Westman Multicultural Festival Society Chair James McCrae today sent the following to festival planners and volunteers: To Westman Multicultural Festival Participants:  It is with profound regret that your executive committee announces that the 2021 Westman Multicultural Festival must be cancelled. All volunteers, sponsors and festival-goers will of course be disappointed. However, good planning requires sufficient lead time in order to produce the excellent festivals we have enjoyed over the years. Should COVID 19 pandemic news change in the near future, we might still have time to organize a festival, but current and medium term health risk conditions indicate otherwise. We trust your commitment to a vibrant multicultural Westman will remain strong as we look forward to happy and healthy future festivals. (submitted)

Citing the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dakota Nation Winterfest 2021 has been cancelled. The announcement was made on their Facebook page earlier in the week. The announcement also stated "Notifications have been sent to the City of Brandon, the Keystone Centre and the Canad Inns." Billed as the largest Indigenous sport and cultural event of its kind all under one roof, the event has a long standing tradition in Western Manitoba. The festival encompasses activities and events for all age groups including a square dance competition, talent show, wacipi, basketball, volleyball, hockey, moccasin games and more.

Sand Hills Casino re-opened on July 25th with a number of changes made to comply with Manitoba Health’s COVID-19 regulations: Sand Hills Casino capacity is 1100 including staff,  therefore the maximum amount of patrons they can have in the building at one time is 300. 200 machines are open providing the required 6 feet of space for social distancing, table games will remain closed until further notice as will the buffet restaurant. Live entertainment has been discontinued until further notice. The lounge is open with a capacity of 68 people and the bar will only serve one patron at a time from behind plexiglass. The casino is set up for social distancing throughout the gaming floor and they have extra cleaning staff wiping down machines. The self serve coffee and soft drink station is now staffed and those drinks will be served. Plexiglass is installed at the Gold Club members desk. Extra hand sanitizer and masks are available at the front entrance however, masks are not mandatory for patrons although staff are wearing masks. New hours are 11am - 1am Sunday - Thursday and 11am - 3am Friday and Saturday.

**July 27, 2020 Update: Here is the link to purchase tickets and obtain more show information. Coming Friday August 14th to the Keystone Centre parking lot will be a first of its kind for the city. Precision Toyota is pleased to present Reels and Wheels a Drive Inn movie theatre experience. A yet to be determined movie will be shown on a giant inflatable movie screen in the Keystone Centre parking lot. Limited to the first 350 vehicles due to space requirements. On Monday July 27th a website will be made public on BDNMB.CA where you can purchase a vehicle pass, along with additional information on the event. 100% of all funds generated will be donated to Dreams for Kids.  A minimum donation of $20.00 per vehicle is required to attend to this event. Additionally, five food trucks will be on-site to handle food and beverage requirements. BDNMB.CA would like to thank Precision Toyota for allowing us to be the media partner for this event.

Brandon, MB – While Manitoba’s ongoing COVID-19-related public health orders have paused the presentation of live musical performances in Brandon’s parks this summer, City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Services is pleased to announce a unique partnership with Westman Communications Group’s WCGTV to bring a modified version of its popular Music in the Parks program into the homes of Westman TV subscribers this summer! Beginning this evening (Tuesday, July 7th) and continuing weekly through July and August, WCGTV will be airing recorded studio performances by the many talented local musicians and ensembles that would normally grace the stage during a normal Music in the Park performance season. A new performances will air on Westman Cable’s Channel 1012 (HD) and Channel 12 (SD) each Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will then be re-broadcast on Thursdays at 10 a.m. and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. Each week’s performance debut will also be available to be viewed online as a livestream each Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Westman Communication Group’s website at https://westmancom.com/personal/wcgtv/watch-live. Kicking off this modified music program this evening at 7 p.m. is a broadcast of a performance by Neepawa-based foursome, Lunch Money, whose repertoire features everything from country classics to folk to rock tunes from the 1950’s onward. Band members are Greg Fleck on lead guitar, Hughie McLaughlin on bass and vocals, Ron Nordstrom on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Dave Zeke on drums and vocals. Upcoming studio performances to be featured on WCGTV’s Channels 1012 and 12 include those by Until It’s No Fun, Lucky Ned, The Badd Brothers, Darth’s Brother Jeff and the Lazy Creek Express, plus more to be announced in the coming weeks! Music enthusiasts will want to watch City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Services Facebook Page for additional details on these great performances by some of Westman’s most talented and entertaining musicians! (City of Brandon PSA)