City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Services is pleased to inform the public that the sparkling display of holiday lighting at the Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Waterfall of Lights will officially be turned on for the 2022-2023 winter season tonight at 5 p.m. The Power Smart Waterfall of Lights is located immediately west of the City of Brandon’s Parks Services Complex on 2020 McGregor Avenue. As of tomorrow evening, the displays will be turned on and remain lit from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly through the winter season. Seasonal lights have also been turned on at City Hall, Hanbury Hill and in downtown Brandon. City Hall is located at 410 – 9th Street, Hanbury Hill is located just off Braecrest Drive in Sir Winston Churchill Park, and downtown Brandon includes city streets from 1st Street to 18th Street on Rosser Avenue and Princess Avenue. 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 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 around the Power Smart Waterfall of Lights has begun. Please respect all signage and barricades in place and 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 Parks & Recreation Services at 204-729-2148. (City of Brandon PSA)

The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba is preparing an exhibition of recent work by its members, which will be exhibited in the Main Gallery from December 1 until December 17, 2022. The AGSM has hosted an annual members exhibition since 2004, making this the 18th installment of the popular, community-driven event. Limited only by wall space, this exhibition is built from an open submission for anyone with an AGSM membership that was in good standing as of October 31, 2022. As artwork continues to arrive, over 90 works of art from local Brandon and Westman area artists will be featured in this yearly popular exhibition. First time participant, Dhairya Vaidya said, “A kid goes to an art gallery thinking ‘I wish I could one day create such amazing artworks’. The Annual Member’s Show is an opportunity for that kid’s dreams to come true. To have my artwork exhibited is exactly what I hope inspires others in our community, especially kids, to one day participate in a similar way.” Two artist talks will be held in a hybrid format through the AGSM’s online platforms on December 9th and December 16th. A reception will be held on Thursday, December 1 at 7:00PM, which will celebrate the unveiling of the Members Show as well as Pathway to Change, an exhibition of works by incarcerated adults and youth, which has been open to the public since October 27 and will run through December. Supplemental events are supported by the generosity of the Whitehead Foundation. Where artists have opted to sell their work, they will be on sale starting on December 1.

Assiniboine Community College is celebrating the end of fall with the second annual Farewell to Fall culinary event happening at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts (MICA) on the college’s North Hill campus on December 1. Tickets go on sale November 17 at 10 a.m. “We are looking forward to the college hosting another outstanding culinary event inspired by seasonal ingredients, and connecting our talented students to our community.” said Tim Hore, Dean, Russ Edwards School of Agriculture & Environment. “We’re consistently in awe of the work that our MICA students put into our events, and the creative fall flavours that get pulled together in the Farewell to Fall menu.” 2022 marks the second year for this exciting addition to MICA’s sought-after culinary events. Farewell to Fall includes a multi-course dinner, fused with self-serve appetizer and dessert action stations. The event promises a 5-star dining experience with the flair of flambé and other culinary show techniques. Along with dinner, guests will have the opportunity to peruse an evening market with seasonal products such as jams, jellies, preserves, and other seasonal delicacies created by the students. “The excitement in the kitchen, dining room and bake shop is contagious as plans for Farewell to Fall are underway,” says Karen O’Gilvie, Academic Chair of Field to Fork, Russ Edwards School of Agriculture & Environment “As a Red Seal Chef and Academic Chair, I could not be prouder to see the College’s vision of the Field to Fork initiative come alive during this event filled with creativity and tantalizing flavour profiles.” Guests attending the Farewell to Fall event will experience the work and talents of Culinary Arts, Baking Foundations and Hotel and Restaurant Management students. The evening event will have three available seating times. Tickets are $60 and must be purchased in full table allotments of either two or four. Visit assiniboine.net/farewelltofall for more information. To purchase tickets, call 204.725.8738 or 800.862.6307 ext 6516 starting at 10 a.m. on November 17. (ACC Release)

The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train will return to the rails this season on its first cross-continent tour in three years, following virtual concerts in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. The train will again raise money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the CP network. "I'm grateful to the CP team members who adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver two exceptional virtual Holiday Train shows and to all those who continued to donate while we kept community members safe," said Keith Creel, CP's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The Holiday Train is all about families and communities coming together to celebrate the season and help those in need. We are excited to be back out on the rails and in our communities, taking these two beautiful trains across our network and sharing the joy that comes with gathering in the spirit of giving." The 2022 tour will launch on Nov. 23 with the Holiday Train's first-ever Maine shows in Jackman, Brownville Junction and Hermon. Also for the first time, the Holiday Train will host shows on Nov. 24 in Lac-Megantic, Sherbrooke and Farnham, Que.; the first Canadian stops of 2022. The tour will feature 168 live shows, including Toronto on Nov. 29; Bensenville, Ill., on Dec. 2; Davenport, Iowa, on Dec. 3; Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 4; Calgary on Dec. 11; and a final show in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on Dec. 18. A full schedule is available at cpr.ca/holidaytrain. Live music is essential to the CP Holiday Train experience. This year's performers will include Alan Doyle, Tenille Townes, Mackenzie Porter and Lindsay Ell, to name a few. Details about this year's artists and which performers will play which shows are available at cpr.ca/holidaytrain. Holiday Train shows are free to attend. CP asks attendees to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation if they're able. Local food shelves will set up collection stations at each event, with all donations made staying with the local food bank to help people in need in the community. Because local food shelves buy food at a discount, cash donations can go further than food donations to help those in need. "Food banks and communities across Canada are so excited to see the CP Holiday Train return, as it brings together the City of Calgary to kick off the holidays and give back at the same time," said Calgary Food Bank President and CEO James McAra. "The Calgary Food Bank is so grateful for CP's continued support to help us build a Canada where no one goes hungry." Since the Holiday Train program launched in 1999, it's raised more than $21 million and collected 5 million pounds of food for community food banks across North America. "This year, more than ever, the support, awareness and goodwill that the CP Holiday Train brings will make an impact beyond imagination to the food support programs of East Side Neighborhood Services," said Mary Anstett, Vice President, Community Engagement for East Side Neighborhood Services in Minneapolis. "With the support that Holiday Train brings in, we can rest assured that so many will have warm nutritious food on their tables in the coldest months." (CP News Release)

Whispers in the Wheat, a movie that was filmed in Brandon and a farmyard in Rossendale is slated to be shown at the Evans Theatre in Brandon from from December 9-11. The film, written and directed by Alec Chambers of Muddy River Productions, is a story about a “young con-man who gets more than he bargained for when he searches for his late father’s final score.” The entire film was recorded from Aug 15-Aug 31 (2020) and features lead actors who are based out of British Columbia, while the rest if the cast is entirely from Manitoba.