Finding the best restaurant food can often be tricky, especially while traveling in rural communities you are unfamiliar with.  Below is a listing of several must try restaurants located not that from from Brandon. In no particular order. Happy Chopstick (Melita):  Every small town in Manitoba usually has a great Chinese restaurant and Melita is no exception.  Huge portions of flavorful food at a decent price. Benny's Astoria Pizza (Shoal  Lake):  Quite possibly Manitoba's best pizza. The restaurant is also known for it's delicious lasagna and tasty chicken!  Stop by and see Brad today. The Pelican Campground & Lounge (Ninette): The campground/lounge had been closed for twelve years until re-opening in April of this year.  Stop in for Chef Geoff's 8oz homemade cheeseburger and perfectly seasoned fries.  The wings are pretty good too. Woodfire Deli (Souris):   Woodfired pizza, sandwiches, wraps, salads and more all served in a cozy atmosphere.  Catering also available. Hoysun Chinese Food (Deloraine):  Just like its neighbor Happy Chopstick 30 minutes away, Hoysun Chinese Food serves up some enormous portions.   The food is always fresh, flavorful and hot. Gopher Creek Coffee Company (Virden):   This small Bistro in Virden uses the best in scratch ingredients to make their food in house.   Vegan and gluten free options available.  Sandwiches, wraps, salads and breakfast features like the Belgian waffle with brown sugar pineapple compote, coconut whipped cream (pictured below).

If you thought you were too old to get excited about seeing the ice cream truck cruising the streets of Brandon, think again.  Trendy Treats will be bringing its frozen treats to this years Food Truck Warz event and organizers couldn't be happier. “We believe that Trendy Treats unique home made ice cream will be a great fit for our event” said one of the event coordinators Darryl Wolski.   “This is a huge addition to our roster of food trucks for 2019” added Wolski. Trendy Treats specialize in alcohol infused ice cream and Swiss Ice flavors. Some of the more popular flavors include Sweet Bourbon, Fire Ball, Butterscotch Schnapps and more. The Swiss Ice product can be best described as a cross between a slurpee and a sorbet. They also have classic ice cream flavors like strawberry, chocolate, bubble gum and more so everyone can enjoy! All of their ice cream and Swiss Ice products are made fresh daily without adding preservatives.  They also serve lemonade and will be coming out with specialty popcorn flavors this summer.  Stay tuned to bdnmb.ca and www.foodtruckwarz.com for additional event information coming soon.

Strongfront TV at Brandon Riverbank A temporary exhibit will be on display at the Riverbank Discovery Centre January 8th - January 19th, 2019 and a film screening will be presented in partnership with Brandon Riverbank and the Assiniboine Food Forest on January 19th, 2019. Both the display and the documentary film are productions of Strongfront TV, an Indigenous production company that works to “shape the future by reclaiming our heritage and traditions, preserving Indigenous knowledge and sharing resources with the community”. The mixed media exhibit incorporates two art commentary pieces; “Framing the Residential School Narratives through Landscapes of Resiliency” and “Reflections on Shoal Lake Water” and coincide with the stories shared in the documentary film “Urban Eclipse, Rising Tides of Kekekoziibii (Shoal Lake 40)”. Exhibit | Framing Residential School Narratives through Landscapes of Resiliency This series of photo narratives and the multidimensional window arrangements and bricks are inspired by a connection to the stories embedded in the land. The piece includes frames, photos and artifacts that share stories of six residential schools; Birtle Indian Residential School, Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School, Elkhorn Indian Residential School, Guy Hill Indian Residential School, Mackay Indian Residential School, and Spanish Indian Residential School. Each item is accompanied by tobacco ties in acknowledgement of the children taken and the parents left behind, as well as of the Survivors who walked the school’s grounds while sharing their stories. Exhibit | Reflections on Shoal Lake Water The Shoal Lake Water Story is deeply entrenched in the landscape and is reflected in this set of windows that were reclaimed from a pump house that was part of an old water intake on the Assiniboine River. The windows serve as a reminder of the local stories embedded in land and memory. Documentary Film | Urban Eclipse, Rising Tides of Kekekoziibii (Shoal Lake 40) This 77-minute documentary offers the most detailed account of the Shoal Lake Water Story, as told by the people. The film features over 100 photos and images from archives across Canada. Exhibit Hours Riverbank Discovery Centre | January 8th – 19th, 2019 | 8:30am – 5:00pm No Cost | Donations to Strongfront TV can be made at the front desk Film Screening Event Riverbank Discovery Centre | Saturday, January 19th, 2019 Doors open 1:00pm | Film begins 1:30pm | Conversation to follow No Cost | Donations kindly accepted | Concession will be available

A quick rundown of what's going on, and where, in Brandon on New Years Eve.  Plenty of available options for those looking to head out and have some fun.  Please remember "Brandon Transit is, once again, pleased to provide New Year’s Eve revellers a safe, FREE ride as they ring in the New Year at festivities across Brandon on December 31st."

The Westman Multicultural Festival (WMF) Society is pleased to announce that a new pavilion will be joining the cultural festival this year. Jamaica will be the newest country to be showcased at the 16th annual event which will be held January 31, February 1 and 2, 2019. “We’re very happy to be able to highlight Jamaica as part of the Westman Multicultural Festival. Planning for our new pavilion is well underway and while it’s somewhat nerve-wracking to host a new pavilion we have a lot of support and a lot of enthusiastic people helping to put it all together,” said Emelio Brown, President of the Westman Jamaican Community Inc. Ten pavilions will take part in the three-day festival, which is more than in the previous two years. They include England, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mauritius, Métis, Mexico, Philippines, Scotland, and Ukraine. As well, the society is more than pleased to welcome back the Mauritius pavilion after a one-year hiatus. During the past 15 years, Westman residents have become accustomed to celebrating the broad cultural diversity within our community as they visit the various host pavilions at locations throughout the city. This signature event in Brandon has become a welcome winter respite as festival goers enjoy warm friendship, food, beverages, entertainment, art and customs from around the world. Volunteers and organizers have already been planning for months to ensure they are prepared for the thousands of visitors that they will welcome to their individual pavilions. It is estimated that 26,000 - 30,000 people attend the event each year. The festival is entirely run by 100s of volunteers recruited by the various cultural societies and associations that host the pavilions. Admission to each pavilion is once again free and free bus service will also be available (including handi transit) making this a very popular, inclusive, family event. Details on the festival can be found on the website: www.gotothepavilions.com. Follow them on Twitter @wmmfest, Instagram and Facebook /wmmfest. #gotothepavilions #pavilions2019