The North-West Regional Library in Swan River once again hosted their Festival of Trees from Dec. 2-13, inviting individuals, businesses and community groups to put their own flair on a Christmas tree inside the library. Pictured here, one of many custom ornate decorations on the tree representing Valley Dental Studio...

A post-secondary student and now author has published a children’s book on Indigenous culture and teachings that is now available for purchase. Phoenix R. Thomas recently wrote, illustrated and published the book, The Adventures of Lily and Mini: Did You Know? Animal Edition!. Thomas resides in The Pas and attends UCN. The idea for the book came from Thomas’ desire to want to write one, which also then turned into a class project.
“My parents are Jack and Cynthia Thomas,” said Thomas. “We didn’t originate here in The Pas; we moved here when I was nine years old and have lived here ever since. I’m 28 years old, a mother of two children with my partner.
“This was my first time writing a book. I’m currently enrolled at UCN as a second-year business student. This was a project for one of the courses I’m taking called Entrepreneurial Development.”

The Manitoba First Nations Police Services Opaskwayak Cree Nation Detachment is looking to brighten up Christmas for some children in Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN). They are hosting a toy drive to collect as many new toys or gifts for children this holiday season.
“MFNP wants to make sure all the kids in OCN have a Merry Christmas, and so, we are collecting toys to give to families who need help this holiday season,” said MFNP Constable Randi Curry. “Once we have collected the toys, we will team up with local organizations and groups for distribution.
“If you are part of an OCN group, agency, or board, and would like to assist with providing a list of children or families to receive toys, please reach out to Irene Hucaluk at Manitoba First Nations Police – OCN.”
People can drop off new toys or gifts for children from now until just before Christmas. There are two locations to drop these items off at.
“The Toy Drive is on now until December 20,” said Constable Curry. “New toys can be dropped off for donation from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Manitoba First Nations Police Service, 235 Waller Road or at the Otineka Mall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. We will be collecting toys for all ages up to 18 years old. We are collecting new and unopened or unused items such as toys, books, games, blankets, activity sets, etc.”

The annual Mistletoe Magic kick-off event was in full effect this past weekend (Dec. 6) with hotdogs and hot chocolate available, a meeting with Santa, and checking out the beautiful lights at the Swan Valley Historical Museum...

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra presented “Good Grief” A Charlie Brown Christmas performance at the SVRSS this last Friday (Dec. 5). The group was up at 3 a.m. on Friday morning to make their way to Swan River to perform for the many in the Christmas spirit.

