Catie St. Germain to headline Hanover Ag Fair

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Niverville artist Catie St. Germain as she takes to the main stage as this year’s Hanover Ag Fair headliner in Grunthal.

St. Germain impressed crowds three years ago at the event when she played on a flatbed trailer as part of their Party in the Dirt. This year it’s the Fairway Ford Mainstage that will host her talent as the headliner.

A news release from Hanover Ag announced the headliner, adding that it is a special year as the festival celebrates 80 years.

“It is a celebration of eight decades of memories, milestones and Manitoba pride as we showcase exclusively made in Manitoba talent on our stages throughout the whole weekend,” it stated.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: March 12th edition

Featuring photos from a Gabrielle-Roy/Pointe des Chenes Manitoba Women's High School Hockey League game in Ste Anne March 5, an Eastman Selects U18 AAA game in Steinbach March 5, and the Fire on Ice races in Gimli March 7.

Bullied Indigenous boy still feeling the effects of his school assault

Stonybrook Middle School student Theo Osborne was bullied on Feb. 11 by two boys, one of which attacked him by pulling out his hair and punching his face, allegedly for being Indigenous. Since then, the 11-year-old boy has had high anxiety and PTSD, according to his mother Melissa Johnson.

“Just the fact that I have to explain to him what his flashbacks are, like, he was in the shower, and he called me, and he said when he closed his eyes that he was remembering his head getting smashed. So, I said to him, ‘That’s PTSD,’” she said.

“So, I had to explain that to him, and I just feel like that’s so heartbreaking as a parent to have to explain that what you’re experiencing is the PTSD that happened when he was supposed to be safe at school.”

Johnson said her son hasn’t been in school since the incident happened, having returned only three times. Theo asked his mother to transfer him to Clearspring Middle School as he doesn’t want to be around his bullies and his best friend is at CMS. Administration has agreed to the transfer.

COLUMN: Village News – Authors, reading and book launch

Village Books and Gifts offers a wide selection of publications penned by local as well as global authors for your reading pleasure. We have several great options to choose from: Mennonite history, East/West Reserve titles, novels, non-fiction, children’s books, German titles, a Low German dictionary, poetry, youth, genealogies, memoirs, cookbooks, Preservings publication, and so much more. Village Books and Gifts also shelve a large pre-loved section bursting with many hard to find and out of print publications. The museum as well as Village Books and Gifts are open to the public, Tuesdays to Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Village Books and Gifts is hosting two spring author reading/book launch events

The first event is on Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. and will feature three local authors: Mari Klassen, who grew up in a conservative Mennonite Village in Saskatchewan, will share from her book A Dim Light. Laura Dueck (Brick by Brick) is an author/illustrator, who is also known by her oil paintings, scenic murals and ancient style page borders. Ronald J. Kornelson Timing: A Life in Little Stories is launching his first book, hot off the press. Ron is a charismatic storyteller, retired teacher, coach and auctioneer. Each participant will share portions from their writings and answer any questions you may have. This is a free admission event. Village Books and Gifts will have plenty of copies from each presenter on hand for you to purchase.

Inside the store at Village Books and Gifts you will find a unique selection of souvenirs. We have a rare collection of delicate embroidered earrings and necklaces called “Petit Point”, absolutely perfect for that special someone. MHV puzzles, hats, drinkware, and magnets have been very popular, as well as our Menno apparel. The gift shop has a unique selection of cards, postcards, kitchenware, quilts, rugs, picnic blankets and retro aprons made in-house by MHV’s auxiliary. We have truly one-of-a-kind items for all of your shopping needs. Quilts are purchased for birthday gifts, bridal showers and wedding heirlooms. The Mennonite Treasury Cookbook continues to fly off the shelf to a new generation of households wanting to keep traditional dishes alive through their very own unique culinary skills. MHV’s experienced and very creative storekeeper continues to sleuth and shelve unique, hard-to-find items. Looking for something that seems to elude all of your attempts to find it, Village Books and Gifts is your first place to contact, we have a historical treasure trove of items, stop by today and see what you can find.

