All-ages ‘Jack & the Beanstalk’ opera fee-fi-fo-free

It will be a shush-free day at the Brandon Public Library when Manitoba Underground Opera presents a “for kids” operatic version of “Jack & the Beanstalk” and welcomes kids of all ages and their parents or guardians to this no-charge performance.

“Jack and the Beanstalk” is a 30-minute adaptation of the classic fairy tale. The libretto (story and lyrics) are by John Davies. The music is from the works of Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan), making it a delightful and light-hearted introduction to opera.

“It’s pretty faithful to the story you know,” says Brendan McKeen, executive director at Manitoba Underground Opera.

“Jack and his mother are going hungry, so they decide they need to sell their cow. Jack finds somebody (Trouble-Man) who says: Oh, sell the cow for these magic beans! The beans grow into the beanstalk. Jack goes up … and he finds the giant.”

McKenna departure a big blow for WHL

The most electrifying player in Western Canada hockey circles is chasing big bucks south of the border and won’t be displaying his ‘how-did-he-do-that?’ talent this winter in the Western Hockey League.

Gavin McKenna, 17, and the presumed No. 1 pick in the National Hockey League draft 11 months from now, announced July 8 he will enrol at Penn State and play for the school’s hockey team.

Instead of making $100 a week or so playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers and facing a gruelling 68-game schedule that would have taken him on cold bus rides to 22 other cities in the west, McKenna and his new Penn State mates will travel in luxury — short regional bus trips and the occasional flight.

What was the attraction? Why Penn State over Medicine Hat, which could have made another legitimate run at the Memorial Cup? There were, in fact, 700,000 attractions. As in $700,000, the reported value of the deal he signed with Penn State under the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s NIL (name, image, likeness) policy.

Fire won’t stop Rossburn Rodeo

Volunteers plan to use tents at the Rossburn Rodeo this year after a suspected arson burned down a key building at the fairgrounds.

Community members have donated two tents to use at the September event, Rossburn Ag Society president Neil Carson told the Sun.

Ag Society members will use the tents to do jobs that were usually done in a building that burned down in June.

“The rodeo will be good, Carson said. “All the events will be fine. It’s just, it’s a little more inconvenient for the members of the Ag Society.”

OUR SUMMER OF ICE CREAM SERIES RETURNS

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Province boosts doctor training at BU

The Manitoba government is adding 10 new doctor training seats in Brandon and renovating the Brodie Science Centre.

The goal is put more students on a career path to medicine in the Westman region, according to an announcement from three provincial officials. The addition will bring the total number of doctor training seats up to 20 in Brandon.

Premier Wab Kinew, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara, and Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable made the announcement in July.

“Our government is committed to rebuilding health care across Manitoba and we’re following through on that commitment by training the next generation of family physicians right here in Westman,” said Kinew.

Westman roads and bridges to be repaired

The Manitoba government is investing more than $189 million in infrastructure upgrades in western Manitoba, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor announced this month.

The money will be spent on multiple highway repair projects, bridge repairs and culvert replacements, the province announced.

The 18 projects include fixing Highway 5 for 15 kilometres north of Highway 2, and “structure replacements” at the Assiniboine River at Spruce Woods Provincial Park and north of Holland on Highway 34.

Also, several culverts will be replaced and improvements will be made to 115 kilometres of highway, including Highway 10 and Provincial Road 270, from the Trans-Canada Highway to Highway 25.

Skubal sparks Tigers’ rise from the depths

While the Toronto Blue Jays are having an unexpectedly great season, baseball fans in general are enjoying a terrific season on a number of fronts as Major League Baseball passes its halfway mark.

Trying to project a World Series winner in July is a fool’s game, but it was hardly in doubt back in April when most of the game’s followers were declaring the Los Angeles Dodgers to be a repeat winner of the October (that runs into November) Classic. And why not? The Dodgers dominated the 2024 season and returned with almost the same powerful lineup but with one key addition: Slugger Shohei Ohtani was returning to the mound. The Dodgers in a cakewalk, right?