In most really small towns, when the elevator closes its doors, the rest of the town begins to slowly slip away. In Inglis, like so much else in their community, they took that as an opportunity and turned it into something amazing - a national historic site.
In fact, that’s where Haylan Jackson and Del Barber - the owners of The Shop met. “I was a touring musician and song writer for 20 years (he’s actually been nominated for three Juno awards) and was playing a show in the elevators. Haylan was a tour guide there. I fell in love with her. She ignored me for a little while and now we’re living just north of town and are raising two kids,” Del Barber explained. For him, this is a dream come true. “I was raised just outside of Winnipeg in St. Norbert and this is where I’ve always dreamed, I would live,” Del said. “My grandpa had a summer place up in the Duck Mountains and I’ve always wanted to find a place in Parkland to set down roots.” With music now more on the back burner, Del and Haylan were looking
for a way to keep the creativity going. “And my other love is cooking,” Barber said. So, what better place than Haylan’s hometown of Inglis – she’s the daughter of Carman and Donna Jackson – where generations of her family have built businesses and the community that they all love. About a year and a half ago, Haylan and Del checked into acquiring the building on Inglis’ Main Street that a few years ago was the home of The Prairie Grill, and prior to that, the Rose Bowl a much-loved restaurant and meeting place for locals.
“I don’t know if we’ve always had the idea of opening a restaurant but we’re always looking for ways to contribute to the community that we love so much.” Barber explained that with the changes in the music industry, it’s become increasingly difficult to make a living. “I was lucky to have found a way to pay my mortgage through playing music for so long,” he said. “And the reality of the economy of music no longer makes that feasible – especially with two kids.” This next step into the culinary world is now a way to still create art – much like his music - in a very home- grown way. With the ideas now flowing and the extensive renovations to the space well on their way, it was time to think about what to call the place. “We were dancing around a lot of ideas.
When Del was working on the renovations, he’d say "I’m going to the shop,” Haylan said. “And growing up here, everyone has a shop. So, everyone can relate to that. People here would say, go to Myles’ shop and everyone knows where that is. So, for us,
who are working on creating a warm and inviting meeting place, the name The Shop was a perfect fit.”
Over the last couple of weeks, The Shop has hosted a few soft openings. And, looking at Facebook postings, there have been rave reviews about everything from the pizzas - which are cooked on a wood fired pizza oven imported from Italy - to the lemon Creme Brule , and the salads with home made dressings to the herb dumplings; apparently, they’re amazing. Judging by the posts, The Shop is very family friendly.
There’s the added bonus that everything in The Shop will be made from scratch – including the sourdough pizza crust, the sauces and the toppings. The pizzas, Del explained as a hybrid of pizzas from Italy and those found in New York. “Still, it’s all very
Manitoba based,” Barber said. “We’re using flour from Manitoba flour mills, Bothwell cheese from Manitoba and Canadian tomatoes and as many Canadian ingredients as we can.” And a lot of those ingredients will originate in what Del calls their giant gardens. “I’ve been an obsessive gardener for a long time, as has Haylan,” Barber said. “Just like most people on the prairies do, we have a large garden and we’re trying to grow and preserve as much as we can and make that part of the ethos of our restaurant.” “I just think there’s an opportunity here to show off how much people love gardening and cooking so there will be nothing that’s packaged and warmed up.” Knowing first hand how communities like Inglis thrive by people working together,
Haylan and Del are also sourcing their meat from the area as well. “I just finished roasting a brisket for our smoked brisket pizza. That, we got from Nerbas Bro’s as well a bunch of meat from High Bluff Stock Farms, which is, of course, Haylan’s parent’s farm.”
Del says that the fact that they’ve been active in the community for a decade - and Haylan’s deep family roots in Inglis and the surrounding area, is very comforting. “We’re really happy to be doing this in a community that we know, where people are friends and who we know will help us figure out how to make this exactly what they want it to be.
After three highly successful soft openings, Haylan and Del will open their doors of their licensed establishment on Inglis’ Main Street on Dec. 11th.

In most really small towns when the elevator closes its doors, the rest of the town begins to slowly slip away. In Inglis, like so much else in their community, the residents took that as an opportunity and turned it into something amazing – a national historic site.
In fact, that’s where Haylan Jackson and Del Barber – the owners of the town’s newest business venture, The Shop, met.
Read all about it in this week’s paper.

Local Swan River product Riley McKay has spent the last two seasons with the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket, but now, after entering the free agency process, has opted to move on from the Rocket to head south. Joining the Henderson Silver Knights, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
“Henderson had shown interest in me and the General Manager of Henderson, Tim Speltz, was my GM in Spokane, said McKay.
He actually came to Swan River to meet my family when I signed with Spokane so there was a connection there.”
McKay spent parts of two seasons going up and down from AHL to the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions and Indy Fuel. Now he tests Henderson, who is the newest franchise to join the AHL, and a team that has hardly any experience in the playoffs, as the team has only made the playoffs twice in their four years of existence.
“Laval played a big part in helping me improve and give me the opportunity to play in the AHL. It was a great organization to play for and the rink and atmosphere are definitely one of the best in the league. I will cheirsh the memories and relationships I made there.”
McKay is headed into his fifth season as a pro, in his 168 games, he has scored 28 goals, 27 assists for 55 points, and he has totaled up to 563 penalty minutes.
“I will be sticking to the style of game that I’ve played my whole career. I hope to have a role on the penalty kill and provide some more offence this year. My goal this year is to help the team make playoffs anyway possible.”
McKay played some of his best hockey in Laval, being a part of their playoff push last season, to being one of the players that brought life to the game for the Rocket to get them back in it. A true momentum shifter who scored big goals, laid big hits, fought for the swing in momentum in this year’s playoff push only to come up just short of the ultimate goal.
“I think I will transition just fine. The Pacific Division suits my style of play and I can’t complain about living in a beautiful state like Nevada. It will definitely be different than I’m used to but it’s going to be a great experience and I’m excited to get down there.”
Henderson opens their season on Oct. 11 when they head down to Texas to face the Texas Stars before heading back to Henderson on Oct. 18 to face the Calgary Wranglers for their home opener.

