The newest additions to Boissevain’s outdoor art gallery have the distinction of being the highest yet.
This past week, artist Kent Ness painted not one, but two murals, one on each of the town’s iconic water towers. The Saskatoon native started on Saturday, September 3 and was finished in time for the official unveiling on the morning of September 7.
Ness said he first heard about the project on social media and is always looking for unique projects. He said he applied on a whim and was fortunate enough to be chosen. When he first came to town and took a look way, way up, he did wonder.
“I thought ‘how am I going to do this?’ to be honest,” Ness explained. “It was little nerve wracking to be sure.”
Lisa Heide, president of the Boissevain-Morton Arts Council, said there were about 10 who applied for the water tower murals. The group narrowed it down to three options with the final decision made by the Boissevain-Morton Municipal Council. She added as soon as they met the artist in town on Saturday, he got up in the lift and started painting.
Westman is full of furry friends looking for forever homes, or even foster homes. Westman Animal Rescue (WAR) has a program based in Boissevain where they currently have eight puppies in their care.
Along with many cats looking for homes, there are two litters of puppies born in June that are ready for adoption. A batch of three dark brown and black pups is ready for a life full of playtime and naps.
The second litter has five little siblings, four taking the white and cream color of the mother, and one darker like the father. The puppies mother is also looking for a place to call home; she has a wonderful welcoming smile; she would be fantastic at greeting guests.
The goal for these little pups is a loving home, but in the meantime a foster home is greatly appreciated. Westman Animal Rescue is completely volunteer run and always looking for extra help. If you wish to foster or adopt you can reach out to the group via their Facebook page.
The Boissevain Centennials completed a near perfect season at home on Thursday evening, August 18 as they defeated the Deloraine Royals 6-0 to wrap up the best of five series, three games straight to capture the SWBL Championship.
The Cents dropped just two games during the regular season before sweeping both Oak River in the semi-finals and Deloraine in the finals.
The Royals followed close behind the Cents with a 11-3 record in regular season, which earned them and the Cents 1st round byes in league playoffs, along with provincial berths played in Rivers earlier this month.
In the first round of league semi-finals the Royals went the distance and defeated the Hamiota Red Sox 8-1 in the 5th and deciding game. However they were not able to out play the Cent’s fielders or their winning pitcher Zach Sawyer and conceded the series in three straight.
Two Centennials were also honoured on Thursday evening. Ben Cains was awarded top batter of the league with an average .517, 33 plate apperances, 15 hits and 3 walks.
Zane Sawyer was awarded top pitcher, 4 wins, 31 innings pitched, 26 strike outs, ERA 1.35.
Boissevain Centennials, 2022 South West Baseball League Champions
Back row left to right: Coach Corey Billaney, Tyler Wood, Josh Wood, Jordan Foote, Skylar Canada, Zane Sawyer, Dallas Foote and Coach Jr. Brake.
Front Row: Matt McCorrister, Jay Pringle, Tanner Clyne, Ty Pringle, Dason Hole and Ben Cairns.
Missing: Jared McCorrister and Austin Clyne
STORY AND PHOTO BY LORRAINE HOUSTON
From July 29-31, the Peace Garden hosted a celebratory event in honour of 90 years.
The garden was constructed in 1932 from horticulturalist Dr. Henry Moore’s idea for a tribute for American and Canadian friendship. The National Association of Gardeners approved the plan and selected the Manitoba and North Dakota border as the location.
Not long after the garden’s dedication, Civilian Conservation Corps started clearing brush and the first buildings were constructed. The project came to a halt during World War II, but continued when funding became available in 1948. Today the Peace Garden spreads over 3.65 square miles, and serves as a fabulous common ground for Americans and Canadians.
The garden’s newest edition, the Children’s Nature Play Area, shared its grand opening with the 90th birthday celebrations. With 90 years of memories the International Peace Garden plans to make many more; this means they have embarked on a road to a sustainable future, the children’s play area being one of the first steps.
CEO Tim Chapman gave a few words at the opening, as well as HTFC Planning and Design representative Andrea Linney. Everyone involved expressed their thanks for the support from both Manitoba and North Dakota businesses that made the play area possible.
Dorothy Dobbie, IPG board president, shared her excitement about the children’s area.
“It is a way to show peace starts at a young age,” said Dobbie.
Not only is this sustainable park a great space to play, but it is also a wonderful place to learn. The area is divided into different zones inspired by various animals. The plan is to add information to the zones describing the animals and their importance to local Indigenous peoples.
Tim Chapman had the present children climb the turtle zone for the ribbon cutting. With the help of Madison Marion and Liam Brown-Veselack, the ribbon was snipped signifying the official opening of the Nature Play Area. For the kids who wanted to remember their part in the ceremony, a section of the ribbon was allotted.
