Whether you are planning an event, stocking up the freezer, or heading to the lake for a weekend EK Meats may just have what you're looking for. The Brandon based business launched in June of this year proving customers with an avenue to order a wide variety of frozen food products including proteins (bacon, ribs, burgers, breakfast sausage, chicken breasts) and appetizers (battered mushrooms, macaroni bites, chicken wings, spring rolls, mozza sticks, chicken fingers, & more). To order, simply visit their Facebook page to see the current week's menu for options and pricing details. Once an order has been placed (via Facebook or text) the order is then ready for pickup at their location at D-730 Richmond Ave E on Wednesday afternoon of each week.

The Blue Hills Bakery & Deli (1229 Richmond Avenue) has been creating delicious breakfasts, lunches and bakery treats in Brandon since 2006. This cozy bakery has something for everyone, from; freshly baked breads and buns, decadent desserts, to breakfast and daily lunch specials.  They use organic flour and grains wherever possible in making their hand-crafted food/baking. The breads (sourdough multigrain, whole wheat, flax, whole wheat multigrain, white) are baked fresh daily and they bake their own chicken and turkey for the daily soup and sandwich specials. They also feature two daily lunch specials like a Reuben sandwich, denver sandwich, shepherd's pie, turkey clubhouse, lasagna, grilled chicken burger and more. While their signature menu item just might be their home-made cinnamon buns, the wide-ranging soups (bacon potato chowder, beet borscht, smoked sausage, cream of mushroom, creamy chicken rice) cannot be ignored. Breakfast is served daily from Monday- Friday between 8am-11am or Sat 8am-1pm. For more information on Blue Hills Bakery & Deli, or their hours of operation and daily specials, please visit their Facebook page here.

The new Empire Inn and Suites beer vendor (5th and Rosser) recently opened to the public to walk-in customers. Manager Hamul Patel told bdnmb.ca earlier today that he expects the drive-thru area and parking lot to be paved on Tuesday, or Wednesday, of the coming week. The 3,000 sq foot vendor (1,000 sq foot cooler) currently has a selection of 100 different beer and malt coolers to choose from, with more arriving daily. The original vendor burned to the ground in May of 2018 when a fire ripped through several buildings in downtown Brandon. Hours of operation: Sunday-Thursday: 10am-midnight Friday & Saturday: 10am-2am

Regis Salon Brandon, citing unseen circumstances, will be shutting down their Shoppers Mall location effective July 28. The announcement was made on their Instagram page earlier today. The post further states that all retail items are currently buy one get one free on everything in the store.

Lois C. Henderson, a Brandon resident and author, has launched a first novel entitled ‘Harley’s Bootstraps’. This work of fiction about loneliness, connection, and survival takes place in Brandon, Twin Lakes Beach and Winnipeg, and chronicles how three young women, wounded in different ways, form friendships, and become an unlikely family. Against all odds and their own inclinations, they help one another negotiate relationships, disappointments, losses, and brave reimaginings, and emerge as strong, independent, and loving women. “Writing Harley’s Bootstraps was a rewarding process, and I’m thrilled to announce that it is now available for purchase on Amazon,” said Henderson. “Any readers with a tie to Manitoba, whether they’ve visited or call the province home, may recognize many of the characters’ locations throughout the novel.” Kirkus Reviews describes this novel as a perceptive, tender, and affirmative tale about women repairing old hurts and forging new bonds. “Henderson’s poignant narrative is engrossing and optimistic, depicting the inner lives of her characters with savvy precision. Her language is incisively descriptive. The themes of healing and forgiveness are expanded to include the redemption of even the most unlikely characters.” –Kirkus Reviews A publication by Friesen Press, hard copies of the novel can be purchased on the Friesen Press website at: https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000132614826 Digital copies can be purchased for Kindle on Amazon.ca at: https://www.amazon.ca/Harleys-Bootstraps-Lois-C-Henderson-ebook/dp/B08BW3LPBG/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lois+c.+henderson&qid=1594908531&sr=8-1 About Lois C. Henderson Lois Henderson expertly wields her life experience, from her career as a senior executive in the mining industry, volunteering in her community and agency mentorship programs, and as a mother to three daughters and four stepdaughters, to craft this first novel, Harley’s Bootstraps. Her intimate knowledge surrounding the importance and power of female relationships is evident throughout this powerful tale and convincingly informs the dominant themes of the narrative. In 2016, Ms. Henderson won a coveted, six-month Sheldon Oberman writing mentorship through the Manitoba Writer’s Guild, which allowed her to work with a successful Manitoba author. She lives in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada with her husband Dave, and her dog Archie. (submitted)