Snowmobilers and others that like to traverse the north trails of the North Mountain Riders in the Porcupine Hills will soon have a brand new warm-up shack on one of the best look-out spots of that entire trail system.
A project that has taken two years to gain approval from relevant parties, such as Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, Manitoba Conservation and Manitoba Historical Society, the North Mountain Riders have successfully fundraised for and are well on their way to building a warm-up shack at the Bellsite Look-out, only four miles from Hwy. No. 10 on their trail system, not far from the community of Bellsite.
“From there, you can see the community of Bellsite, all the farmland, all the way to Swan Lake and Lake Winnipegosis,” said North Mountain Riders President Bert Sutherland.
“This is an important shelter to have because it is in a pocket where we didn’t have anything else closeby for people to enjoy themselves. The next shack was at Olsen Lake and from Olsen Lake to Mafeking is an hour and 20 minutes. Now we have this gem in the middle of nowhere.”
The Bellsite Look-out shelter ended up costing the club only $66,000 in donations, sponsorships and grants to put it together, plus lots of donated materials. Labour to put it all together has been completely free and likely could have cost close to $90,000 if someone got paid to build it.
“I’ve probably put 80+ hours into it myself and I’m just one man,” said Sutherland.
Lots of the materials were hauled up prior to the spring melt, leaving the builders to get to work come spring time. As of the end of June, the exterior structure was done, with the next steps to be putting on the roofing material and weather wrapping the outside walls. Well on their way, the club’s plan is to have it weather sealed by fall and finished well before snowmobile season comes around.
And, this is not just some thrown-together shelter. In addition to the standard features of the warm-up shelter such as a wood stove, gas barbecue, AM/FM radio and a few places to sit down, the interior will be finished with tongue-and-groove pine boards, LED lights powered by solar panels, 110-volt electrical system that can be powered by a generator, fire pit and seating outside, and enough space to seat 30 people inside, roughly 480 square feet of room inside and another 480 square feet between the two attached decks.
“This will be our biggest shelter,” said Sutherland. “Our next biggest is our Whitefish Shack at 320 square feet.”
With the layout of the windows and doors on the front of the shelter, it will feel like it’s almost entirely glass, letting lots of light in.
“This has been something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” Sutherland added. “I know the community of Bellsite has a lot of interest in it. They’ve shown really good support. We’ve helped them with their poker derby before and this will bring a little more attention to their little town.”
While the project is coming along well, Sutherland also noted that more hands are always needed to do everything that needs to be done on the work. Even if you aren’t a carpenter, helping keep the place tidy or doing other tasks is appreciated.
“We can use all the help we can get,” he said. “We need bodies with gloves.”
If interested in volunteering for the project, contact Bert Sutherland at 204·734·0184.
Once the project is complete, the North Mountain Riders will plan a grand opening with any community members welcome to join, with a plan to provide a shuttle to the top of the hill for those that don’t have their own snowmobile. Keep an eye out in the late fall for an announcement for that.

