CARILLON SPORTS SECOND SHOTS: Aug 6th edition

Featuring a Hanover Sting game in the Manitoba Major Soccer League July 30 and the 13U/15U provincial baseball championships at Optimist Park in Winnipeg.

PHOTO GALLERY: Pioneer Days at MHV

Mennonite Heritage Village hosted Pioneer Days over the August long weekend.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback September 27, 1995 – Ostrich farming a fast-growing industry

Ostrich farming is a fast-growing alternative agricultural livestock business and is widespread in Canada, with about 60 to 75 breeders in Manitoba alone.

Judy Barnes, marketing director for the Canadian Ostrich Association, suggested in the February, 1995 issue of the COA magazine Runner that Canada could soon be “the ostrich capital of the world.”

Ostriches are fascinating birds, standing seven to eight feet tall and weighing 250 to 350 pounds. They can live up to 80 years and average egg production is 30 to 50 eggs per year, with some hens laying more than 100 eggs annually. One ostrich egg equals 24 to 27 chicken eggs and will weigh up to five pounds.

The ostrich industry is a wide open field. Birds are raised as breeding stock, for meat, for the hide and the feathers. The red meat is very palatable, lean, low in cholesterol, with a taste similar to roast beef. It sells for $6 to $20 per pound and is an expensive delicacy in restaurants. Ostrich hides measure 10 to 20 square feet per bird and are in large demand, because of the durability of the leather. It is used for shoes, cowboy boots, briefcases, clothing and fashion accessories. Feathers, harvested twice a year from live birds and in total at slaughter, are used for elaborate showgirl costumes, dusters, decorations and fashion accessories.

Eastman Selects Tomes, Rigaux pick up Hockey Manitoba scholarships

A pair of Eastman Selects U18 standouts were recognized for their strong play and schooling by Hockey Manitoba, as the organization announced their scholarship recipients for 2026 last week.

Goaltender Addie Tomes was given the Todd Davidson Memorial Scholarship and defender Vayda Rigaux claimed the Buck Matiowski Memorial Scholarship.

Tomes, who committed to the University of Saskatchewan, maintained a 90% average at St Mary’s Academy, in addition to being one of the Manitoba Female Hockey League’s top goaltenders.

Across her two years with the Selects program, she racked up a 34-4 record, with a save percentage above 0.950. Tomes also is a volunteer coach for other goaltenders.

Tache council allows residential septic business despite neighbours’ objections

The RM of Tache council has approved a conditional use for a septic service business in a residential area despite objections from neighbours.

On June 16, council voted to approve Stephane Massicotte’s request for a conditional use to continue to operate his business, Rolly’s Septic Service, in the residential neighbourhood on Old Bog Road located southeast of Lorette.

In a vote of five to three, council approved the use with Couns. Dawn Braden and Colleen Jolicoeur and Mayor Armand Poirier voting against the motion.

“This is not just a commercial venture, someone selling Avon. It’s a quasi-industrial business,” said Poirier, who asked that the vote be recorded.

Veteran HSD trustee makes city council bid

The longest serving member of the Hanover School Division board of trustees has thrown his hat into the ring for a city council seat in Steinbach.

Ron Falk has served as trustee for 34 years, including 14 as board chair.

He said it was a tough decision to leave public education behind but added he felt it was time to close that chapter of his life.

“I think my time is done there, and I think others can move the ship in the direction they need to go,” he said. “I’ve contributed as best as I can and I think it’s just time to move on.”

COLUMN: Village News – From farmyard relic to museum treasure: A 1938 McLaughlin Buick finds a new home

The Mennonite Heritage Village has recently welcomed a remarkable new addition to its artifact collection: a beautifully restored 1938 McLaughlin Buick, generously donated by Elmer B. Harder. More than simply a vintage automobile, this Buick represents a family story spanning generations and offers a fascinating glimpse into rural Manitoba life in the mid-20th century.

The story begins in 1938 when Peter P. Thiessen (1890-1973) and Maria Peters Thiessen (1891-1988) of Sewell, Manitoba, purchased the new McLaughlin Buick from the GMC/Buick dealership in Altona. Built in Regina, Saskatchewan, the car was an impressive vehicle for its era. With its elegant styling, spacious body, and powerful straight-eight engine, the Buick was both a symbol of progress and a practical tool for a busy farming family.

Unlike many automobiles of the time that were reserved for special occasions, the Thiessens’ Buick quickly became a hardworking member of the household. It transported the family to church services, visits with relatives and friends, and shopping trips. Yet its duties extended well beyond everyday travel.

Peter Thiessen saw the Buick’s potential as a reliable work vehicle. To help haul pigs to market in Winnipeg, he built a utility trailer using the frame of a 1940 Pontiac. He added sides and a loading ramp, creating a practical livestock trailer that paired surprisingly well with the Buick. According to Peter’s granddaughter Agathe, the arrangement worked better than the farm’s trucks because the trailer sat lower to the ground, making loading easier, while the Buick pulled the heavy loads with little effort.

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.