Looking for a fun and exciting way to spend a Saturday night in Brandon this summer? Why not head down to Rideau Park for an outdoor screening of the popular Walt Disney movie Zootopia courtesy of Fountain Tire and their 60th anniversary celebrations. To help celebrate their 60th anniversary Fountain Tire has partnered with Westman Dreams for Kids in Brandon for a movie night on Saturday, July the 23rd with the movie set to start at 9:30 pm. Doors will open at 6:00 pm and included in the festivities this night will be face painting, door prizes, a food truck and games. This is a free event for the whole family and guests are encouraged to provide a donation to the Westman Dreams for Kids. Rideau Park is located at 305 Park Street in Brandon, MB and year round plays host to a variety of different recreational activities including an adventure playground, the Kinsmen Pool, a water spray park, paved walking paths, and a snowboard and toboggan hill.

Part 2 of the Summer Lights Festival is set for this Thursday night with another free concert set up in Princess Park. So we decided to track down the man with the plan to get more info on the popular concert series. Summer Lights Festival Coordinator Dylan MacDonald just happens to be out east in the Middle of his summer tour with his band The Middle Coast. So we asked him how he manages the balancing act of planning a festival while he`s halfway across the country, among many things. Here`s our conversation via correspondence: Captured in an intense mid gig moment, guitarist, singer, songwriter and festival coordinator Dylan MacDonald is one busy dude this summer! (Photo submitted) FM: Your band the Middle Coast has had an incredibly busy year with tons of shows. Just how many have you played so far and how many are on the calendar for the remainder of the summer? DM: We have been busy indeed! I believe we are around the 130 mark in the last 12 months which doesn’t include travel days! We’ve already done quite a few summer festivals and we’ve got probably 8-10 still to go! FM: When and where is the next Middle Coast gig? As I write this I am in a hotel room in Charlotte Town PEI, we just played at Cavendish Beach Festival here, what a blast! FM: How do you find the time to do duties with the Summer Lights Festival? DM:We do a ton of planning together in the van when we are on the road which is great! Summer is also unique because it is mostly weekend slots due to summer festivals being the “thing to do” from May – Sept. This allows me to be in the office working all week! FM: How many years has the festival been running? DM: We did a few one off concerts in past years, however, last year was the first year the we presented a concert series! This year is also special because we are actually including a festival in addition to the series! We will still offer the 3 free concerts in Princess Park (June 16 (Valdy), July 14, August 18) but will also present a ticketed full day festival on September 10th. FM: Will there be street / food vendors in the area? DM: Absolutely! Both the Concert Series and Festival will have vendors – Looking forward to that! FM: Give us a brief overview of the festival layout in Princess park. DM: Well we of course have our fantastic artists playing on the existing Princess Park stage. We bring bleachers down for the event and we will even see our “Musicians vs. Politicians” hockey game return to 7th street adjacent to the park. Side stage we have our “Free food table” where guests can enjoy some complimentary locally made bannock and honey before slipping over to the musician merch booth to grab a record or T shirt! FM: I've heard several positive comments regarding the free Valdy concert last month. You had a chance to meet him right? What kind of a guy was he and what was the best thing you took away from your chance meeting with one of Canada's legendary musical artists? DM: Valdy was a total sweet heart and I had a blast hanging out with him while he was in town! Definitely a quirky dude! Valdy still plays 200 shows a year even at 70 years old which is amazing! He attributes his longevity and success to the fact that he simply loves playing music and doesn’t care about fame and money etc.. I think that’s important! FM: Unfortunately that first free concert in the Summer Lights Series featuring Valdy had to be moved inside due to inclement weather. Will you be using the same location for the next concerts if there is rain? DM: In the case of poor weather we will be indeed be back at McDiarmid Drive Church! FM: Tell us about the next artist set to perform this Thursday night (July 14th) for the Summer Lights Concert Series. DM: Ridley Bent is a fantastic alt country performer who I have seen a couple times now. Amazing songs, top notch musicianship and Ridley is great with a crowd! Ridley Bent recently released his fourth album entitled “Wildcard” He’ll be performing tunes from his recent CD and much more this Thursday night during his live show at Princess Park in Downtown Brandon for the Summer Lights Concert Series. Show starts at 7pm admission is free! (photo submitted) FM: As Coordinator of the Summer Lights Festival since day one, what are your hopes for this Brandon event? DM: It’s great to see more live music shows coming through Brandon and I hope this program continues to grow! FM: Thanks again for taking the time to do this Dylan! Best of luck with the remainder of your tour and enjoy the rest of your summer!! DM: Thanks Frank! It was a pleasure. Hope you have a great summer!

