Ukrainians are proud of their culture and heritage and love to share their customs with others. Being hospitable to a Ukrainian means sharing food and drink, singing, dancing and presenting gifts. That is why the Ukrainian Pavilion is the perfect place for Ukrainians to share their culture with the entire community.   The Ukrainian Pavilion has been part of the Westman Multicultural Festival (formerly the Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival) since the inception of the event. This year, the Brandon Troyanda School of Ukrainian Dance is proud to have been handed over the reins (so to speak!) from the Ukrainian Catholic Men’s Club and Ukrainian Catholic Ladies League to organize and run the pavilion. As a result, a few things may look a little different for those who have visited our pavilion before, but the same warm and friendly hospitality still exists!   The pavilion will be full of energy with continuous entertainment. The traditional dancing will feature more than six regions of Ukraine and will showcase a variety of costumes with intricate details related to the specific regions. There will be 85 dancers that hit the stage! We will also have live Ukrainian music and singing. Guests are encouraged to dance - so be sure to bring a partner to the dance floor for a polka! In addition, Troika Treasures will have a lovely display of souvenirs, jewellery, art, etc. including beautiful psyanky (decorated eggs).   Our menu will feature delicious, customary food and will include favourites such as perogies, borscht (beet soup) and holubsti (cabbage rolls). This year, we are re-introducing a traditional dessert called Khrustyky, known in english as Sweet Nothings.   We will also have vodka (and beer) imported from Ukraine for our guests to sample, as it is customary in Ukraine to toast with vodka. “Za vashe zdorovya” - a toast to your health!   To end the event and wrap up the festival, the band will play a kolomyjka - a continuous grand finale of fast, lively music for everyone to enjoy. The good times don’t stop until the music does!   For details on time and location, visit: gotothepavilions.com     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2017 - Inspired by Canada's sesquicentennial celebration, the Coalition for Music Education will commemorate Canada's musical heritage with a new Music Monday anthem that celebrates the unifying power of music. Commissioned by the Coalition for Music Education, the new anthem is co-written by award-winning songwriters Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas. Entitled Sing It Together, the new anthem unveiled today is available in various languages and arrangements to be used in this year's Music Monday celebration. Music Monday takes place Monday, May 1, 2017 in cities across the country, anchored by a showcase event in Ottawa, ON. Over the past 12 years, millions of voices have joined together on Music Monday to raise awareness about the value of learning music for children and youth in our schools and communities," says Holly Nimmons, Executive Director, Coalition for Music Education in Canada. "Music lives in every community of our country. It's like a heartbeat across our nation, connecting music makers of all generations and backgrounds. What better way to celebrate the country's 150th year than with a coast-to-coast-to-coast event that unites us as we 'Sing It Together'?"   The 2017 Music Monday sing-along will be led by a live-streamed national showcase concert from our nation's capital in Ottawa, in recognition of the sesquicentennial year. It will also continue last year's #MMC2C2C initiative with a day-long webcast of videos from music programs. This year, the webcast includes the northern coast-line that is home to many indigenous people.   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});   Sing It Together is a collaboration between JUNO award winning, veteran songwriters Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas. Jordan is a singer-songwriter, producer, actor who is Songwriter Chair at the Slaight Family Music Lab, Canadian Film Centre. His songs have been on 35 million CDs, and he has written many hit songs for international artists such as Rod Stewart (currently writing with Stewart for his next album) and Amanda Marshall (Fall From Grace). Co-writer Ian Thomas has many Top 20 records, written for international artists, composed for 22 feature films and been honored witha JUNO Award, four SOCAN classic awards (including 2014 National Achievement Award for excellence in songwriting), and a UNICEF Humanitarian Award.   Focusing on the power of voices, Sing It Together asks us to sing for joy, for truth, for healing and for freedom. The recording and video feature Inuit throat singing, Métis fiddling, indigenous drumming, and children's choirs in celebration of Canadian musical heritages. Creating Sing It Together was a journey of discovery and the songwriters encourage music makers to continue this discovery where music lives in their schools and communities "Music is the landscape of Canada," explains Marc Jordan. "We hope it will be a song that illuminates the mosaic of music and cultures that thrive in every corner of the country". Sing It Together was recorded at Canterbury Music and includes highly-respected, experienced Canadian musicians. It also features Youth4Music musicians and advocates who are part of a national network of youth leaders. Youth4Music promotes the importance of learning, creating, making and valuing music in Canada. Visitors to the Music Monday website (www.musicmonday.ca) can view the video of the original recording of Sing It Together, download music and lyrics, and register to add their voice in the annual celebration.   Those wishing to participate in Music Monday 2017 are invited to visit www.musicmonday.ca for more information and to find ways to get involved, such as learning "Sing It Together" to join in the nationwide sing-along, creating a school or community event, or submitting a video to be included in the nationwide #MMC2C2C webcast on Music Monday. Videos must be from within Canada and relate to Canadian schools, music groups, businesses or community programs. Preference will be given to performances of Canadian music.   Music Monday is made possible with the generous support of the Government of Canada, TD Bank Group, and the NAMM Foundation as well as Titanium level support from Yamaha Canada Music Inc., Long and McQuad and all of our partner organizations. For a full list of sponsors please visit:   JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #MMC2C Twitter: @musicmakesus_ca Instagram: @musicmakesus_ca Facebook: www.facebook.com/MusicMakesUs.ca