After the ribbon cutting, kids were invited to gather in a circle to listen to elders share their stories. Both kids and adults alike had smiles on their faces as they listened and explored the innovative playground.
If one play area was not enough, a bouncy castle joined the multiple vendors on the lawn. Tents lined either side of the green space in front of the Promise of Peace sculpture. There was something for everyone, young and old, or even a furry four-legged friend.
Vendors were selling many items including dog accessories, jewelry, hand made art, and even cricket treats. Prairie Cricket Farms booth was a real attention grabber with their wide array of cricket products.
Ryan and Lesley Steppler gladly chatted with customers about the benefits of trying insects as a new form of protein. These Manitobans were certainly turning heads with their tent; but in case crickets were not your desired treat, there were also many food trucks to choose from.
The birthday celebration was packed with many fun events, but also ensured a ceremony was held in honour of fallen officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty protecting our natural resources.
At the Game Warden Museum a service was held to commemorate the lost lives of wildlife enforcement members in the recent years. Sheriffs from both Canada and the United States were present to show their appreciation for their fellow peers who passed. Ten new names were announced and added to the memorial outside the museum over looking the gardens.
A description for each officer was read aloud, acknowledging how he or she passed while serving in their line of duty. The memorial is the only institution in the world dedicated to educating the public about natural resource protection and honouring the profession’s heroes.
The International Peace Garden is a very special place that values peace and those who keep it. The garden is also a space to make lifelong memories. Sarha Veselack just a week earlier held her wedding ceremony on the international grounds. She shared her husband had proposed to her there, creating a sentimental air to the garden for the pair. Now they return with their son to share the positive experiences with him.
The International Peace Garden finished off the festivities with daily live music and performances, as well as fireworks on Saturday, July 30. The weekend celebration was a huge success with amazing weather that served as an enjoyable time for all who attended.
by ERIKA NEUFELD, Recorder staff
There will be plenty of artwork decorating walls in Boissevain this summer.
The Boissevain-Morton Arts Council has a very ambitious season planned. They are presently working on one mural, with two or three more, depending on how you count, planned for next month. This is on top of art camp, work on their hall and a new initiative at the tourist centre. The group is definitely back after the pandemic.
Arts Council President Lisa Heide said they are currently working on a mural on the inside of the golf club sunroom. Fellow council member Erica Holloway is working with students on an outdoor scene to help spruce up the space. Heide said that one should not take too long, maybe even being finished by the end of the week.
“It really is to brighten up the room,” Heide explained. “Whenever we can bring more artwork to town, we are happy to bring a little colour and joy.”
The peacock statue commissioned by the Beautification Committee arrived in Souris on Thursday morning, July 7. Its “roost” is the east entrance to Victoria Park.
It took approximately 1 1/2 hours to drive the 2,000 pound bird to Souris from where it was built in Brandon.
The statue took artist and builder Chad Hebner 630 hours over three months to complete. Working on the statue inspired Hebner to develop a plan for “The Peacock Project”, a mental health awareness campaign that will include clothing and children’s books focusing on mental health, with some of the proceeds of the sales going back to the Beautification Committee.
It was a well-appreciated return for the Boissevain Fair in 2022.
After the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, it made its return to the summer schedule on June 25-26. Along with traditional activities, a few new ones were added which helped organizers bring people to the Boissevain Fair Grounds.
Ag Society Secretary Treasurer Nicole Fordyce said they were happy with how everything turned out.
“The crowds were pretty good,” Fordyce stated. “Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, which brought out a lot of families.”
A proposed hog operation near Deloraine was the focus of attention this week. About 50 people attended a public hearing hosted by The Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester on Monday, June 20 for HyLife Markers Mark proposed hog operation 4.5 miles southwest of Deloraine on SE 1/4 17-02-23 WPM.
The proposed operation would be located on a multiplier site with four barns, one barn with 3,750 nursery hogs and three finishing barns with 7,600 hogs. The location is two miles east and one mile north of the junction of Hwys 21 and 251.
There is a 23-step process for Hylife to obtain the Conditional Use permit for the proposed hog operation. This Public Hearing marks the 20th step.
Gord Weidenhamer, reeve of the municipality chaired the meeting and called on Sharla Dillabough, Regional Manager of Brandon Community Planning Services to provide a brief overview of the Technical Review Committee’s (TRC) approval process.
The situation for bees in Manitoba and the rest of the country could have implications much beyond the honey harvest in 2022.
Beekeeping has always been a bit of a challenge, but this year keepers have found it worse than usual. Reports of massive and widespread losses have created problems for the industry beyond what most have seen and recovery could be a slow process.