Not so fast. The first team to get to 50 victories this year was somewhat of a surprise: The Detroit Tigers, who grabbed a wildcard playoff berth last year after languishing at or near the basement of the American League Central for nearly a decade. As the calendar flipped from June to July, the Tigers and Dodgers had identical records atop MLB’s 32 teams. Leading the way for the Tigers is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal, who won the AL’s triple crown of pitching last year (wins, ERA, strikeouts). He’s back at it again this year, with a 10-2 record, 2.13 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 109 innings.

But while the Tigers were the first to 50 wins, all teams in the American League must keep their eye on the New York Yankees, who would likely prevail in a best-of-seven championship series against the Tigers. Outfielder Aaron Judge is having another sensational season and is the mid-season favourite to win the MVP again. Free-agent pitcher pickup Max Fried is earning his hefty salary, going 10-2 with a 2.13 ERA at mid-season.

Stargazing in the dog days of summer

Is it hot enough for you? Are you out watering the garden twice a day? Could you fry an egg on the hood of your car? Is your pooch’s tongue lolling out of his mouth while he snoozes in the shade?

Welcome to the dog days of summer. And by the way, that part about your dog sleeping in the shade has nothing to do with the expression “dog days.” It’s more “astro-mythological.”

The moniker “dog days” is associated with the dog star, Sirius (a.k.a. Alpha Canis Majoris) and is the brightest star (not counting the sun) in the sky. It’s found in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog) which is sometimes said to represent one of the constellation Orion’s hunting dogs. Sirius is a daytime star at this time of year, so while you can’t actually see it, it really is up there.

You can take Tyler Foster’s word for it.

Kitchen renovation to come after $25k community grant

KENTON — The kitchen of the Kenton Memorial Hall will be renovated in order to keep community events in the forecast for years to come, thanks to a $25,000 grant from a local credit union.

Greg Facey from Fusion Credit Union presented the cheque to volunteers in July. The donation will be used by Kenton Community Enterprises to hire a team to expand the kitchen by relocating a wall, install a new double-wide fridge and new countertops, replace the sinks with three deep commercial-style sinks, add a commercial dishwasher, put in ventilation, add an island and maybe replace the stove.

Volunteer Adam Fordyce said the venue gives the community a place to host life events, and he said it’s important to ensure that continues. The hall attracts locals from around Kenton for events like weddings, fundraisers, funerals, and that keeps the rural community heartbeat alive.

“We want to see these buildings available for access to everybody in the community and surrounding areas,” said Fordyce. “If we don’t keep them up, that’ll disappear.”

Rural Roundup – July 17, 2025

DAUPHIN - photo building rendering

Officials are looking for ways to trim costs at an upcoming child care facility that has been delayed by budget problems.

The new facility, named Prairie Park Place, a design of 120 spaces for children in Dauphin, has recently been found to be about 20 per cent over the expected budget. As a result, workers have not broken ground yet despite originally planning for the project to be up and running this spring.

City staff are exploring different construction ideas to bridge the budget gap, which amounts to about $1.6 million. A gravel parking lot, smaller fencing allotments, and minimum outdoor play spaces have been considered as the city looks to negotiate the project back to its original budget of $5.5 million.

Bears that go a-courtin’

There are times when I struggle to find a topic for my monthly article, and June was shaping up to be such a time. Thankfully, a couple of sets of bears decided to pop up and do something I have never seen before.

Interestingly, this past month is the first time I have ever seen bears engage in what I believe was courting, and not just once, but twice. Rae and I saw the first pair of potential amorous bears crossing the highway just south of Onanole. We spotted what we took to be the adult female first, sauntering across the highway at a leisurely pace. She was nice looking, with a rich shiny coat and what appeared to be a fairly large store of fat left over from last year. A real looker, you might say.