Well I reached a new level of actually I don't know what but if "public sleeping" is a level, I passed. Hi. My name's Caley. I'm a public sleeper. That wasn't the plan when we left the house. We went to Monster Truck Mayhem tonight, briefly, rubber boots on, hats and ear plugs, and garbage bags because those are also for raincoats. If you didn't know. Apparently the monster truck Mayhemers are into speed and air time but NOT floods and lightening . Show cancelled. 1 of us was crying. So we went to the movie theatre. To see The Secret Life of Pets. Wearing rubber boots and shorts. And hats. This is where the public sleeping happened. It was me. I did that. It was right after I ate a whole bag of cotton candy. You know the one that's the size of a "throw cushion" that you always wanted when you were a little kid but your parents wouldn't let you have it. I had that. Then I had a sleep. Hence, level "public sleeper" reached. Leaving, entering daylight, I noticed I had cotton candy melted into the front of my black jacket. Bright pink and blue sugary crystals encrusted into the front of my jacket. I don't even remember that part. What happened? Where am I? I  thought you should know.

Heads up. This is gross. Albeit fascinating. I don't like bugs actually. Well maybe ladybugs and dragonflies. Until I saw one under a macro lens, which makes you wonder why I'd have a few hundred pictures of them. And even more peculiar, why I'd order a macro lens kit for my iPhone, specifically for getting a better look at their beady little eyes and a bazillion legs and other weird parts. And most shocking of all? Hair. So much hair. And their faces. I've seen more smiling bugs in the last 2 years than I don't know what. As if there's a comparison for that. Really. Back to the hair. That's what pushes the fear factor over the edge for me. Only 2nd to their rapid and unpredictable movement. You have to hold really still, and get REALLY close to take a picture of a bug, using a macro lens. This has led to some inevitable mishaps, with a bit of screaming, and probably some surprised bugs. I do like the colors though. Especially when the bug is resting on something with complimentary colors. So if you ever wondered what a beetles feet looked like, or a caterpillars smile, wonder no more. Yours truly, Caley                

ART, POETRY, STORYTELLING AND HIP HOP SHOW COMING TO GLOBAL MARKET ON JULY 8TH 5-8PM A swarm is coming! The Beehive Design Collective and Test Their Logik will be coming to Brandon, MB. They will be combining storytelling and presentations of their most recent masterpiece, MesoAmérica Resiste! with hip-hop performances and shows by Test Their Logik. They will be travelling with giant art murals, a distro of activist art and literature, stories, songs, and experiences to share. Global Market is pleased to announce that this collaboration will be presenting and performing at the Market on July 8th, from 5 to 8pm.  The event is free and open to the public but, we will be accepting donations at the entrance that will go toward Canadian Mental Health Association Westman Region (CMHA) programs. Food and refreshments will be sold at our new Global Market Lemonade stand through the course of the evening. The Beehive is an all-volunteer swarm of educators, artists, and activists who use images to communicate and educate people about the complex realities of our times. The dizzyingly detailed, hand- drawn, large- format posters and banners they tour with are portable murals that come alive through storytelling, illuminating how single issues are interconnected and part of bigger systems. Join in as the Bees deconstruct often overwhelming global issues in an engaging and interactive presentation, using metaphors from the natural world to connect social and environmental struggles. We will kick the event off with a workshop, presented by Darius from Test Their Logik, at 5pm in the Medallion Room located at 23-12th street, attached to the Building Re-Fit Store. This workshop will have a focus on social justice issues around the world and hip hop which will be lead as a participatory and hands-on workshop for youth on the interconnections of hip hop culture. Followed after the workshop there will be a presentation of recent artwork done by artists from the Beehive Design Collective. Ending the evening with a hip hop show from Test Their Logik who is already working on their third album after recently releasing their second, “BE”. “We are really looking forward to this group coming to our community.” Says Ashley, “I first met them last year when they stopped in Brandon and was instantly inspired by their passion and beautiful yet powerful creativity. I hope that this event will bring a feeling of community or social awareness to those who attend, especially youth in this area.” Check out the event on Facebook @ Live Hip Hop, Storytelling, and Art Show To find out more about this inspiring collaboration check them out at: The Beehive Design Collective:   http://beehivecollective.org/ Test Their Logik:  http://www.testtheirlogik.com/   For more info or questions about this event please contact: Ashley Sadler Phone: 204-441-0446 Email: globalmarketkitchen@gmail.com CMHA Westman 1233 Rosser Avenue Brandon, MB R7A 0M1