Don Glover of Boissevain has been beekeeping for around 40 years, and has seen plenty. This past calendar year was beyond what he has ever experienced.
“This is the worst year I have ever seen,” Glover stated. “I lost my total hives last fall.”
Glover said he used to have 150 hives and was cutting down to about 100. However, around the time he took off his honey crop last year, his bees were done.
He feels there were several different scenarios that hurt. The Varroa mite attacks bees, and Glover feels they played a big role, getting out of control. Although all of his bees were not dead before the winter, when he put them away for the season, they could not survive.
The old saying “keep on trucking” no longer applies to Boissevain Transport Ltd.
For the first time since 1961, the trucks have not been moving as John, Ken and Chris Arthur head to retirement. It has definitely been a long haul, and one that has contributed a lot to Boissevain. However, it comes down to being time to pull over to the side.
Ken said there were many reasons. Regulations have been changing for the trucking business, and not for the better. They started to have some trouble with equipment, which if replaced, would tie them in again for another decade. As they have been in the business for many years, another ten years was not in the cards. They actually held off their decision until after COVID had settled down.
“What are you going to do, sit at home?” John asked. “You might as well be working.”
Deloraine welcomes SJL Massage Therapy to its business sector. Sara Jean Lavineway used her initials in naming her endeavour, which is located at Morningstar Inn.
“I painted, hung pictures and shelves, added some plants, added a desk and turned one of the rooms into a little office. I’m very happy with how it turned out,” she said.
Lavineway is originally from Erickson, where she spent most of her upbringing outside, enjoying being at Clear Lake, hiking, biking, walking her dogs, camping and fishing. She graduated from Erickson Collegiate in 2008.
First it was two years of the pandemic. Then it was inclement weather. Now, however, regular soccer has returned to Boissevain.
Another casualty of COVID, the Boissevain Soccer Association is back on the pitch. The sport, growing in Boissevain and in the area was off to a slow start in 2022 with the snow and rain, but they have finally been able to get the balls and goals out. Under 12 President Niki Harper said they did have to make a move in order to start up.
“Yes, the fields are still not usable even this week due to moisture and soft ground, and don’t want to damage the ground, so we didn’t start until May 16. We had to move to the school and beside Tiny Turtle daycare to accommodate the field conditions. Our usual start date is the last week of April.”
Soccer was not able to have a regular season in neither 2020 nor 2021 due to the pandemic, although Harper said they were able to hold a few day camps and other events. It was frustrating, she said, as they went through all of the registrations just to shut down.
With one long running story ending, a new one is beginning at the bakery in Boissevain.
After 41 and a half years, Ron and Sharron Fikkert are stepping away from Boissevain Bakery. It will be moving ahead as Boissevain Bakeshop under new owner Alannah Moody. It would be quite accurate to say this is a change that did not happen suddenly. In fact, its roots go back more than a decade.
The Fikkerts’ arrived to take over Tommy Turtle Bakery from Brian Clark back on December 1, 1980. From that time, they established a top-notch reputation for their baked goods. They also moved the business on a pair of occasions, building their current home in 2008. It has been a long time with a lot of memories. However, the time has come to move on.
“Why not?” Ron asked. “It seemed to click in the old body ‘it’s time to quit.”
Moody joined the staff before Christmas. However, this started a long time before. The Fikkerts’ said she showed an interest in the bakery about the time they built their new building, if not before. The seed was planted, even though the soil was not yet fertile.
The community of Deloraine and many in the hockey world in Manitoba and Canada are mourning the loss of Brian Franklin who died May 5, 2022 following a brief illness.
Franklin was a born leader, as he showed during his many years in local government. He served 24 years of public life. He was a Town of Deloraine councillor from 1995-1998, followed by 16 years as mayor from 1998-2014, and four years on the Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester council 2014-2018 during the transition of the amalgamation of the Town of Deloraine and the Municipality of Deloraine-Winchester.
Debbie Adams was employed by the Town of Deloraine for 30 years, and a large portion of them were with Franklin as councillor and then as mayor.
“For the eight years that I was CAO, he assisted in so many ways. I could always count on him to provide his opinion, roll up his sleeves and dig in, whenever he was called upon. He had many hats that he wore but I don’t think I ever heard him say, ‘I don’t have time’, he just always seemed to make it work.”
The Southwest Cougars of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League hosted the U18 AAA Telus Cup Western Regionals in Virden, April 28 - May 1, 2022, coming up short in the final.
“Our season was a challenging one,” said Cougars head coach Troy Leslie. “We had a great start going 8-0 and we were extremely happy as we had a relatively young and inexperienced team at this level. There are 11 players born in 2006 on the roster and only two players born in 2004. Ultimately our start helped us reach the playoffs.”
