Planning a day trip doesn't always mean having to drive long distances or spending a ton of money. The next time you have a free day consider hopping in your car for a day trip to Eternal Springs, located approximately 50 minutes from Brandon. Eternal Springs, maintained by local volunteers, is located roughly 8 miles east of Virden and features 2 smaller stocked trout ponds, hiking trails, BBQ pits, a 66 ft swinging bridge and picnic tables. It's an ideal place to head out for a walk and explore some new hiking trails. Heading home once the hiking and exploring has been completed, you can always head over to Oak Lake (Dandy Drive Inn) for some classic drive-inn food. Word of caution, Eternal Springs is not the easiest place in world to find, so set your GPS before you leave the house. Directions: Take Hwy 254, 6.5km north of Oak Lake, then 1.5km west, 1.5km north and 4.5km west. There is a sign on the left side of the road "Eternal Springs". Drive into the park site which is @ 400meters Latitude: 49°50'8.2" (49.8356°) north Longitude: 100°43'15.2" (100.7209°) west Elevation: 396 meters (1,299 feet)

It appears as though a local realty company in Brandon, Century 21 Westman.com LTD are positioned to make a move into a new address of their own. A sign recently posted at 2915 Victoria Avenue indicates that the building is to be the future home of Century 21 Westman.com LTD. The location previously had been the home for the West-Man Dental Group, prior to their move down the street to 2425 Victoria Ave. Century 21 offices currently reside at 244-10th Street.

BRANDON, MB – Westoba Cred it Union announced to day it is closing its branch at 10th Street and Princess in Brandon, leaving it with three branches in the city and paving the way for additional online and alternative services for it s members. “Westoba is evolving along with the needs of our members,” says Westoba Board of Directors Chair Jim Abernethy. “Members tell us they want more online and alternative services, as well as more guidance to make better financial decisions. The money we save by closing one branch will allow us to invest in technology and staff development.” The 10th Street and Princess branch is slated to close this November, and the building will be sold. Westoba will still have a strong presence in downtown Brandon, with more than 80 employees continuing to work at its corporate office. ATM services will also continue downtown. The current staff at the 10th Street and Princess branch will be deployed to other branches or areas of operation to support member service delivery i n the Brandon area over the short-term. Ultimately, the Westoba workforce will be reduced by between seven and nine full-time positions as a result o f the changes, with some of the reductions being achieved through attrition. “We are becoming a more nimble credit union —adapting quickly to the changing needs of members and doing business the way they want,” says Westoba CEO Jim Rediger. “Across the financial industries sector, the way people bank is changing. There is increased pressure for more digital channels. We’re committed to meeting member needs by providing mo re convenient services and flexible options, while continuing to build strong long-term relationships through excellent service and quality financial advice.”

Spring is often a popular time for home owners to freshen up their space with a renovation project. An easy way to update a room (or the entire house) is upgrade your window treatments. Budget Blinds Owner, Sue Swarbrick, said that smart home automation is definitely the trend this season in the blind and drapery industry. “Motorized blinds are becoming more and more popular. They are especially helpful for hard to reach windows or when you have a lot of windows. It’s just such an easy way to control the natural light in your home,” said Sue. Budget Blinds uses the the Somfy® motorization system, which is available in all types of blinds and is one of the leading systems on the market with the best warranty in the industry. Sue said that while it may seem like it’s more of a luxury item, many people often regret not getting them. “People were used to having mini blinds, verticals or vinyl roller shades that you got 30 years out of for a relatively inexpensive price. So the concept of motorized blinds is still fairly new, but we have clients telling us all the time ‘I wish I had motorized them’.

Local business owner Jamie Willey, of Studio 78 Photography, felt the next way to expand her business was to get into the print business.To some, you would think that magazines and papers were becoming somewhat extinct.  But Willey feels Mint Magazine will be a publication people will hang on to for weeks and months.  “the quality of the magazine is second to none with top end photography, writing, design and layout, plus paper quality” Currently Mint Magazine is now based in Kelowna and satellite publications in Revelstoke and Penticton BC. “ Salons, Café’s, Retailers, Gyms, Restaurants, and Real Estate will see some huge benefit’s to their business when we produce a story on their business.  This will be more than just an ad in the paper or magazine but rather we want to give the public a much more in depth look into that business” We asked Jamie what are some of the numbers involved.  Right now the idea is to hand deliver the magazine to certain areas of the city and have the magazines available at retail locations for no charge.  “ Local hockey teams will be able to have a fundraiser by dropping the magazines off for us”. http://www.mintmagazine.ca/