Steinbach Pistons roster features massive turnover once again

In what’s becoming a regular occurrence, the Steinbach Pistons have nearly a whole new crop of players set to take the ice for them this season.

Just eight players are returning to the squad from last year, where they finished with the second-highest record in the league.

With such a fresh roster, head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said the Pistons are a “work in progress,” noting this was the first time he’s only had a single-digit number of returnees.

“It takes time,” he said after a team event Sept. 15.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Sept 10th edition

Featuring pre-season football in Springfield and pre-season hockey in Steinbach.

New candidate enters Ward 1 election for Hanover school board

Paul Lavin has thrown his hat into the ring for trustee of Ward 1, going up against incumbent Jeff Friesen.

“I’m just a regular guy who wants to see the division succeed,” he said.

Lavin is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. He grew up just outside of Chicago, but spent most of his adult years in Atlanta and Tennessee. He met his wife Jennifer, a Niverville native, in the United States and as their son Cooper got older, the couple decided to move to Canada to raise him. He has spent 14 years in Niverville and is an IT professional, and worked in the Hanover School Division for 10 years in its IT department.

After Hanover, he moved to the Seine River School Division to work as an IT specialist in order to further his career.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: K.R. Barkman Centennial Citizen of the Week

Former Mayor K.R. Barkman was named by The Carillon as the newspaper’s first Centennial Citizen of the Week in January of 1967, for his contribution to the early development of the Town of Steinbach.

Before Barkman became Steinbach’s first mayor in 1947, its affairs were run by a board under the municipality. Actually, he was elected by acclamation in the fall of 1946, but didn’t take up his duties until the new year.

For a while, the new town council set up office in a part of the old credit union building. Later, part of the Goossen block on Friesen Avenue was rented. In these inauspicious surroundings, Barkman led the formation of a new system of town administration.

Born and educated in Steinbach, he also attended the Mennonite Collegiate Institute, but Barkman claimed Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, was the place where he really got the education he needed for his position as mayor of a town. Barkman and his wife, the former Maria Fast of Steinbach, made their home at Foam Lake for 23 years, and for 18 of these years, Barkman served on the town council there.

MJHL tweaks playoff semi-finals format

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is changing the road to the Turnbull Cup.

The broad strokes will still be the same, with the top four teams in the East and West conferences still playing a divisional-based quarterfinals, leading to a seeded semi-finals and finals.

The change comes in the semi-finals. Division winners will automatically be ranked first and second when it comes to seeding the semi-finals this season.

Last year Virden was the top seed in the West Division but had to play without home ice advantage in the semi-finals, taking on Steinbach, which finished with 96 points, 13 ahead of the Oil Capitals, despite placing second in the East.

Changes coming to Pistons, MJHL broadcasts

Fans who catch Dave Anthony’s Steinbach Pistons broadcasts will have a new and easier way to listen to them this season.

Anthony will be broadcasting the audio streams for all Pistons games to a YouTube page, (@DABroadcasting). For the past few seasons, Pistons audio broadcasts were available on the Mixlr platform. Game broadcasts with video are available at FloHockey.com, which has an expensive yearly subscription.

“The big reason behind the change was giving Pistons fans an option for when we’re on the road,” Anthony told The Carillon.

“It won’t be video, it will only be audio but it’s easier to sync up to FloHockey. It’s also still free, so no worries there. As broadcasts around the Manitoba Junior Hockey League move forward, a home/away option is important in my opinion, especially when paying for streaming of games.”

COLUMN: Tales from the Gravel Ridge – The joy of the garden

A few short months ago, leaves began to sprout with glorious abandon from every deciduous tree and shrub in our part of the world. As in other years, we welcomed the beauty and magnificence of this canopy of every shade of green erupting before our very eyes, thankful that the long cold months of winter were fast becoming a faint memory.