He added that the team was very committed to a strong defensive style of play knowing they had very good goaltending.
“We were inconsistent at times and had difficulty winning games that we were winning after two periods against some of the better teams in the league. There were also nights where we played extremely well, playing very well against the better teams in the league.”
The thrill of a Christmas morning in his childhood is being relived by Jamie Smith of Boissevain and he is hoping to bring that experience to more community members.
People of a certain age group will remember the lights and sounds of the pinball and video arcade, where quarters were the currency and an afternoon could stretch through an evening of fun. Smith is recreating this at his home, keeping his memories alive.
“For me, this all started on a Christmas morning when I was 13 years old,” Smith stated. “My brother and I woke up to a Haunted House (pinball machine). Dad and mom purchased it for us. Dad used to drive around with Les and Russell Tripp and take games en route. They would put the machines in the places and that’s how I got into it as a kid. It was there on Christmas morning and I was addicted from there.”
In high school, he sold the Haunted House machine, and was out of the activity for many years. When COVID hit in 2020, he could not do his car racing as the tracks shut down. He sold the new car and used the funds to purchase the pinball machine Sound Stage from someone in Portage. He brought it in and it did not work. Smith opened it up and figured out how to fix it. From there, he found he liked to tinker with them and once he made it work, it sparked his interest.
A full 100 years was celebrated by Laverne Tufts, his family and his friends on April 16.
A come and go celebration was held on Saturday at the Shamrock Centre in Killarney. A large crowd, around 100, including all four of his children and their spouses turned up for the special event. There were no activities, just a lot of visiting between guests and the longtime member of the Boissevain community. Those in attendance could also look at displays of his woodworking, military medals, history books and biography projects by his great grandchildren.
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By the evening of Tuesday, April 12, residents of Manitoba were seeing the start of the blizzard we all hope is the final farewell to winter.
The most anticipated storm of recent history is the result of a Colorado low, which moved from the south, dumping snow across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and moving into northern Ontario. Concentrating along the Canada-US border initially, it moved north as it pushed west. By Wednesday morning, communities in our area of the province were covered with a white blanket with more to come. High winds, gusting up to 70 kms an hour were making sure the snow kept moving, making travel dangerous. Most highways in the province were closed. Both Turtle Mountain and Southwest Horizon School Divisions cancelled classes on Tuesday evening.
The return to the ice after waves of COVID was a successful one for the Westman Wildcats.
The area female hockey squad completed a three game sweep of the Winnipeg Ice to win the Manitoba Female Hockey League Championship, winning the final game in the best of five 5-2 on Friday, April 1. This was no April Fool’s joke, however, and Wildcats Assistant Coach Megan Robertson said everyone was thrilled.
“The win was exciting,” Robertson stated. “To win a league title at our home rink in front of a packed Hartney Arena, it was incredible.”
The Wildcats, made up of young women under 18 from our region, finished the 2021-22 regular season third out of eight teams. Their first playoff round was against the Central Plains Capitals, the sixth place team, which they won in three straight. In the second round, it took four games to take out the Yellowhead Chiefs. The ‘Cats won the first two games of the final against the Ice by scores of 3-2 and 3-1.
The only fieldstone building remaining in Deloraine is undergoing some renovations. Originally the Presbyterian Church, but currently occupied by the Prairie Skills Centre, the building was constructed in 1896 and was designated a municipal heritage site in 1994.
According to an article published in the “Deloraine Meets the Millennium” history book, the congregation had decided to build a solid, permanent house of worship in Deloraine. The minister challenged the congregation to bring in stones from their newly broken prairie fields, one stone at a time, week by week, as families came to church. When enough had been gathered, the stone masons set to work and erected the building of their dreams.
Those watching longtime Boissevain lawyer Michael Waldron return to his office after April 1 can be forgiven for wondering about his retirement.
Waldron, who has practiced law in the community since 1980, is pulling down his shingle next month. Retiring from his practice has been on his mind for a while, although he said it is harder to do when you own your own business and have clients to look after.
“You plan for it, but it is easier to keep going,” Waldron explained. “It is time now. There was a combination of things, but I think it was just time. There was nothing pushing me to do it, which was great.”
Waldron took his education in Winnipeg, and after law school, moved to Brandon to do his articling, which must be completed before one is a qualified lawyer. He worked with the Crown office. After his year, there was no position there for him. However, he met lawyer Ross George, whose cousin Harry ran the J.A.H. George law office in Boissevain. In 1980, he started his first job as a qualified lawyer.
It might seem strange nowadays to have professionals from the city come out to rural communities to practice, but Waldron said his class “filled up” the rural positions. Sheldon Lanchberry in Deloraine was an example. He himself always planned to do the same.
“I made the decision to come to the country. I felt I would like the life better.”