Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition ready to showcase international rodeo circuit

Valley Agricultural Society president Matt Hoffman has already put in many long and hot hours with his small army of volunteers to be ready for this weekend’s 61st Manitoba Stampede, set to take place at the VAS fairgrounds in Morris.

“Saturday we were at the fairgrounds all day from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. working and getting stuff ready,” says Hoffman. “We’re all volunteers. An event like this takes the whole community to put together.”

The Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition has become so well-known in the rodeo community that Hoffman, who serves as a full-time CBSA officer and sees the attendees coming over the border for the event firsthand, now gets offers to help-out at the event from across Manitoba.

“It’s not only local volunteers now. We have people coming out from Winnipeg who’ve gotten in touch and they want to help and just be part of the event. Once they start, they keep coming back each year because it’s such an enjoyable experience,” said Hoffman.

Hiebert to seek third term on Steinbach council

Steinbach city council will have new members this year following the announcements that two 20-year councillors, Michael Zwaagstra and Jac Siemens will not see re-election.

That’s partly why Jake Hiebert, a two-term councillor, and the elder statesman on council has announced he will run again.

“I was looking at who was going to not run this year and what the impact would be on council,” he said.

Hiebert was first elected in 2018 and said the past eight years have gone quickly.

Crosby Mateychuk earns invite to Hockey Canada top-80 camp

Crosby Mateychuk will be battling to wear the Maple Leaf for Team Canada.

Mateychuk was one of 80 players to be invited to Hockey Canada’s U17 development camp, which is set to take place July 17-21 in Oakville, Ont.

“We are excited to unveil the top Canadian under-17 players who have earned invitations to our development camp this week, and to introduce these young players to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence,” PoE general manager Alan Millar said in a Hockey Canada news release.

“This is a very talented and exciting group that will be surrounded by world-class coaching and support staffs, and we look forward to introducing them to our program, setting the expectations for the season and preparing for the U17 World Challenge later this year.”

Siemens retires after two decades on council

The City of Steinbach will lose a veteran councillor after Jac Siemens announced he will not run again in a Thursday announcement.

Siemens is finishing his fifth term on city council, though he recalls that when he first was elected in 2006, he anticipated to be there for two terms only.

“The decision is not an easy one as I have enjoyed the last 20 years on council,” he said.

Siemens said there was no single reason for his decision to not seek a sixth term, saying family and projects that aren’t being completed all played a role.

COLUMN: Tales from the Gravel Ridge – The many gifts of music

The specific treasures that were imparted to us by our parents Cornelius Falk and Katarina Sudermann Falk throughout our lives are unique to us as a family, and irreplaceable. To my mind this was particularly so during the approximately two decades when our family lived in the community of Rosengard located on the gravel ridge, some 15 kms southwest of Steinbach. In terms of numbers, my three younger brothers, and I are now the only surviving siblings of our onetime large immediate family. Nevertheless, the heritage we received continues to grow and flourish in a variety of ways.

How could that not be the case. The lives our parents modelled were so authentic that we could not help but absorb their essence. I acknowledge that I am speaking from a personal perspective, given that it was during this time period that I developed from being a newborn to reaching young adulthood.

To my mind nevertheless, it was during this particular time that our family especially evolved as a cohesive unit. We lived on the gravel ridge, within an easy walking distance from the Rosengard School. It was here that we spent the longest time as a family unit, the older children having grown up, and returning regularly to their parental home even after they had established their own homes and families.

Some years ago Martha, the youngest member of the Block family from whom our parents purchased our Rosengard home in 1938, contacted me with the request of whether I could provide her with a photograph or some sort of a blueprint of the house in which her family had lived. I still had a vivid mental image of the floor layout of that house. I asked my older brother Mick, whom we were seeing over Christmas that year, whether he still had a recollection of that place. It was quite remarkable that both of us, some 11 years apart age wise, came up with virtually the same mental image of a floor plan. There is no doubt in my mind that our memories reflected the powerful hold that dear old house had for us. Our sense of the meaning and the value our family held for all of us, was palpable as we sketched our memories of a simple floor plan, lived in that small, humble home in the community of Rosengard.

Jersey Mike’s Subs launches in Steinbach

Jersey Mike’s Subs opened their doors in Steinbach this week, celebrating their first Manitoba location.

Regional manager Justin Fiori, a Regina native, was here to help out the latest crew, fresh from opening the chain’s Yorkton restaurant last June.

“My plan is I’m going to wear watermelon green aprons with the Roughriders logo and the Jersey Mike logo around Steinbach all day. I’ll show up and wear green because when we do the donations for the first week (for the Make-A-Wish Foundation); and I know I am going to take heat for this, but my plan is if you make a $100 donation, I’ll wear the Blue Bomber blue apron overtop for the day; five hundred, I’ll wear it for the week. It’s all for charity drive,” laughs Fiori.

Store manager Robyn Whalen, 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry and newest to the Jersey Mike team, rolls her eyes at the football analogy but agrees with the submarine warfare attitude. “What’s going to happen is we’re going to open up and everyone’s going to try a taste of us. The (other shops) will be packing up, their signs will be coming down, they’re going back out to sea. That’s the real confidence behind the Jersey Mike colors,” said Whalen with a smile.