Living as we do in the northern hemisphere, this wonderful umbrella of flourishing foliage which has been a delight for all of us throughout spring and summer is slowly but inexorably beginning to hint of another seasonal change coming our way. At first it may be a small leaf or two from one of our amur maple trees falling to the ground that caught our attention. We can’t ignore these changes for long, because every time we take a walk through the freshly accumulated ground cover underneath our feet, the rustling sound becomes more and more apparent. The changing colours of these rustling leaves have, of course, not escaped our notice either.

We might also have observed the slightly changed behaviour of birds and squirrels that make their homes in our backyard. They might have provided us with reminders that nature all around us knew within their very being that a change in weather was on its way.

On the surface these changes may appear to be superficial. We know, of course, that in fact they are vital to the survival of plant life as it prepares itself for each changing season, and so do all manner of animals. For humans, these annual natural occurrences provide hope for the next growing season. In an agrarian society paying attention to these small and seemingly simple changes is vital to our own survival. Such is the nature of a climate consisting of four distinct seasons.

PHOTO GALLERY: Family fun at Fall On The Farm

COLUMN: Village News – Summer memories and autumn anticipation

As we look back on the summer of 2026, we are filled with gratitude. Our staff have planned and prepared events, programs, workshops, concerts, and festivals that engage our community in remembering, learning, and celebrating. We have experienced some very hot days, some wetter days, and many gorgeous summer days, but we are always thrilled to greet the thousands of guests who make MHV an important part of their summer plans.

Our guests remind us daily of the reasons for the museum’s existence. Many come from families who are connected to the story of the Mennonites who settled in Manitoba either in the 1870’s or the 1920’s, or they arrived during later migrations to Canada. Reconnecting with their past and providing a context for stories and experiences to be passed on to future generations is one of MHV’s goals. We also welcome many people who are newer to our community. They have chosen southern Manitoba as their home, and they want to learn about their community. MHV assists them in understanding our community practices, our values, and our history. For many people, visiting Mennonite Heritage Village with relatives or friends is an opportunity to reconnect with each other. We are a welcoming, gathering place where great food, a walk through the grounds, and a visit to our galleries or heritage buildings facilitate spending time together and sharing meaningful conversations. We are grateful for these reconnecting moments.

Volunteers are our biggest asset. Not only do we have individuals who value the personal connections made at MHV and the community benefits of a shared gathering place, but there are groups of volunteers who are dedicated to specific aspects of the museum and their contributions help MHV to be a popular tourist attraction and a leader of museums in Manitoba. The Steinbach and Area Garden Club prepare and water our flower beds and tend to our gardens and orchards throughout the growing season, creating a beautiful outdoor environment for all museum guests. The South East Manitoba Draft Horse Association are regular supporters of our education program, our day camp program and our festival events. Their many hours of providing horse-drawn wagon rides for visitors and demonstrating horse-powered pioneer demonstrations, create a lasting memory of animal/human cooperation in daily pioneer life. Antique tractor enthusiasts who are part of the Southeast Implement Collectors group host a Tractor Show at MHV each year and assist us in caring for the antique tractors on display at MHV. The Steam Club ensures that the steam engine is maintained and safe to operate each year, as they prepare to demonstrate threshing, plowing and sawmill operation. Our windmill team, blacksmith team, and printshop team all dedicate their time and expertise to maintaining the equipment in their area and providing valuable demonstrations for school groups and festival goers. Our MHV Auxiliary continues to support programming at the museum by planning extra events and fundraisers, by supporting our events with canteens, and by coordinating the quilters who faithfully interact with guests as they hand-quilt blankets throughout the year. Mennonite Heritage Village is very grateful for the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of hours given to the museum to enhance the visitor experience throughout the season.

Looking ahead to our fall programs, we continue to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, highlighting our outdoor village, and enjoying the company of friends and relatives at the Livery Barn Restaurant. Our school trip program begins again, with several options available five days a week for all grades. And our craft and story time, Exhibit Explorers, occurs each Thursday at 10 a.m., beginning on Sept. 17.