U18 Sultans have high expectations despite departures

The Carillon Sultans 18U AAA season is well underway, as the team looks to rebound after several college players graduated last season.

Burke Heide is the new head coach for the age group, and said he expects little step-back, as the Sultans program continues to produce quality ball players to replace outgoing stars.

“They’re excited to get going, and they were definitely excited to get their first win,” Heide said after a 6-0 victory over Interlake at A.D. Penner Park June 7.

“We lost a strong group of hitters for sure, but the guys that are moving into the senior position are all strong players as well. We have a strong group of 15U kids coming up that will fill those roles as they get more comfortable.”

Free tuition creates opportunity at Providence

Providence University College is opening the door to a post secondary education for students raised in Manitoba’s Child and Family Services care through a new program that waives tuition and gives personal support.

In an act of initiative that will benefit kids in care, it was a student who first told Providence financial aid administrator Holley Ammerman about the Futures Forward program. The first recipient will be chosen next week.

“It’s an opportunity that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Ammerman from the Otterburne campus.

“And maybe one thing that’s important for Providence to have this is because we aren’t a public university, there are limitations in what we can offer financially as opposed to a publicly funded university.

Piney, Lac du Bonnet criticize the lack of cell coverage during wildfires

The RMs of Piney and Lac du Bonnet criticized cell service providers for failing to provide proper coverage during the wildfires that swept their municipalities in May and are still burning.

“The cell phone coverage is a very sensitive issue in our neck of the woods,” said Coun. Mark Bernard. “In the RM of Piney, we lack service in many of our communities. There’s Sprague, South Junction, Vassar just to name a few and of course it’s very spotty even in Woodridge, Badger, and Carrick – it’s very spotty. It causes a lot of grief for security, for safety also for communication for outside the community.”

Although the fire in Piney is now classified as being held, when it was out of control, firefighters and other emergency personnel would have difficulty communicating with their cell phones. Luckily, the RM had just upgraded its radio system that was used by fire services battling the blaze.

Bernard said the RM wants to send out alerts to residents when there is a fire and evacuation order is given, but because of “poor or non-existent cell coverage” it makes it impossible to do so.

Low air quality puts halt on MHSAA track championships

Smoke and storms wrecked havoc on the sports schedule across Manitoba last weekend, including in the Southeast.

The highest-profile event cancelled was the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association track and field provincial championships. Athletes from across the province were set to compete at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg June 5-7, before two consecutive days of poor air quality due to wildfire smoke caused organizers to cancel the event outright.

Executive director of the MHSAA Chad Falk said with the short time left in the school year and the impossible logistics of re-organizing an event with more than 1,500 athletes, simply postponing provincials wasn’t a possibility.

“The nature of the event and how many athletes, the unique venue, access to officials, access to venues, kids travelling from across the province, it was just impossible to look at finding a way to reschedule it,” Falk said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press.

Summer in the City results in Steinbach street closures

Steinbach’s biggest street festival will result in changes in motorists’ ability to get around once again this year.

In a press release, the City of Steinbach outlined the planned changes.

From Thursday to Sunday, parts of Main Street, Reimer Avenue and Lumber Avenue will close at various times.

The longest road closure takes place on Reimer Avenue from First Street to Elmdale Street. It will close at 7 a.m. on Thursday and reopen at midnight on Sunday.

Cultures in the City returns with new cultures

The Globe and Mail once described Steinbach as a “hot bed” for immigration in Canada and a model of integration. Nothing could be a better example of that than Cultures in the City, which premieres during Summer in the City.

“I actually think that cultures in the city is something that people really look forward to with the festival,” said Tessa Masi, spokesperson for Cultures in the City. “Having the opportunity to grab cultural food while sitting and watching some dancers or listening to music is just a really unique experience, and it’s helping us to see how Steinbach continues to grow in a multicultural way.”

There will be 17 different cultural acts this year, some returning and some new to the Steinbach stage. New this year is a Scandinavian dance group, a Ukrainian singing group, and Peruvian dance group the Inka Warriors.

“The culture performers turnover every half hour or 45 minutes, so if you come and you sit at the stage area for two hours you would see multiple groups in that time,” said Masi.

Artists in the City brings young fiddlers to town

Every year, Artists in the City is one of the many draws for Steinbach’s Summer in the City extravaganza. New this year is the introduction of young fiddlers to the stage.

“We feel like this is a great opportunity for the kids to show their talents and be able to showcase them this way,” said Mallory Stang, facility and community programs assistant.

About 20 artists are participating this year in workshops, activities, and demonstrations. Visitors can check out creative nail art, wood burning, theatre workshops, puppet shows, acrylic painting workshop, Métis finger weaving, wizard wand making, and a dreamcatcher workshop, among other activities and demonstrations.

“I think it’s a great way to show the community talent that we have around Steinbach and surrounding areas. And it gives different age groups (the chance) to showcase…their talents and abilities and to get the community involved with us,” said Stang.

U18 AAA Selects moving back to Steinbach

The Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach continues to attract major tenants, as the Eastman Selects male U18 AAA team will be based out of the new arena moving forward.

The U18 team had been in Steinbach until the then-named Beausejour Blades of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League moved to the community in 2009. The U18 team moved to Beausejour when the junior A team took up residence in the now-demolished Centennial Arena.

Rachel Antymis has worked as the team’s manager since she was 19 and has been involved with the program for nearly a decade. She said the Selects hope to grow their fanbase with the move to Steinbach, noting most of the players now come from the southern part of their region.

“Ten years ago, we had tons of North boys, but it’s kind of shifted,” Antymis said.

La Coulee resident named ambassador for Manitoba Possible

La Coulee resident Meagan Pedneault has been named one of three ambassadors for Manitoba Possible, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities.

“I’m really excited it’s a really unique opportunity. Manitoba Possible has been a huge part of my life growing up especially when I was transitioning from childhood to adulthood. So, it’s really a cool experience to be able to give back and help make our communities be more accessible,” said Pedneault.

In her role she will advocate for inclusivity and accessibility for the disabled.

A Steinbach native, Pedneault was born with a rare genetic disease that causes her bones to break easily called osteogenesis imperfecta. The condition has caused her to break at least 80 bones during her lifetime from doing something as simple as walking and losing her footing. Although she has this condition and is wheelchair bound, it doesn’t stop her from living her life.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: June 5

Featuring photos from a Winnipeg Senior Baseball League game in Steinbach May 27 and the softball/baseball Manitoba High School Athletic Association provincial championships in Stonewall.

With STARS on their minds

Rescue on the River saw three participants raise $50,000 each for STARS operations. In total, STARS raised $300,000 during the event and a fundraising gala later that evening.

Looking Glass Theatre announces next season

Live theatre is returning to Steinbach for another year, thanks to Looking Glass Theatre.

The professional theatre company announced three shows that will run over the 2025/26 season with a mix of styles designed to appeal to a wide audience from co-artistic directors Marc A. Moir and Laura Kathleen Turner.

A Christmas Carol

The season will start in December with A Christmas Carol, rated family friendly, taking to the stage.