COLUMN: Village News – Making ends meet: Now and in the future

It isn’t easy to understand how a not-for-profit museum can afford to operate a facility that includes nearly 40 acres of land, 17 heritage buildings, a substantial Village Centre and numerous other display and storage buildings. Not to mention, we prepare year-round programming that includes special events, homesteading workshops, day camps for kids, hosting over 3,000 students for school field trips and planning half a dozen community festivals in winter, spring and summer.

Just like a person’s home and their vehicle, there are many standard expenses involved in keeping the museum operating. There are utility bills every month, insurance, taxes, repair bills for equipment breakdowns and building upkeep costs to repair leaky roofs, to paint fading heritage buildings, and to renew aging buildings made of wood.

When Mennonite Heritage Village was started 62 years ago, most of the work was done by volunteers and the programming was limited to whatever was possible with donated resources of time and supplies. As the museum developed, permanent and seasonal staff became necessary to bring professional standards to the work of preserving our artifacts and buildings and to develop programs for the community’s benefit. We continue to rely on faithful volunteers to assist us with many aspects of operating a world-class museum and tourist attraction. But we require a core of permanent staff and numerous seasonal staff to plan and coordinate our events, programs and festivals which benefit our local economy and the community we serve.

So how do we pay for all of this? Fortunately, MHV can generate approximately 55 percent of its needed revenue in four ways. We sell memberships (it’s like an annual pass) and charge admission to all museum visitors. We operate the Livery Barn Restaurant seasonally, which not only enriches each visit with authentic Russian Mennonite cuisine, but also generates revenue. Village Books and Gifts and the General Store are important ways to provide souvenir opportunities for all visitors who attend, and these stores also add to museum revenue. And MHV is an attractive location for celebrations like birthday parties, anniversaries, family reunions, and weddings. Our private events department offers space for company meetings and picnics, and all these rental bookings contribute to museum revenue as well.

National fundraiser coming to Steinbach for the first time

A nation-wide walk, run, cycle fundraiser is coming to the Southeast and organizers are hoping people will join in the fun.

The Joy Smith Foundation’s Joy in Action has been cheering on walkers and runners across Canada for five years, but for the first time it’s moving from its usual Manitoba location at Bird’s Hill Park to Brandon, Selkirk, with the kick-off happening in Steinbach on July 25.

“We really want to bring that spirit of joyfulness in being able to make a difference, because even one person, an ordinary person, can really make an extraordinary difference in the fight against human trafficking,” said event director Natasha Smith, who is also one of founder Joy Smith’s daughters.

The foundation’s mandate is to help trafficked individuals find support and educate the public by raising awareness about human trafficking.

Council candidate ready for city growth

After a decade of living in Steinbach, Mitesh Kumar wants to give back by becoming a city councillor.

Kumar made the announcement of his candidacy in a Facebook post, where he shared a variety of issues he’d like to focus on.

“Steinbach is growing fast,” he said. “My vision is to respect the heritage, values that built this community while welcoming new opportunities and planning for the future.”

This is Kumar’s second attempt at winning a council seat.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow – Kinsmen projects helped meet Steinbach’s greatest needs

The wading pool has been replaced by a splash pad, the city’s swimming pool has been moved to A.D. Penner Park, and the popular downtown park next to the Jake Epp Library has been renamed in honour of a former mayor. A plaque on a stone near the entrance of E.A. Friesen Park recognized the role of the Steinbach Kinsmen in early development of this wonderful downtown green space, only part of the club’s legacy of 40 years of community service, which began in 1951.

Compiling a list of every good thing the Steinbach Kinsmen and Kinettes did in the more than four decades from their organizational meeting, Feb. 28, 1951, until the club disbanded in 1992, would be a daunting task indeed. Looking around the community, evidence of the club’s active response to community needs and participation in fundraising for community projects is everywhere.

While the Kinsmen found there was no lack of worthy causes, the task was to find those that met the Kinsmen motto “serving the community’s greatest need.”

Considerable Kinsmen support went to the Association of Community Living (later rebranded as EnVision) in Steinbach. With the Kinsmen’s help, Kindale Manor and Kindale Occupational Centre were built and the Kinsmen provided a van, which provided transportation for residents and clients of ACL.

Retail, car thieves arrested by Steinbach RCMP

RCMP have arrested three people for two retail thefts and a stolen car in Steinbach.

On July 9, at 5:40 p.m., police received a report of shoplifting at a retail store located at the 100 block on the east side of Highway 12 in the city. The caller said two men and one woman stole valuable items from the store and left in a black Ford Bronco.

Following the call, officers began looking for the car, which had been reported stolen from Winnipeg. Police found the vehicle parked at another retail store on the 100 block west side of Highway 12 in Steinbach.

Officers entered the store to look for the suspects and were told that one of the men and the woman had left the store through the back door fire exit and into the field adjacent to the store.

PHOTO GALLERY: Mitchell Fun Days were hot, hot, hot!