Niverville soccer pioneer passes away

The Manitoba soccer world is mourning following Walt McKee’s death last week.

McKee played football, soccer, rugby and even wrestled for the University of Manitoba Bisons, was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a kicker and was named the CFL’s rookie of the year as a kicker in 1971. It was on the soccer pitch after his playing career where he made his biggest impact, including in Niverville.

He was a founding member of the Winnipeg Fury Soccer Club, served as assistant coach of the Canadian National Soccer Team and eventually served as Athletic Director at the U of M, bringing women’s soccer to the University in 2005.

“Walt was a great, great man and outstanding Athletic Director,” now retired Bisons football head coach Brian Dobie said in a U of M news release honouring McKee.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach grow: Pioneer spirit added to ’64 Hanover Fair

The Town of Steinbach followed the example of their neighbours to the west when they combined their annual country fair with a major event honouring pioneers and reminding visitors of the history of the Mennonites in Manitoba.

Morris has “The Big M” Stampede and Exhibition, and Steinbach would have Pioneer Days and Hanover Fair as their major combined event in 1964.

Hanover Agriculture Society president Bill Mooney, repeating remarks he made a year after the 1963 fair, said the 1964 Hanover Fair was “the best ever,” with gate receipts doubling the average of previous years. About 8,000 people passed through the gates during the two-day event, held in conjunction with Steinbach’s week-long 90th anniversary celebrations.

The 19th edition of the Hanover Agricultural Society Fair was kicked off, as usual, with a parade down Steinbach Main Street, but the 1964 fair parade was like no other, coming in the midst of Pioneer Week.

SPORTOPICS FLASHBACK 1987: Two out of three falls, anyone?

I cannot say I’m an enthusiastic supporter of professional wrestling, having only taken brief glimpses of the sport at July 1 at the Steinbach fairgrounds in years past, when the likes of “Frenchy” Champagne and “Puppy Dog” Peloquin were the headliners.

Those were the days when Dennis “Von” Mehling wrestled out of the Madison Club in Winnipeg and could be seen strutting his stuff on the local scene. Those were the days when Merv Unger was a full-time newspaper man and a part-time wrestling promoter. A role I think he has since reversed.

Those were also the times when one wouldn’t dare to suggest that the likes of “Mad Dog” Vachon or Verne Gagne would actually go into the ring and fake mayhem strictly for the benefit of the fans.

No Siree! Those guys meant it! Many a corner post bore the marks of a vanquished wrestler’s forehead and many a ringside chair was shattered over someone’s skull in the heat of the battle.

AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Southeastern Manitoba’s time to shine in sports

It’s been a highly successful time for teams and athletes from southeastern Manitoba.

Here’s a brief summary of the excellent news (with apologies to teams and athletes I might be missing).

Ste. Anne’s Larocque family helps Canada win gold at world ball hockey championshipsBig-time congratulations to Ste. Anne’s Jocelyn Larocque, her sister Chantal and her dad Andy as the Larocque family extraordinaire helped lead Canada to a gold medal last week at the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) Women’s Legends World Ball Hockey Championships in Czechia.

Jocelyn Larocque is a living legend in ice hockey, what with her Olympic gold and World Championship titles. She is also a world-class ball hockey player and now coach, as she was behind the bench for Team Canada, who went undefeated in the tournament.

OPINION: Trail riding with friends: Good biosecurity protects every horse

Trail riding with friends is one of the best ways to enjoy time with our horses. Whether you’re exploring a local trail system or riding on private property, it’s easy to focus on the adventure and forget that horses can unknowingly carry infectious diseases. Good biosecurity isn’t just for boarding barns and competition, but also plays an important role whenever horses from different properties come together.

A few simple habits can help keep everyone’s horses healthy while allowing you to enjoy the ride with confidence.

Before heading out:

Ride only with horses that appear healthy and free of fever, coughing or nasal discharge.

Bethesda Wellness kicks off next phase of growth

More health services that will be part of the Bethesda Foundation medical campus in Steinbach will be possible thanks to a new investment in infrastructure.

Construction has started on about 200 metres of asphalt roadway to extend Heritage Parkway.

