Samaritan House Ministries is pleased to announce the First Annual Hungry Hearts Benefit Gala. As one of their signature fund-raising events to be held every year, Samaritan House Ministries has partnered with Sunrise Credit Union, the Victoria Inn, and the Assiniboine Theatre Company to host an evening to focus on “Hungry Hearts” in our community. Samaritan House Ministries is Manitoba’s second largest food bank and resource centre, providing an emergency shelter, women’s shelter, food hampers, education and training, and employment services at no cost to as many as possible. Thursday, November 3, 2016 Grand Salon, Victoria Inn Brandon Cocktails at 6:00 Featuring: Dinner Theatre starring Rick & Karen Chrest in A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters" 3-Course Meal Silent Art Auction Dylan McDonald and the Secret Handshake Trio Door Prizes Tickets: $85 each or a table for $680 (until October 14) $100 each or a table for $700 (from October 15 until October 31) For more information, to sponsor, or for tickets: Call 204-726-0758 ext 3 Email hungryhearts@samaritanhouse.net Visit www.hungryheartsgala.net

Concert goers and music lovers in Brandon best start saving their pennies, and cashing in their empties, as The Trews have indicated on their web site that they will be playing the North 40 on Friday, November the 4th in support of their time Capsule Tour. The Trews' concert liting is the 4th concert announcement for the month of November in Brandon joining the previously announced Bryan Adams, Mariana's Trench, and Charlie Major shows. The Trews are a Canadian rock band from Nova Scotia who have released five studio albums, one compilation album and three live albums. Singles include Paranoid Freak, Hold Me In Your Arms, Coming Home and Highway of Heroes. In 2004 they were nominated for a Juno award for Best New Group and in 2009 they were nominated for Best Album of the Year at the Junos for No time for Fear,  

A pair of Yuk Yuks comedians are coming to Brandon to make people laugh at the Prairie Firehouse for three great shows in November. Canadian Comedians Jonathon Baum and Todd Ness will be performing at Prairie Firehouse starting Thursday, November the 18th thru to Saturday, November the 20th. Jonathan Baum is a Vancouver/Whistler comedian who published a book in 2015 titled My Impaired Moral Compass. Todd Ness was the winner of the 2014 Yuk Yuks Chase Your Butterfly Contest featuring up coming comedians from across Western Canada. Tickets for all three shows are on sale at Prairie Firehouse. Ticket price is $35.00 per person.

Late this Spring I initiated a conversation with filmmaker, and my childhood friend, Krista Loughton. We had reconnected on Facebook some years earlier and I had been following her plight to raise funds to complete a documentary. Lougthton along with Jennifer Abbott wrote and directed the film. Abbott is best known for her work on The Corporation, a Canadian documentary with 26 International Awards under its belt. The Corporation is a “provoking, witty, stylish and sweepingly informative, it explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time.” (Source thecorporation.com) Us & Them was filmed over a decade and begins when Loughton is questioned by addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté about her need to relieve pain in the world. This takes her back in time, when she befriended four chronically homeless people in an effort to help them heal their lives. These four charismatic people reveal the heartrending realities of their lives. The severe challenges of life on the street are portrayed with an unapologetic openness, in both emotive and humorous ways. All are struggling with addiction issues rooted in their painful childhood histories. Loughton finds a mentor in Reverend Allen Tysick, a street minister who dedicated his life to serving the poorest of the poor. Watching him build a new facility for the street community inspires her to create change in her own way. Years ago, Loughton had been introduced to the First Nations Medicine Wheel and its success helping former addicts maintain recovery. Under the mentorship of Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr., she decides to teach her friends how to balance on the Medicine Wheel. They learn to take stock of themselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, in an attempt to help balance and heal their lives. (Source usandthemthefilm.ca) Loughton has created something very special with this film, and said "I want people to watch the film and never look at a street person, or themselves, in the same way again.” And after having viewed the film, I would say she has absolutely achieved that success, among others. Local support and endorsement for Loughton’s work has been provided by myITsource, Westoba Credit Union, J&G Homes, Service Canada, Landmark Cinema 9, Howling the Night Away, BDO, Victoria Inn, Leech Printing, United Way Brandon & District and LaBuick & Co. The film has been screened in Victoria, Sidney, Campbell River, Galiano Island, and Vancouver, BC. It is also set to screen in Winnipeg, Brandon, North Cowichan, Maple Ridge, and Toronto. Loughton is also currently working to screen in La Loche, SK, which means she can take Karen one of the film key characters, home. And lastly, Loughton is on the verge of confirming an official screening on Parliament Hill in Ottawa this fall. The Community Screening for Us & Them is scheduled for 13 October at 7:00 PM. There is no ticket fee, but attendees are asked to bring a can of soup and donate at entry, all of which will be given to Helping Hands Soup Kitchen. Register by using this link: Us & Them Community Screening. There will be a Question & Answer panel post screening that includes; documentarian Krista Loughton, Mayor Rick Chrest, J&G Homes CFO Tamra Rapsky, United Way CEO Cynamon Mychasiw, Housing First Coordinator and City Councillor Kris Desjarlais. For more information please contact Tanya LaBuick at tanya@labuick.co or the United Way at(204) 571-8929.

Canadian Country music legend Charlie Major will hit the Houston's stage on Thursday, November the 24th. Charlie has recorded seven solo albums and has released more than twenty singles over that span. He has won 3-Juno awards for Canadian Male Vocalist of the year and has twice been named Male Artist of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association. Notable singles include: I'm Somebody, The Other Side, Some Days Are Better and I'm Here. Joining Charlie on the 24th will be Frannie Klein a Canadian singer songwriter who continues to travel across Canada and the U.S playing shows as often as she can.   She has just been nominated again for several awards for her work by the Manitoba Country Music Awards.  Tickets for this event are only $20.00 and can be purchased online here.