The cold took care of the crowds, so all the kids had to worry about was staying warm and having fun. Bottineau Winter Park is just 150 kms south of Brandon, and only about 7 miles over the US/Canadian Border. My kids jumped at the chance to try a new destination even though they are regular customers and big fans of both Minnedosa and Assessippi ski areas. We were lured to Bottineau by their school break deal for Canadians. They are offering ski and snowboard passes and rentals, from January 2nd to 6th, for Canadian cash (no debit cards/credit cards.) In total, we paid $100 Canadian for 1 adult, 1 youth and 1 child's pass, plus one set of rentals. (Food and drinks are not available for Canadian at par) for the full day. The facilities themselves are fantastic. Lots of parking, a modern lodge, great equipment and well groomed runs. In addition to skiing and snowboarding they also offer tubing. Tube rentals are hourly. There is a magic carpet type lift that will pull you back up to the lodge area and it also serves the bunny hill. There are typical chair lifts and tow bars in the other areas. Plus, there is a designated terrain area for snowboarders. It has two rails, beginner to advanced jumps and was lots of fun. The ski hill itself is suitable for beginners, children and nervous skiers. In other words, perfect for prairie people. Kids raised in the Alberta mountains would not be challenged or satisfied with the short runs and limited elevation. My teen son, Riley, particularly liked the tree lined run that was in between the two main runs by the chair lift. The grader doesn't go down that stretch which left him with great powder and loose snow to blow through on a snowboard. He reports that the runs to the right of the chairlift are more advanced and offer a steeper decline and more of a challenge. The staff were really good and were especially helpful to our youngest son. Staff were interested and engaged, offering tips and asking about him and the equipment throughout the day. Riley was disappointed that his GoPro failed in the frigid temperatures. Otherwise we'd have video to share. Overall, he gives Bottineau Winter Park 4.5 out of 5 stars and would definitely recommend it and go back at that price. You can visit their website for more photos and details. http://skibwp.com          

List of some of the Top Local Stories that we at bdnmb.ca would like to cover in 2017. In no particular order. WestJet Re-Introduces Flights East to Toronto Casino Announced for Downtown Brandon: The Town Centre Micro Brewery Tapped to Occupy Vacant McKenzie Seeds Building Nolan Patrick Selected 1st Overall in NHL Entry Draft You Gotta Eat Here Coming to Joe Beeverz Low Income Residents Find Safe Affordable Housing Food Trucks Re-Energize Local Food Scene ACC/BU Students Graduate in Record Numbers Brandon Drivers Look-up “Merge” in the Dictionary Construction Begins on the Swiss Chalet, Harvey's, East Side Mario's & Fionn MaCool's Restaurants

If you're looking for the best Christmas Light display in Brandon then you owe it to yourself to check out the impressive light and sound show at 239 Princess Ave E. Homeowner, Jason Cross and family, are responsible for this iconic light show, which features 1,776 lights synchronized to some rocking Christmas tunes coming through your very own car radio (104.1 FM). Most of the lights are individually controllable, meaning they have 5,161 channels of lighting to play with. This is the fifth year the Cross family have done a display and they have built it up slowly, over the years, usually adding only one or two new elements per year. This is their first year doing "singing elements" where they have characters (singing light-bulbs) that actually mouth the words to the songs that are playing. He estimates that when you watch one of his four minute songs that it has likely taken at least 40 hours of sequencing (programming) to make it all work. They use specialized software, and program the entire show, one bulb at a time to do whatever they want. Currently they have 2 songs in the show... but are hoping to finish a third one before Christmas. Jason tells BDNMB.CA that he got interested in completing a project like this after “a friend shared a post on Facebook about 6 years ago with the singing pumpkin faces from the states. I saw that and thought it was something I could do, so I spent months researching and making friends on internet forums”. This year alone he figures spending 10 hours per singing light-bulb to cut, drill, push 230 little bulbs through the holes, wire and test. With his experience in tackling these types of projects Jason is now part of a fast growing community of enthusiasts, and hobbiests, that share their knowledge and skills to help people all over the world get into the Christmas lighting spirit. Although they do not have a donation collection box the family does something receive the odd donation in Christmas cards from visitors and all donation received go to Muscular Dystrophy. The Cross' son, Cayden, is turning four and both Cayden, and his mother, suffer from Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy so it is close to their hearts. Show Times: Sunday-Thursday: 5pm until 10pm Friday-Saturday: 5pm until 11pm Show Dates: Dec 2 2016 through Jan 6 2017 Songs: 12 Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser Disco Santa by the Village People Tune your radio to 104.1FM to listen. www.crosslights.ca

You'll find another hidden gem, just west of Precision Toyota. An adorable Christmas village display sits just in front of Westbran Training Centre and guides the way to Brandon's outdoor skating oval. So which is the hidden gem? Truly, all three. The village is crafted and set up on-site at Westbran Training Centre. It's located at 2005 McGregor Avenue. (Turn at Precision Toyota and drive to the end of the road.) The village consists of a model train, a general store, a church and a log cabin. It's really well done and definitely photo worthy. Secondly, Westbran Training Centre is a government funded site that offers employment counseling, training and one-on-one skill development services. There are drop in hours Tuesday to Thursday evenings. All services are free of charge. It's a division of WEM (Workplace Education Manitoba). http://www.wem.mb.ca/west_centre_brandon.aspx Thirdly, the skating oval. It's a city-operated, free site where families can ice skate outdoors. There is a warming hut where you can put your skates on and even a port-a-potty on site. The skating oval is lined with Christmas lights and displays are sponsored by Manitoba Hydro. All three are worth your time and contribute added value in our community.