SRSD to gather data, survey residents on French Immersion in La Salle, La Broquerie

More data is needed.

That’s the message Seine River School Division trustees agreed on regarding adding French immersion programming in La Salle and La Broquerie, during Tuesday night’s board meeting. The decision was spurred by trustee Gary Nelson, who made a motion to add French immersion programming to the schools in both towns for the 2026-2027 school year. Trustee Wendy Bloomfield seconded the motion, which was deferred for a vote on May 12.

“There is no reason why communities in La Salle and La Broquerie cannot support an immersion program, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have one. The residents of those communities are being underserved,” he told the board.

Nelson noted how other communities like Ste Adolphe and Lorette have smaller populations, but the schools there offer French immersion. He pointed out La Salle has 96 students who are in École St. Norbert Immersion because there’s no option in their community. Since the division already has the student population for the programming, it wouldn’t make a financial impact, Nelson said.

Gab-Roy/PDC hockey team finishes strong debut season in MWHSHL

Though their season ended in disappointing fashion with a playoff series loss on home ice, the Gabrielle-Roy/Pointe des Chenes Cavaliers are celebrating an outstanding first season in the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League.

The Cavaliers earned a berth in the top division playoffs after finishing in fourth place in their conference in a combined division regular season but were swept in consecutive games by top seeded Vincent Massey. The Winnipeg-based Trojans only lost three regular season games this year.

“For us to make division one was fantastic,” head coach Kevin Lansard said after a 5-0 loss in Ste Anne March 5 ended the team’s season.

“The girls were pushed to the max and the limit. It helps us as a staff for next year… It’s tough to see us lose that way, but we’re very proud of (the players) and we’re looking forward to the future.”

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: June 17, 1949 – 75th anniversary theme of school picnic parade

The combined efforts of the teachers and students of Steinbach’s three schools created a parade as colourful and interesting as anything yet seen along Main Street. The school parade is held annually in conjunction with the school picnic, but never has it ever been as spectacular as this year. The reason, of course, is that this is Steinbach’s 75th anniversary year, and the schools incorporated a 75th anniversary theme in the annual parade to the fairgrounds.

Steinbach citizens were well justified in feeling proud of the work and original ideas brought forth by their youngsters and teachers in the parade.

In it were featured an old-time stagecoach by John Wittenberg’s class; a double float depicting an 1874 and a 1949 home by Ernie Friesen’s class; numerous hayracks of children dressed as their forebears had dressed in 1874, as well as a number of ideas that only collegiate students would think of.

One of the more creative floats was a cardboard replica of a schoolhouse with windows cut out on the sides. The class riding inside pretended to ignore their books and their teacher as they looked out the windows as they passed by the crowd lining Main Street.

Team South tops medal standings at Manitoba Games

It was a busy week in Thompson, as the northern community hosted the Manitoba Winter Games.

Athletes from across the region participated, bringing home plenty of hardware.

Steinbach’s Brooklyn Wiebe carried the opening ceremonies flag for Team South, with Oakbank’s Connor Kent representing Winnipeg Gold. Bennett Mead was selected to represent Team East. All three athletes participated in curling events at the games.

Kent would go on to skip his team to a gold medal finish.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: February 13, 1947 Town heeds quiet call from fire department

John D. Loewen had been a volunteer fireman for 16 years and fire chief for three years in 1947, when he made a quiet, subtle request to the city fathers for more equipment and to the public for better cooperation at the sites of fires in his annual report.

Loewen’s report at the February, 1947 annual fire brigade’s banquet and annual meeting was far more telling in what the chief did not say than what he did.

Loewen reported a dozen calls had been answered in the previous year, of which six were chimney fires. This led to a suggestion of fines for people who did not maintain their chimneys properly.

The chief pointed out that one of the fire brigade’s water tanks was beyond repair and one of the trailers was too light to carry a tank, making it difficult to supply enough water to fight fires effectively.

Finance minister visits Steinbach Chamber, discusses priorities

Minister of Finance Adrien Sala visited the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce on Monday to discuss rural investment, economic trade, and business taxes.

