Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon’s Community Services Department is pleased to inform the public that the Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Waterfall of Lights display will officially be turned on for the 2017-2018 winter season today at 5 p.m. The sparkling display of holiday lighting is located immediately west of the City of Brandon’s Community Services Complex on McGregor Avenue. As of this evening, the display will be turned on and remain lit from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly through the winter season. NO public vehicles are allowed in the direct area of the Power Smart Waterfall of Lights display. The public is encouraged to park in designated areas on McGregor Avenue or Hilton Avenue and walk through the area to view the lights. The City of Brandon Community Services Department asks all members of the public to enjoy the lighting displays at a safe distance and not to walk in areas where power cords are present. Preparation of the public skating oval in the area of the Power Smart Waterfall of Lights has not been able to begin due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. However, weather-permitting, work should begin in the coming days and it is still anticipated the oval will be ready for public use in time for Christmas. The community is asked to respect all signage and barricades in place once preparation of the oval begins and to stay off the ice surface until it is ready for public use. For more information about the Power Smart Waterfall of Lights, please contact the City of Brandon’s Community Services Department at 204-729-2148.

Canadian country music superstar George Canyon will be headlining a charity fundraising event for Ducks Unlimited in Brandon, on Saturday, February the 10th.   Canyon has won two Juno awards over his career and has twice won the Canadian Country Music Association’s “Male Artist of the Year”. The event is being held inside the Clarion Hotel & Suites and the evening features a number of activates including an acoustic concert, appetizers, raffles and giveaways.  The doors open at 6:00 pm.  Proceeds go to help support wetland conservation in Manitoba. Tickets can be purchased here, or by calling 204-728-1150, ext: 272

The CP Holiday Train will be making stops in the neighboring communities of Minnedosa, Neepawa, and Portage on Sunday, December the 3rd and CP has introduced a new tool to help follow the progress ensuring you can arrive on time and not miss any of the sights and sounds.  The new CP Holiday Train Tracker allows guests to follow the train in real time, explore the trains detailed route, and find the locations, times, and entertainment information on the trains 171 event stops.

Who would have thought that on November 24 it would be warm enough to be able to busk in downtown Brandon? With the temperature on the positive side of the thermometer, reaching 3 degrees celsius, we’re definitely above seasonal temperatures for this time in November. Jeff Parrott, born and raised in Brandon, took advantage of the mild weather to provide entertainment for those out and about on Rosser Avenue. His repertoire on the soprano saxophone today included Christmas music with a bit of blues and jazz mixed in. Parrott has been playing music for over 10 years; he started when he was in his early teens. He also plays guitar, the drums, tenor sax and the clarinet.

Visitors to the Sand Hills Casino, in Carberry, will now have the opportunity to win up to $1 million, or more, on a single spin thanks to two new Powerbucks slot machines which were installed recently.  PowerBucks, pictured below, is Canada’s first linked progressive across the country.  Betting between $.50 and $2.99 you could win the set $1 million jackpot.  Those betting $3.00 or higher stand to win the progressive jackpot, which starts at a million dollars and increases as the game is played.  Different bonus games can also be unlocked as players increase their average bet.  The Powerbucks machines are just two of ten new machines installed at Carberry in the last several days.  A further additional ten new games are expected in New Year.  Jeff Melcosky, the Director of Operations for the Sand Hills Casino, tells bdnmb.ca that there will also be 60 new “theme conversions” happening on games in the new year as well.