The foundation said the $1.2 million project will provide the necessary infrastructure to grow the medical campus and support additional health-care services.

“Bethesda Foundation has always focused on keeping health care close to home,” board chair Chris Goertzen said. “The extension of Heritage Parkway will alllow us to grow our medical campus and bring additional services for people living in the Steinbach region.”

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback April 28, 1993 – Big birds enjoy Manitoba winter at Dawson Creek Ostrich Ranch

Three-year-old Carly Penner does not have to tune in to Sesame Street to catch a glimpse of Big Bird. She can watch her father’s favourite video, or better yet, go out in the backyard and chat with the real thing.

Delbert Penner’s Dawson Creek Ostrich Ranch, near Giroux, has been growing by leaps and bounds since four three-month-old chicks arrived from Oklahoma, three years ago. The herd (flock if you prefer) is now at 14 birds and four adult females are expected to start laying fertile eggs any day now.

In addition to two breeding trios, Penner’s 1993 herd includes one two-year-old male and seven yearlings. The yearlings are expected to be sold this summer, in spite of the steep asking price of $22,000 a pair.

The interest in the birds is phenomenal, Penner says, and hardly a day goes by that he doesn’t get a call from Quebec, Alberta or British Columbia. There is just as much interest beyond the boundaries of North America.

PHOTO GALLERY: Pioneer Days Parade 2026

The Pioneer Days Parade 2026 was the biggest display of floats and community spirit to date for the annual event.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback Aug. 2, 1963 – Man who cannot move has built his own car

One of the more interesting floats in the 1963 Hanover Fair parade was a full-sized replica of a 1905 Model ‘N’ Ford car. The prize winning antique auto was the only float in the parade built by a man who cannot walk a step or lift a finger.

The old car’s architect and builder by proxy is Peter J. Toews, a man of stronger than average mechanical inclination with no direct means of putting his ideas into concrete form. Toews has been a victim of multiple sclerosis for the past 23 years, and has not walked for 12 years and has not been able to move a hand even to feed himself for three years.

In spite of what is generally considered a crushing affliction, Toews has discovered an effective defense against the murderous blows of frustration. He learned several years ago that he has a rare gift of interpreting his own mechanical ideas and aspirations to other people in terms they can understand. His creeping paralysis has left his higher faculties unaffected and his thinking crystal clear. His eyesight is 100 percent and he hears acutely and speaks lucidly.

Working at first with members of his own family and later with neighbourhood boys, he has from his wheelchair built a house, a motorized wheel chair, an electronically-operated invalid road car, numerous mechanical household timesavers and now this replica of a 1905 car.

13U Carillon Sultans claim provincial championship

The future of the Carillon Sultans program is as bright as ever, as the program sent teams to both the 15U and 13U AAA Provincial finals Aug. 2.

The organization’s 15U team fell short in the final, surrendering 11 runs over two innings to fall well behind South Central in the final early.

The team finished just 16-13 during the Manitoba Premier Baseball League season, but caught fire at tier 1 provincials, rattling off three wins in their first four games to lock up a spot in the final before their final pool game of the tournament.

Both the 13U and 15U tier one and tier two tournaments took place at Optimist Park in Winnipeg.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach grow: Grunthal 4-H Club excels at ’63 Hanover Fair

From the time spectators began lining up for the parade in sweltering 90-degree plus heat, until two days later, when the last amateur-hour number was performed, the directors of the Hanover Agricultural Society agree the 1963 Hanover Fair was one of the most successful on record. An estimated 7,000 spectators attended the fair during its two-day stand.

Members of the Beausejour Boys’ Band led the parade down Main Street to the fairgrounds, where 4-H clubs marched into the show ring, before local and visiting dignitaries officially opened the fair, welcoming guests and exhibitors.

A member of the Grunthal Sunshine Clothing Club had been chosen as standard-bearer for the 4-H parade. That was the start of a pretty good day for the Grunthal 4-H Club.

Twelve years of painstaking work ended in triumph for two dedicated Grunthal 4-H club leaders, when the Grunthal club walked away with the biggest package of honors ever bestowed on a single club in a Southeast 4-H Rally.