January 26, 27, 28 of 2017 will see the 14th consecutive running of the Irish Pavilion for the Westman Multicultural Festival. The Irish Society of Western Manitoba has gathered approximately 100 volunteers to contribute to a high energy, continuous and entertaining display of Irish culture. Located at the Royal Oak Inn and Suites on Victoria Avenue, you'll have plenty to eat: Irish Stew, barmbrack, soda bread, scones, short bread cookies and more. Come see the musical acts we have to offer, seven different acts in all: Tom Foolery, Seamus Ojibway, Shameless Folk, Tame Fox, MNM, Cribreagh and more. Lots of great fiddle players on tap! Also on tap, let us pour you a drink from one! Guinness, Kilkenny, Harp and other beer. Bush Mills, Jameson whiskeys, Irish Coffee and other types of "The Drink" available. While you enjoy a beverage, browse a wide selection of Irish souvenirs at Mr. Osborne's shop "A Little Bit of Ireland". And let's not forget the world class and world traveling McConnell School of Dance. This group was the only Canadian Irish Dance troupe to be invited to Ireland for "Gathering 2013", a Ireland-wide homecoming event, where they toured and performed. Whether competing in Pennsylvania or performing in Peru, this group of Winnipeg and Brandon dancers will wow the audience with fancy costumes and fancier steps. Our venue is family friendly! Bring a group of friends and help us help the community while celebrating Irish culture. All proceeds donated back to worthy local causes. Please see irishsocietyofwm.org for more details.  

When do you think I took these pictures? If you said "not today Caley" you'd be correct. I'll tell you what did happen today. Ok yesterday or the day before. I finally got stuck.  In the snow. In my car. And it was -50 with the  windchill. Where? At the cemetery. Unbelievable. You'd be surprised how well you can dig with an ice scraper. I don't know what was worse actually. The people watching me from the street (who go straight to work like normal humans thereby avoiding getting stuck in the cemetery) or my frozen hands. It hurt. So. BAD. Who drives through the cemetery on a Wednesday morning, in semi-blizzard conditions when there's a severe cold warning issued? Me. The girl who wanted to see the big orange sun, glowing through the ice fog and evergreens. Which happen to be conveniently located in the cemetery. Great big beautiful evergreens. On the way to work. I will no longer secretly mock other drivers, shake my head in smug "bad driver disapproval", or drive through a cemetery in winter on the coldest day of the year on my way to work. Until I have a 4x4. Here's a few summer pictures to enjoy, and a few winter ones to bring back a touch of reality. Even though it's cold, the sights to see are just as beautiful as the summer. Ok not quite.                                                      

Visitors to western Manitoba have come to recognize our region as one with many great attractions to visit. But organizers of the upcoming Valley Paradise Weekend Retreat (January 27-29) want people to know that we aren’t just home to great scenery, we’re also reach in hand on activities for an enriched visitor experience. Marlies Soltys, the curator of the Inspire Studio of Fine Art had the idea for a women’s weekend retreat here in Minnedosa which combines art, cuisine, yoga and an invigorating three days that focuses on women’s health and wellness. Partnering with Allison Burgess of the Corner Stone Grill, Heidi Rae Yogini Lifestyle and Kim Burgess from Valley Art Therapy, the quartet has assembled a weekend with plenty of activities to explore your creative side and treat your taste buds. The program is an example of an emerging trend in rural tourism, focusing on the visitor experience instead of the passive approach of simply marketing a destination. Increasingly, travelers are looking for an authentic experience that allows them to try their hand at a local custom and discover talents that they didn’t know they had. This new approach to visitation not only invites new people to the region, but also sends them home with a souvenir that they have created themselves. Eastman Tourism offers a slate of four programs of a similar nature. One, called “Jammin’ in the Heartland” invites guests for a weekend to pick berries in Grunthal in the morning and then turn your yield into jam in the afternoon that you can take home or enjoy on site. Other sessions include snowmobiling adventures, a paddling safari and a forest excursion through Bird’s Hill Park. Given our geography in Minnedosa, Soltys feels that there is a lot of potential to develop a similar package of activities for those that are interested to fully experience what the valley has to offer. For the Valley Paradise Retreat, the weekend begins on Friday evening with a wine and cheese reception at the Inspire Studio which will include a music appreciation “sound circle”. Saturday begins with a morning yoga session with Heidi Rae followed by a group art therapy session led by Kim Burgess. The afternoon includes an art class sponsored by Inspire Studio and the evening begins in the kitchen as Corner Stone Grill chef Allison Burgess leads the group in the creation of artisanal pizzas for supper. Sunday morning will include more activities hosted at the Inspire Studio with breakfast wraps and mimosas for all patrons. There will also be some open time throughout the weekend for patrons looking to engage in some retail therapy in downtown Minnedosa. “What we really want is for ladies to allow themselves the gift of time,” says Soltys. “Come for the weekend, and just let yourself be creative and explore new talents.” For more information or to register, interested attendees can contact Marlies at 204-210-1993 or by e-mail at inspirestudiooffineart@gmail.com   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});