It’s a year of infrastructure changes and more on the Swan River Valley Agricultural Society (SRVAS) Grounds as the board and volunteers prepare for this year’s upcoming NorthWest Round-up and Exhibition, taking place from July 25-28.
In addition to the previously announced repainting and refurbishment of the main grandstand – which also includes repair of the fencing at the top and installment of a new wheelchair ramp on the south side – one of the big projects this year is a brand new light horse arena to replace the old one. The costs were covered by a yet-to-be-announced corporate sponsor.
“We’ve had lots of volunteers come in to tear down the old one and put the new one in,” said SRVAS President Lesley Sembaluk. “The new design has more of a multi-purpose use which can be used for 4-H events, gymkhana and different activities.”
Sembaluk added that the posts and gates of the arena will be painted to match that of their corporate sponsor.
Some other upgrades and improvements will be to the heavy horse barn, to accommodate the horses and riders that will be arriving for the Musical Ride of the RCMP.
“They won’t be here in time for the parade on Friday morning, but they will be arriving Friday and performing Saturday and Sunday afternoons after the rodeo,” said Sembaluk.
Because costs of things like providing hay for the horses needs to yet be covered, people are able to Adopt a Horse for the Musical Ride and have their pictures taken to be displayed in the stalls of the heavy horse barn.
Sembaluk also noted that the Musical Ride of the RCMP is something that some of her committee members have been working on for several years, and is pleased they were able to bring it to this year’s event.
Relating to that theme, this year’s Swan Valley Chamber of Commerce parade will also be themed RCMP Musical Ride. The parade starts at 10 a.m. on Friday (June 26) and usually includes dozens of businesses, families and organizations driving their vehicles and floats down Main Street and back up Second Street North towards the SRVAS Grounds.
There will not be bouncy castles this year, due to the need to accommodate the Musical Ride of the RCMP, but Sembaluk added that they have brought in an outfit that will be providing a pony ride ring and a petting zoo, a new addition to the grounds this year.
There will be no Saturday night dance or musical performance this year, and the Friday night dance will see a departure away from Ken Thompson’s usual talents, as he was unavailable this year. Instead, Friday night will be more of a coffeehouse style event.
“We’re making it into a community showcase,” said Sembaluk, adding that a band will still be available, and liquor will still be served, but it will have more of that coffeehouse vibe, which proves to be a popular event in the area, often held at various locations in the Swan Valley.
Those that would like to sign up for the Friday night coffeehouse are welcome to contact 204·734·0940. Performers can also sign up at the door. It will take place at 8 p.m. at the Veterans Community Hall. Tickets are $10.
And, what often proves to be the biggest show of all and one of the biggest attractions of the NorthWest Round-up and Exhibition, this year will see the second ever Western Canadian Chuckwagon Championship and Western Canadian Junior Chariot Championship, which sees some of the best wagon and chariot riders in Western Canada competing every evening during the four-day event. Chariots are scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. every day, with chuckwagons at 6 p.m..
Entry to the grandstands is included with the one-pay gate admission to the Grounds.
Tickets to the North-West Round-up and Exhibition are $25 for adults, $15 for youth ages 6-17 and free for children five and under.
Adult and youth weekend passes are also available for $75 and $45.
Until July 19, early bird pricing is also available with discount code SAVE2024 at eventbrite.com or by purchasing at the SRVAS office located on the Grounds.
A historic noteworthy thing about this year as well is Sembaluk is the first ever Indigenous president of the SRVAS. As such, a Metis flag that was presented to last year’s president Austen Anderson by Northwest Metis Council Vice President Frances Chartrand will be erected on the grounds to fly all weekend long. The Metis flag, along with the Treaty 4 flag, the Manitoba flag and the Canadian flag will be flown during the opening ceremonies.
“Cree Star Gifts is going to be on site again this year,” said Sembaluk. “They were here last year and they were a big thing.”
Sembaluk also noted that a local organization will be starting up the Bingo booth again for the first time in a few years, highlighting that the money will be staying within the community.
More information on the NorthWest Round-up and Exhibition can be found on northwestroundup.ca or on the Swan River Valley Agricultural Society Facebook page.
“We’ll see how this year rolls out,” Sembaluk concluded. “There’s a lot of good changes.”