Miss Tiny's Jamaican Food Truck will be a new entry for 2018 in Brandon's Food Truck Warz.   They serve up all authentic Jamaican cuisine in the freshest way possible.  At Miss Tiny's Jamaican Food Truck you can expect to find Jerk Chicken Poutine,  Jamaican Beef Patties, Jerk Chilli Wings, and a Jerk Chicken Combo (leg & thigh, rice and peas) on the menu.  Be sure to check out their Jerk pork or chicken wraps both of which can spice up your day with traditional Jamaican flavors to tantalize your taste buds.  A Jerk Chickpea Wrap has also been featured on the menu for those vegetarians in attendance. Treat yourself September 14-16 at Food Truck Warz (Princess Park) with an authentic Jamaican meal from their delicious menu. *menu subject to change

The first ever Free Smile Festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 29th at Crow's General Store.  The event being hosted by the Global Market will include bouncy castles, giant board games, delicious ice cream, carnival games, crafts and food vendors, face painting, live music, ​and more.  In addition to the carnival-themed day, the many vendors (jewelry, produce, baked goods, home made goods) who setup Saturday's on Rosser Ave will be relocating to Crow's for the day as well.   The event will run from 11am -3pm.

Submitted Healthy Brandon in motion, in partnership with BU Recreation, BU Bobcat Athletics and the Westman Physical Literacy Committee, is excited about the upcoming 2nd Annual FREE Community Family Fun Fest taking place on Saturday, September 8th from 10:00am – 12:00pm. Community members will have the opportunity to meet and learn a variety of sports and activities from the Bobcat athletes themselves, including basketball, soccer, pickle ball, and volleyball. There will also be a physical literacy motion zone put on by Fit Kids Healthy Kids and the opportunity to become a ‘Bobcat Ninja’ and try out a challenging obstacle course. The event will be a fun way to learn about physical literacy and physical activity, as well as try out some new sports and activities. There will be prizes for everyone that fills out the event ‘passport’!  The event is drop-in and stay as long or as little as you want.

It is mid-August, harvest has begun in Westman and before long we’ll be preparing for our kids first day of kindergarten or their first day of college/university. If the new or returning post-secondary student hasn’t already secured a place to live, they may find themselves scrambling to find an apartment for the upcoming school year. What potential renters will notice is that there is significantly less apartment availability in Brandon this fall compared to last fall. There are two main reasons contributing to this tight rental market in the city: There are three pipeline crews that have moved into the city, adding almost 1,500 people to the population until the end of December. While some of these workers are staying in campgrounds and hotels, many of them have secured apartment accommodations. Many of the military families that have been posted recently to CFB Shilo have chosen to rent rather than purchase a home. Vionell Holdings Properties has just over 1,000 rental units (excluding life lease and assisted living) in Brandon and there currently only 12 empty apartments. This represents a 1.2% vacancy rate in our portfolio, which I suspect is standard across the city at this time. With all of this rather discouraging information, what could you be doing do to find accommodations for the new school year? Here are my suggestions: Start looking RIGHT now, find the place that offers the best value. Consider location in proximity to your school and other amenities, but be flexible. Be prepared to sign a year lease, many rental companies are changing to year leases from a month-to-month system to ensure that the tenants they are selecting will commit to at least one year in the apartment. Keep in mind that you can assign your lease if you plan on leaving at the end of the school year. Be sure to have a co-signor arranged to ensure your application is approved by the rental agency expediently. Also be prepared with all other required documentation and information.   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. VHP has committed to constructing 128 multifamily residential units in Portage la Prairie that will be ready for occupancy in spring of 2019.

The Victoria Inn will be a very coulourful place on Sunday, September the 9th when Skate Brandon hosts their 2nd annual 5 km colour run/walk in the Wheat City. The run will start and finish at the Victoria Inn parking lot from 10-noon. Registration the day of the event starts at 8:30 am. Your registration includes entry into the run, colour packs, water throughout the run and an awesome experience! As this is a fun event, the 5 km walk/run will not be timed. Costumes are encouraged. Online registration for Colour Run opened on July the 23rd.  Early bird registration before August 24th is only $40.  After, August the 24th the fee increases to $50.  Children 7 and under are free however you still do need to register.   The event is a fundraiser for Skate Brandon and all profits will go to the Skate Brandon Club for future costs. Come ready to have a great day of fun and leave a little bit more colourfull. For additional information, or to resister click here.