Following behind, after about 30 seconds, was a much larger and even healthier looking bear. Although we couldn’t see any dangly bits, it sure looked like a big male to us. He seemed very intent in following the smaller bear but appeared to be in no hurry as he too slowly crossed the highway. The tourists took full advantage of his leisurely attitude, snapping away at him like wildlife paparazzi.

I pondered aloud to Rae that given it was June, and with no cubs in sight, that this might be a case of a pair of bears caught up in the mating season. We drove on, leaving the bears to themselves, along with about 20 gawking humans.

Ninette Sanatorium making a recovery

NINETTE – Richard O’Leary presses his power drill to the door of the vacant Ninette Sanatorium. He toggles the drill into reverse and unwinds five screws out of the wood that had sealed the entrance, and the door swings open.

The floor inside is littered. Books, rubble and dirt rest on the ground, the walls and ceilings are peeling. O’Leary steps in, and tells his dog Chance to be careful behind.

The carpenter comes to a brick fireplace and kneels before it, sticking his arm up the chimney. From his knees, he says the brick model will be perfect for an electric fireplace.

O’Leary is one of a team of three construction workers who are gutting the Ninette Sanatorium and refurbishing it to house apartments and commercial projects. The 10-year vision is underway, with the hope one apartment building will be completed this winter, having rented a suite already, and a museum is planned for the end of summer.

Toews’ return to NHL a bonus for Jets

Winnipeg now has two golden boys.

The hockey gods may have kicked Winnipeg Jets in the gut with a second-round playoff ouster, but the team was blessed with a nice consolation prize in late June when future Hall of Famer Jonathan Toews announced he would sign a one-year deal with the Jets.

For Toews, a 12-time 20-goal scorer, it’s a true homecoming, for the 37-year-old veteran who played 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks is a Winnipegger by birth. He grew up in the suburb of St. Vital, bypassed the Western Hockey League to play two seasons at the University of North Dakota, and was chosen third overall in the 2006 draft by the Blackhawks.

Three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe trophy and 417 goals (counting playoffs) later, Toews was not only the Blackhawks captain and leader, but a Windy City icon.

6 towns, 6 fairs, 7 days

From the littlest of guinea pigs to the largest of Limousin cattle, there’s something that will grab every member of the family at the Milk Run agricultural fairs in Western Manitoba.

The annual week-long circuit of rural community fairs, each organized by their agricultural societies (all of which belong to the Manitoba Association of Agricultural Societies or MAAS), includes six towns and opens on July 13 and 14 with Oak River. It then moves to Strathclair, Shoal Lake, Hamiota, Harding and wraps up with Oak Lake on July 19. The towns are close to one another in a manageable 160-kilometre route. That makes it possible, with a little planning, to see them all.

The Milk Run features all the traditions you’d want at country fairs: parades, pancake breakfasts, exhibitors with prized cattle, gymkhana and equestrian shows with light horses, heavy horses, miniature horses and ponies. The towns offer a lengthy list of activities: schoolwork and home-living presentations and competitions, children’s activities, ball games, beer gardens, local artists, small animals, gardening and plants, lawn tractor pulls, and even a classic car show.

The most asked question about the Milk Run is how did it get its name? It’s a mystery that has been pursued and even written about for years.

Clear Lake boat ban fight fundraiser over $110K

A Clear Lake coalition has fundraised more than $110,000 to fight boat bans announced this year by Parks Canada.

The Fairness for Clear Lake coalition, received 164 donations on its online fundraiser after the first 10 weeks. A spokesperson told the Sun that the results are encouraging and show people care deeply about using Clear Lake and preserving traditions at the park.

“Thank you to everyone who has stood with us — your support is the heart of this movement, and your voices are driving real change,” the coalition wrote in an email to the Sun. “We are profoundly grateful for the extraordinary support.”

The fundraiser has received support from individuals and businesses such as Elkhorn Resort, which contributed $7,500. Individual donations hovered around $200 each. The group is fundraising to challenge Parks Canada’s ban of motorized watercraft through advocacy and legal channels.