“We’re excited to meet with the local chamber to talk about local economic priorities and priorities for the province,” said Sala. “Of course, we have our budget release coming up near the end of the month (March 24), and we’re eager to get more input to understand what this community and what this region wants to see in our upcoming budget.”

Sala was asked by The Carillon what the province was doing in regards to tax incentives for businesses in rural communities and he referred to last year’s budget where the government brought out a reduction in payroll taxes to support small and medium businesses by raising the payroll tax exemption threshold from $2.25 million to $2.5 million and a second threshold aimed at larger employers by raising the reduced-rate threshold. According to the budget, that would benefit about 875 employers and exempt about 150 from having to pay tax.

Sala was also asked what the government plans to do regarding U.S. tariffs, he said it will continue to budget for more investments and focus on ensuring that jobs are protected in the province. He cited last year’s budget where the province made a capital commitment of $3.7 billion, the biggest capital commitment announcement in Manitoba’s history, to offset those tariffs for businesses and farmers.

Trio of Niverville Nighthawks pick up MJHL awards

The Niverville Nighthawks of 2025/2026 will be remembered as a dominant team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, and they were rewarded for it in the league’s year-end awards.

Head coach Dwight Hirst was named league coach of the year, with Austin Dubinsky claiming top goaltender and Merik Boles receiving the league’s sportsmanship award.

Hirst, who joined the Nighthawks after a late-season coaching change in 2024, has led a veteran team to an outstanding record. With only two games left on their schedule, Niverville boasts an incredible 50-6-1 record and have eclipsed the 100 point mark.

“The guys really buy into what we’re selling as a coaching staff, and what we want to do and what we want to become,” Hirst said when asked what the Nighthawks’ biggest strengths are this season.

COLUMN: Tales from the Gravel Ridge – Memories of Eaton’s

In its day the family name of Eaton’s was almost in the nature of a well-known family friend. This was most unusual since nobody in the Mennonite community of my childhood had even a remote connection to those of English ancestry or heritage. Families with English family names might be those who employed my eldest siblings. My sisters Katie and Margaret, themselves immigrant children when they arrived in Canada, began working as domestic servants when they were in their late teens and early twenties. The need for such employment was great since there were travel debts to be paid by our parents, incurred by them when they left the country that had been home to them and their ancestors for generations, to seek a new homeland. And so it was that the family name of Jackson become a household name for our family. My sisters had fond memories of that time in their lives. While it was true that they were definitely in a class by themselves so that, for instance, they did not take their meals in the dining room with the family, but rather by themselves in the kitchen, they nevertheless were treated kindly.

In the context of their employment my sisters, and others who were likewise working as domestic servants, were given one day off each week. This provided these young women opportunities for meeting with friends, including spending time in a girls’ home especially designed to be a home away from home for them. It also gave them opportunities for shopping. Before long, Eaton’s became a household name for the young women, and by extension, for our family.

In addition to the store, the Eaton’s company, entrepreneurial as it was, also had a mail order business. If you’re old enough you may remember using the Eaton’s catalogue. Some five decades ago that venerable catalogue, which likely was in every home in my Rosengard community, went the way of buggy wheels and other near extinct phenomena. It’s time had come and gone. Not so the Eaton name however. The Eaton’s store on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg lasted until the Fall of 1999, before it too closed for good. Eaton’s had been a household name for generations of Canadians from coast to coast. It is no wonder then that the financial woes of this family store made national headlines at the time. Its impact on Canadian society would make an interesting sociological study. Even the rather isolated Mennonite community at Rosengard was fully aware of this very English sounding name during the years when I was growing up.

When my parents made the occasional trip to Winnipeg, be it for medical appointments or to visit their eldest daughters, their main stop would invariably be at the Eaton’s store. Its location on Portage Avenue was as good a meeting place as any. Indeed, probably better. The large waiting room on the main floor, toward the back of the store was, I am convinced, geared to the needs of rural Manitobans. More specifically, it served the social wants of the ethnic community admirably. At least so it seems to me.