Submitted by: Lorri-Ann Munro | We hope you had a chance to visit the Swan Valley Communities That Care (SVCTC) 7th Anniversary Spooktober- Fest Haunted House! It was a great event, which offered a Halloween experience for all ages. Over 1700 visitors attended the Spooktober-Fest at the SV Historical Museum, running for three nights, October […]

Submitted by: Gwenda Wotton Another successful Craft Sale was hosted by the Birch River Northern Neighbors Oct 26, 2019. 22 vendors were selling everything from baking, quilts, James, jellies, cards etc. – there was something for everyone. We even had 5 generations of shoppers all at the same time. There was a good turn out […]

Submitted by: Tracy Boychuk The SVRSS Swan Valley Tigers win 7-3 over Roblin Raiders in their Home Opener on October 25, 2019. Special thanks to the Home Opener Sponsors Star City Cinema – Y Not Johnny’s – Pizza Place -Timberland Inn and Tim Hortons. Next Game is Sunday October 27, 2019 at 1:00 PM. Come […]

Submitted by: Jan Fawcett “Men’s Shed” is Men Helping Men. Starting in 2007 there are now more than 2000 groups world wide. There is no pre-ordained structure to maintain the model of the group nationally and internationally. Each Men’s Shed meets the needs of the local guys. A second informational meeting was held at Harley […]

Submitted by: Malcolm Shaw | Elks President Malcolm Shaw recently presented a cheque in the amount of $500.00 to the Pee Wee hockey team. Pictured (l to r): Malcolm Shaw, Alex Campbell, Kai Gorchynski, Grace Kirk and Coach Dave Kirk.

Pictured above: On October 17, 2019 The Association of Community Living-Swan River (ACL) and SVRSS Athletics were presented with the proceeds from the Swan Valley Co-op Fuel Good Day. Swan Valley Co-op participated in the third annual Co-op Fuel Good Day held on September 17, 2019. Across Western Canada more than 180 local organizations benefited […]

Submitted by: Rose Kovachik On September 29, 2019 the Cowan Fall Supper was held at the Cowan Community Centre. The day started with sunshine that turned into a gloomy rain, but inside the hall there was a bustle of activity. The Cowan Ladies and a few gentlemen were slicing, dicing, and preparing for the feast […]

Submitted by: Rod Seib, Self Help/Public Promotions Coordinator Canadian Mental Health Association – Swan Valley Branch | The Parkland Mental Health Promotions Committee held their 4th annual Chili Cook-off event at the Elbert Chartrand Friendship Center on Friday, October 11, 2019. A total of 8 teams representing various local organizations and agencies entered the competition […]

Submitted by: Formo Motors | The snow in the morning didn’t scare us off from putting on our We Scare Hunger Fundraiser BBQ lunch on October 9, 2019! We were toasty warm eating our delicious hamburgers cooked to perfection smothered in BBQ sauce and some chips and cookies for dessert! We had a great turnout […]

Submitted by: Tobey Thiessen | One hundred people gathered at Temple Baptist on the evening of Saturday October 5, 2019 to enjoy the wonderful vocal talent of Jayme Giesbrecht from Winkler, MB. She was joined by band members Jonathan Alexiuk on keyboard and Jim Johnson on the drums, whose individual skills were both stellar. Jayme’s […]

Submitted by: Tanya Powell | It was a beautiful sunny day and many people joined us on the walk to support the Spirit of Reconciliation & Honour on October 4th 2019. We recognized three very important initiatives Missing and Murdered Women, Every Child Matters, and the Moose-hide Campaign. Thank you to all for attending and […]

Submitted by: Lloyd Gilchrist | The Swan Valley Hoedowners kicked off the new season of square dancing on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at the Senior Centre in Swan River. More than two squares of enthusiastic dancers, both experienced and new, enjoyed the musical calling moves and instructions from caller Linda Gilchrist. Square dances are held […]

