COLUMN: Carillon Flashback June 8, 1967 – Treble Teens to compete in Canadian Centenary Festival

Twenty-six Steinbach girls, with voices like angels, have sung their way to centre stage of the most prestigious musical festival in Canada. The Treble Teens topped a field of nine junior choirs at the Manitoba Centenary Festival in Brandon and are now the province’s official representative for the Canadian Centenary Festival in Halifax.

The Mennonite Children’s Choir came a close second to the Steinbach choir in the junior category, while The Ukrainian Federation Choir from Winnipeg was named the best Manitoba senior choir.

The Treble Teens topped the senior choir in the marks they received, and on the basis of this, were selected as Manitoba’s top-ranking choir to compete in the national festival.

Earlier this year, the Treble Teens received an offer to go to Expo in Montreal and efforts are being made to co-ordinate an appearance there on the return trip from Halifax.

Raucous crowd wills Sea Bears to CEBL championship title

In sport one often hears of a home crowd giving so much support, motivation and inspiration to the home team that the team accomplishes something it might not have been able to do without such a boisterous crowd.

In basketball parlance that kind of a crowd is called “the sixth man on the court.” The crowd’s impact on the game was palpable.

That was certainly the case last Saturday when a record-setting crowd of 12,519 energetic fans willed their beloved Sea Bears to the club’s first ever CEBL championship title.

I’m embarrassed to admit I’m late to the Sea Bears band wagon. Having heard that the team’s home games have a tremendous atmosphere, are a great time for fans and that the quality of the basketball is superb, my first game happened to be a championship game.

Upswing in attendance at annual pilgrimage

Organizers of the 2026 annual Diocesan pilgrimage say they’ve seen an upswing in attendance and a new appreciation of the Marian devotions.

This year’s event took place on Aug. 16, beginning at the Paroisse St-Malo Parish and moving to Ava Maria Grotto.

A procession kicked off the day’s events with walker’s reciting the Rosary as they moved down the village street.

The day also included Mass in both English and French as well as lunch, confessions and Holy Hour.

Carillon Sultans dominate MJBL awards

Cedric Lagasse capped off his star-studded junior career in style, getting named the Manitoba Junior Baseball League’s most valuable player and pitcher of the year following the end of the season.

Lagasse, who is from St Adolphe, finished his career a perfect 6-0 in MJBL finals games with the Carillon Sultans. When he isn’t on the mound he takes up residence at shortstop. He’s been the MJBL’s playoff MVP for the past three seasons.

“I was pretty surprised, honestly,” Lagasse said with a chuckle when asked about the league MVP award.

“I had a good year throwing, I thought I needed my hitting, but I guess my pitching did the job for me this year.”

Steinbach theatre community embracing innovative storytelling

A new type of theatre experience will be offered by local writer and actor Scot Moir who will be giving a performance of his original Suddenly Another Fish, a live storytelling event to be held at the Steinbach Cultural Arts Centre Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.

“A live storytelling show is different from traditional theatre,” said Moir. “Both audience and storyteller don’t know exactly what’s going to happen on stage until the yarn is being spun, right then and there, live in the room.”

Moir’s use of local guitarist Dima Schevchenko in his production, creating improvised music in the moment based on the emotional interaction spontaneously happening between the participants during the event, emphasizes this unique live storytelling dynamic.

Schevchenko has established himself in Steinbach as a talented musician and popular performer through other Looking Glass productions such last year’s The Community Talent Show and will create a vibrant element to the storytelling experience.

Small but dedicated group of participants ‘swim’ out for revamped Peace Trek

It was a differnt look for the fifth annual Peace Trek at Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) on Aug. 15, but organizers say they were pleased with the small group and the money raised.

The event is a fundraiser hosted by MHV to support Eden Foundation, an organization which funds Eden Health Care Services, dedicated to addressing mental health and wellness in communities across southern Manitoba.

“We are proud of our long-standing association with Eden, and even though summer is a very busy time for us, we will continue to find ways to make this event more visible and accessible to keep Eden’s programs running,” said MHV executive director Robert Goertzen.

Eden Foundation marketing and events manager Tyson Deceuninck, who made a point of visiting with each of the participants during the walk reported that while registration was down slightly this year, most likely due to weather and other summer obligations, 24 people registered for the trek and more than $6,000 dollars to date had been raised for the organization.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Full house at Friedensfeld salutes Steinbach’s first vet

Four hundred people attended a special banquet in 1988 to honour the area’s first veterinarian, who retired after 31 years of continuous practice.

Speaker after speaker described the many contributions Dr. Steve Sonya made to the agricultural industry in the Southeast, both in private practice and as a driving force behind establishment of the South East Veterinary Clinic in 1973.

Sonya and wife Hilja received presentations from representatives of the hog, dairy and beef producers, as well as a spokesman for several pharmaceutical firms. He was also awarded The Carillon community service plaque by publisher Eugene Derksen, a longtime friend.

Dr. Jack McPhedran, director of the province’s veterinary services branch, said Sonya established Manitoba’s finest clinic at the lowest cost, 15 years ago, when half a dozen clinics were built using abandoned air force buildings. Clinics were established at Vita and St Pierre the same year.

Senior Carillon Sultans drop hard-fought semi-final

The Carillon Sultans just barely missed out on a finals appearance in the Winnipeg Senior Baseball League.

The Sultans dropped back-to-back games in narrow fashion after taking a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three semi-final series against Elmwood.

Carillon had great chances to win both games they lost, taking a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the second and a 9-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth during game two, only for the Giants to storm back with an an eight-run top of the fifth to clinch a win.

The Sultans also took a lead into extra innings during game three, but a two-out, bases loaded single scored a pair for Elmwood to win the series in walk-off fashion.

Prescribed burn association holds first independent burn this spring, looking for members

It’s been two years since the Stuartburn Prescribed Burn Association was formed and this spring its members had their first independent burn.

“We were super excited,” said president Laura Reeves with a big smile.

The small two-acre burn was used as a way to get people comfortable with not only the procedures involved in a prescribed burn, but with fire itself.

“They’ve been trained, but they’ve never put a fire down before. So, it’s small enough that we could kind of overcome some people’s fear of fire, make it safe, and it worked out really well.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Hanover Ag Fair

Hanover Ag Fair 2026 - 80 years

COLUMN: Village News – A hard road to a new life

For Mennonite immigrants leaving Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union for Canada, the journey to Manitoba was far more than a trip across continents. It was a difficult and often dangerous ordeal marked by uncertainty, medical inspections, and the constant risk of family separation. While the promise of freedom and opportunity drew thousands westward, many discovered that reaching Canada required overcoming formidable obstacles long before they arrived on the Prairies.

Before departure, emigrants underwent medical examinations intended to determine whether they were fit for immigration. These inspections continued throughout the journey, and anyone who failed could be detained until they recovered or, in some cases, prevented from continuing altogether. Families lived with the fear that illness, injury, or disability might separate them from loved ones and derail their hopes for a new beginning.

The journey itself often increased the risk of illness. Migrants spent weeks in crowded accommodations, ports, and ships where ventilation was poor and sanitation limited. Seasickness was common, leaving many passengers weakened and vulnerable. Under such conditions, diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery could spread rapidly. Children were especially at risk, and parents worried constantly about their health and safety during the long voyage.

One of the most challenging stops along the route was Atlantic Park in Eastleigh, near Southampton, England. Migrants who failed medical inspections were often held there in medical detention while awaiting treatment or further assessment. Some remained only a short time, while others faced delays lasting months or even years. Births and deaths occurred as families anxiously awaited permission to continue their journey, unsure of what the future would bring.