when the first of the month rolls around and you realize that you don’t have enough money to pay or that you simply forgot to pay the rent. If you’re struggling with making sure that your payments are in on time, here are some tips on how to stay current with your rent and in good standing with the property manager: • If your landlord offers direct withdrawal, sign up (and make sure there is enough funds in the account on the 1st of the month). This not only saves going to the office each month, but it also gives you peace of mind and one less thing to worry about doing. • Offer 12 post-dated cheques that correspond with the term of your lease. • If you are not great at budgeting, consider pre-paying one month’s rent. This way, if you happen to come up short one month, you know that you have that cushion and still have a place to live. If you are going to be late on your rent (we don’t recommend this, but life happens!), try the following: • Call your landlord or property manager as soon as you realize that you may not be able to pay on time. • Offer to pay some of the rent on time or early and make payment arrangements for the balance. • Clear up your outstanding balance as soon as possible or be sure to pay according to the payment plan you developed together.  • Consider getting a second job or working overtime to make sure you won’t be short in the future. • Don’t make being late on your rent a habit. Get professional advice on how to manage your finances or set a budget (and actually stick to it) to ensure you can consistently pay your rent on time. If you are behind on your rent, take responsibility. Some of the worst things you can do are: • Wait for the property manager/landlord to call, email or show up on your doorstep. • Say that you have paid, when you have not. • Say that someone else or an agency is responsible for your rent. • Move out of your apartment without notifying anyone. • Pay with a cheque while knowing that there really are no funds in the account to support it. Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management. VHP currently has nearly 4,000 units under management in Manitoba. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca.

BRANDON, Manitoba, November 8 — Bohemian Rhapsody announces the 3rd Annual A Very Bohemian Christmas Sale.  After two previous successful sales, Bohemian Rhapsody has teamed up with nine other local Artisans and Makers for a unique and “Bohemian” Christmas sale. The sale will consist of ten curated local vendors selling items from jewellery, pottery, children’s clothing, skin care, henna designs and products and home decor.   The event will include free parking, free coat check, free beverages and a Food Truck with great food and coffee for sale.  There will also be a $1 draw with individual prizes from each vendor with proceeds going to Samaritan House in Brandon. “We have put together an eclectic group of artisans and makers and added a Food Truck to this years’ sale to set us apart from some of the other sales in the area.”  Says Karen Numrich of Bohemian Rhapsody. A Very Bohemian Christmas Sale starts at 3:00PM and runs until 8:00pm on Saturday, November 17th.  It is located in the Medallion Room, Building Refit Store, 23 - 12th Street in Brandon. The sale will include vendors; Bohemian Rhapsody, TECK, Lavender Blue Henna, Kunai Kids, C&D Designs, Hazel + Blue Co., Dandy Wee Strings, Gee Natural Skin Care, Naturally Imperfect Concrete, Magpie Pottery & Fine Art. Visitors should use Pacific Avenue and the lanes to access the sale during the Santa Parade (which runs from 5:00pm - 7:00pm).

It’s the beginning of November and you’ve been in school for nearly two months now and have likely settled into a good routine of getting to class on time, scheduling your part-time job around your classes and finding time to keep up with your assignments and reading.   It’s also been around two months since you and your roommate have moved in together and there’s a slight chance that the honeymoon phase is already over.   Do they never, ever replace the toilet paper roll, is there streaks of toothpaste left all over the bathroom sink, does it always seem like when you’re craving yogurt the last one is always gone?   Whether it’s a family member, your best friend or an acquaintance, getting used to living with someone else in an 800 square foot apartment can be a challenge. You might be a neat freak, they might enjoy living in chaos and filth; you may hate to cook while they love it; you might like to relax in peace and quiet in your spare time and they might prefer to blast their movie, music or video game so the neighbours four doors down can hear it as well.   Whatever the situation, the best way to keep your cool and ensure a good, long lasting rooming situation is to communicate. And, it might be helpful to draw up a fun (but yet, serious)  contract. Put some rules in place and work together on rectifying small concerns that could eventually turn into major blow-ups.   By communicating and managing expectations, it is possible to live in harmony. Some additional tips on how to maintain a peaceful, enjoyable and fun living arrangement are:   If it seems as though one person is eating all the food, store things separately and buy all your own food. Keep things organized by having cupboards and shelves in the refrigerator that are designated for each person. If cleanliness is becoming a sore spot, then create a schedule for vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and washing dishes. If everyone knows what is expected of them, then it’s easier to make a point of cleaning rather than just ignoring it and assuming that your roommate with a passion for the mop will take care of it. Know each other’s schedules. If you know that your roommate is working on Tuesday, then plan to stay in that night and enjoy your quiet, alone time. Remember to respect each other’s privacy. If you each have a bedroom, consider making a rule that this space is private, off limits and your own domain. Discuss who will claim the rent on their personal income tax return, only one person per household can claim the $700 education property tax credit. This may involve negotiating an equalization payment between roommates once the tax refunds are issued. Set rules involving company. If you have a buddy crash on the couch for a day or two, even a week that’s cool. Any more than that and that this person may be considered a roommate, but one who is not contributing to the rent! Don’t be afraid to speak up and voice your concerns, but also ask your roommate what bugs them as well. No one is perfect and like any relationship, being a good roommate is about give and take.   Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management. VHP currently has nearly 4,000 units under management in Manitoba. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca.

The annual Halloween Food Drive, hosted by ACC Students' Association and partners,  brought in 5300 pounds of food for the Samaritan House this year. A great success! Thank you to everyone who supported the event, volunteered, and everyone who donated! A special thanks to Dr. Robert Ward and Smiles Specialty Centre for his donation of 2100 lbs of food to help us bring our weight of food over the 5000 lbs donated to the Samaritan House last year. A&W Rootbeer Holdings not only covered 3 routes, with 19 volunteers, but also sponsored 4000 rootbeers which were given to people who donated food on the evening of the Halloween Food Drive.  Progressive Sanitation provided 11 vans/trucks that evening to transport the food donations to the Samaritan House, who kept their doors open late into the evening for the food donations to be dropped off.   Heritage Co-op provided hot chocolate and coffee for volunteers on the evening of the event Halloween Food Drive Partners: ACC Students' Association ACC Cougars Progressive Sanitation A&W Rootbeer Holdings Smiles Specialty Centre Heritage Co-op Samaritan House Westoba Riverbank Discovery Centre Telus Paramount Real Westman CKLQ News Star FM Westman Journal Brandon Sun BUSU BU Bobcats BDNMB.CA Leech Printing & more!!