Submitted by: Edgar Yacyshyn | Durban Community Hall held their annual Fall supper on Sept 29, 2019. With the few weeks of prep time the community served up enough for over 300 full and satisfied customers. With all the great comments that were received we would like to thank all the volunteers who came out […]

Submitted by: Lucile Neufeld | On Sunday, September 8, 2019 the United Churches of the Valley held their annual church services at Wellman Lake United Church Camp. It was a beautiful day to be at the lake to take part in the festivities. The morning started off with a pancake breakfast from 9:00 am to […]

Submitted by: Kathleen Sterma The Swan River Northwest Regional Library held the 1st Annual Fall Fair on Saturday September 21, 2019. There were over 650 People who attended including the volunteers that helped with the event. 11 local Vendors participated. Children’s activities were the highlight of the day! The Northwest Regional Library would like to […]

Pictured above: Jason Wenzel, Kendal Steschycyn, Joyce Bateman, Lucile Neufeld, Carl Giesbrecht, Trevor Warburton Submitted by: Lucile Neufeld | Wellman Lake United Church Camp recently received two donations for the construction of a new geothermal bathroom facility at the camp. Pictured above is the presentation of a cheque by Richardson Pioneer in the amount of […]

Submitted by: Barry Fawcett | A meeting was held at Harley House on Thursday September 19, 2019 to set the ground work for the formation of a “Men Shed” for the Swan River area. Two members of the Dauphin’s Men Shed joined organizer Barry Fawcett to present information to the with six local men who […]

Submitted by David Ogram, Health Awareness Committee, Swan River Seventh-day Adventist Church On the evening of Monday, September 16, 2019, eighteen people were present at the first of 5 Vegetarian Cooking Classes (using only plant foods) being held in the Basement Meeting Room at the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The recipes used are suitable for people […]

Submitted by: Rod Seib | As part of World Suicide Prevention Day on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 25 people came out to participate in a community awareness walk for suicide prevention. Following the walk, participants gathered at CMHA and received information about resources available for suicide prevention. The short program also included a poem reading, […]

Submitted by: Teresa Mckay The Tent Town Garden Club held its annual fruit festival on Saturday, September 7th, satisfying the tastebuds of many valley residents with scrumptious pies, baked and served by the volunteers of the club and community. We had a wonderful turnout again and we are grateful to all who come from around […]

Submitted by: Rose Kovachik with pictures by Tammy Herntier and Jessica Kovachik The annual Cowan Trail Celebration once again occurred on the fourth Saturday of August, being August 24th this year and marking it the 21st. On Friday night, as usual, the Cowan Hall parking lot slowly filled with trailers, horses, and ATVs. By Saturday […]

Pictured above L to R, Front Row: Donna Martin (Executive Director) Back Row: CFSV Board Members, Tim Mendel, Kathy Eggie, Presenting for SVTA – Nicole Bobick, CFSV Board Members Barry Stephens, Lorne Henkelman (Chair), Max Polon, June McKenzie & Glenda Foster. Submitted by: Community Foundation of Swan Valley | In July, the Community Foundation of […]

Pictured above: Bill Galloway presenting donation from Wade Philp Galloway Legacy Foundation to Skate Park Committiee representatives, Tracy Kerr and Carla Hamelin. Submitted by: Shawna Kostiuk | The Benito Skate Park Committee would like to thank the Wade Phillip Galloway Legacy Foundation for the generous support to our project. The Wade Philip Galloway Legacy Foundation […]

Pictured above L to R, Front Row: Bruce Hardie (Presenting on behalf of the Bretsen Family), CFSV Board Members, Glenda Foster, Lorne Henkelman (Chair) Back Row: Barry Stephens, Kathy Eggie, Donna Martin (Executive Director), Max Polan, June McKenzie & Tim Mendel Submitted by: Community Foundation of Swan Valley | The Community Foundation of Swan Valley […]

Submitted by: Allen Martin | There was a great turn out for the annual pancake breakfast hosted by the Swan River Flying Club on August 25, 2019. The weather prevented most of the out of town aircraft from flying in, but local people enjoyed the morning.

