Together with community sponsors, Brandon Transit has launched the annual “Fill The Bus” campaign in support of the Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer Registry.  This year, community members are encouraged to drop off donations of unwrapped toys or non-perishable food items at the Brandon Transit bus which will be set up in the parking lot at the below locations:  Sobeys West (3409 Victoria Avenue) - Saturday, November 27, 2021 - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Safeway (921 18th Street North) - Saturday, December 4, 2021 - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer provides Christmas dinner and gifts for the children and families in the Westman area who would otherwise go without.  (CITY OF BRANDON PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ) 

 The City of Brandon is thrilled to bring back the Christmas Concert (formerly known as the Christmas Open House)! This celebration will take place Sunday, December 12th, 2021 at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium (WMCA), located at 205 20th Street. Doors open at 1:00 p.m., with the program to start at 1:30 p.m. This free event offers a special Christmas concert performance by the Brandon Community Orchestra. “We have moved the concert from City Hall to our beautiful WMCA and are, indeed, extremely fortunate to have such a magnificent venue available to us in Brandon,” notes Mayor Rick Chrest. “This space will allow for us to bring back our cherished Christmas concert in a safe manner.” Come out to enjoy a variety of familiar Christmas songs and classical pieces performed by the skilled musicians of the Brandon Community Orchestra, whose members range in age from pre-teen to seniors and hail from various communities in Westman. Students from the Suzuki Strings program at Brandon University will also give a special performance and will join the orchestra for several numbers. All provincial public health orders will be followed, including the mandatory mask requirement, social distancing, and proof of full vaccination for all those in attendance, aged 12 and older. Children aged 11 and under must be accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult. Limited seating available on a first come, first served basis. Refreshments will not be provided. (City of Brandon PSA)

Reigning CCMA Entertainer of the Year, Dallas Smith, is coming to Westoba Place May 24, 2022, before heading across the country on the Some Things Never Change Tour. The concert is locally presented by Dauphin’s Countryfest. Tickets to this kick-off performance will be available on Friday, November 26th at 10am local time, with pre-sales for fan club members beginning on Tuesday, November 23rd at the Keystone Centre box office, and on-line at tickets.keystonecentre.com. VIP packages will also be available for purchase, and will include a premium seat, an intimate pre-show performance and Q&A session with Dallas Smith, an exclusive VIP merch item, and more. With multiple JUNO Awards and a plethora of CCMA Awards to his credit, Dallas Smith is one of the most celebrated artists in Canadian Country Music today. Smith’s latest release, the full length “Timeless,” contains four consecutive #1 hits. The success of songs “Drop,” “Rhinestone World,” “Make ‘Em Like You,” and the titular “Timeless,” have made him the first and only Canadian Country Artist in the Nielson BDS era to have four consecutive #1 singles from the same album. Dallas Smith will be joined at the Road to Countryfest performance in Westoba Place by James Barker Band, Meghan Patrick, Shawn Austin, JoJo Mason, Kelly Prescott, and Manny Blu. Smith most recently performed at Westoba Place in 2019 on the Friends Don’t Let Friends Tour Alone Tour with fellow Canadian Country Music icon Dean Brody.

Stars on Ice is granting Christmas wishes this year by delivering a special holiday edition of its award-winning figure skating show. Four-time World Champion and four-time Canadian Champion Kurt Browning will headline a cast of skating superstars in this festive one-night only performance. The 2021 Stars on Ice “Holiday” show will arrive in Brandon, MB on Wednesday, December 29th for a 7 PM performance at the Westoba Place at the Keystone Centre. In addition to fan-favorite Kurt Browning, the star-studded cast features Olympic Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist, 2018 World Champion and three-time Canadian Champion Kaetlyn Osmond; Olympic Bronze Medalist, World Champion and three-time Canadian Champion Jeffrey Buttle; two-time U.S. Champion Alissa Czisny; Canadian Olympian and four-time national medalist Shawn Sawyer; and former Canadian Junior Champion and social media superstar Elladj Baldé, plus more! Tickets for Stars on Ice went on sale Friday, November 19 at 10 AM. Limited on-ice seating may be available. Tickets start at $29 and are available online at tickets.keystonecentre.com. Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. Please visit www.starsonice.ca or www.keystonecentre.com for the latest show announcements. (Stars On Ice News Release)

Enjoy natural trails through tall pines and beautiful trails. Whether for a romantic excursion or to make family memories, sleigh rides offer a unique way to enjoy the Winter Wonderland that is Manitoba. Whirling Winds Stables, located just between Wawanesa and Shilo, is beginning their third year offering sleigh rides to the public and they have been driving this team of horses for themselves for about 7 years. Ride times are usually between 10am - 3pm however special requests can me made for a romantic evening ride for couples. Large groups are not available at night. There is no minimum amount of people for the sleigh to run. The maximum amount of people is between 12 - 16 people depending on how many kids and adults are attending. A number of different packages are available, with prices starting as low as $30 per person (or $100.00 for 5 riders). You can also customize any package to fit your needs. Whirling Winds Stables is the perfect winter outing for the whole group, office party, birthday party, girls night out and more. To book a sleigh ride, or for current available dates, please visit their Facebook page here.