Submitted by: Shawna Kostiuk | Shine up your scooters and skateboards!!!! Kingdom Enterprises from Steinbach MB, greeted the Benito community with the start of a brand new skate park on August 26, 2019. Ground breaking Construction took place today at the Recreation grounds and we couldn’t be happier. The project will be completed around September […]

Submitted by: Kandace Hart | The Spitfires Girls Volleyball team hosted an open skills camp August 23, 2019 at SVRSS with clinician Aimee Uchelenko. Aimee currently coaches the 18U Women’s club team in Estavan and is involved with the Atomic Program. She was a member of the Saskatchewan provincial team, had a 5 year career […]

Submitted by: Brittney Suchoplas | Even though we had to cancel the Doggy Derby on Sunday August 11, 2019, poker hands were still played. Mishka (former SVAPL dog) and her sister Bear, supervised the dealings for our ghost hand draws at the Rotary Park. Congratulations to Jackie Basso who was lucky in getting TWO of […]

Submitted by: Edgar Yacyshyn | On August 10, 2019 Durban held their annual demo derby. With the date changed from Sunday to a Saturday, the drivers appreciated the change giving them a chance to get home and recover from the rough and tough workout held during the crushing demo. With a new set of rules […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Swan Valley Speedway was buzzing with activity as the Swan Valley Stock Car Club hosted their annual invitational 2 day race on August 3 and 4, 2019. The weather was beautiful and the racing was great with close to 60 cars in attendance from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Friendly fans, fantastic […]

Submitted by: Ellen Little with pictures by ValleyBiz.ca | A day of almost perfect weather on July 22, 2019 made the Annual Garden Walk, sponsored by the Swan River Ladies Golf Club, even more enjoyable. Five of some of the most beautiful farm yards in the Kenville area were on display. Merv & Jane Beasley […]

Submitted by: Jay Coulthart, Formo Motors | Mustang Mania 2019 was a great success. We had over 40 entries in the car show held on July 26, 2019. A lot of really cool, unique automobiles. Thanks to everyone that traveled far and wide to partake in the show. Congratulations to all the winners of their […]

ValleyBiz Story | Here’s one last look at the racing action from the 2019 Northwest Roundup and Exhibition. The Roundup featured 4 days of heart-pumping, crowd-cheering, Chariot and Chuckwagon racing action.

ValleyBiz Story | On July 25, 2019, it was announced that the Trains at the Swan Valley Museum project will be receiving a grant in the amount of $32,500 from the Province of Manitoba under the Building Sustainable Communities program. The funding will cover 50% of the $65,000 cost for Phase 1 of the project. […]

ValleyBiz Story | The parade is a highly anticipated event each year during the Northwest Roundup and Exhibition and local businesses and organizations were all decked out in their parade day best to celebrate on July 26, 2019. The parade theme was Swan Valley Proud and the floats showcased many aspects of Swan Valley life […]

Submitted by: June McKenzie | The local Community In Blooms committee was honored to host the judges for this year’s competition on July 29, 2019. Hugh Skinner is from Roblin and Shonda Ashcroft is from Birtle. They were busy taking notes, photos and asking questions and generally admiring our beautiful town. Points of interest on […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Northwest Roundup and Exhibition in Swan River has something for everyone and the rodeo events are always a crowd-pleaser. The fast paced events offer plenty of thrills, spills and heart-pumping action. Bronc Riding Bull Riding Tie Down Roping Steer Wrestling Team Roping Barrel Racing

ValleyBiz Story | Each year kids look forward to the Northwest Roundup and Exhibition in Swan River on the last weekend in July. This year was no exception. The Roundup provides plenty of things to do, including opportunities for up and coming rodeo stars to get up close and personal with the action. The Mutton […]

Submitted by: Barry Stephen | Another good year for the Bowsman Curling Club’s pancake breakfasts on July 26, 27 and 28, 2019. Friday started off at Formo Motors from 8:00am till 9:30am before the parade and Mustang Mania. A good crowd enjoyed our pancakes and sausages. Then, on to our new location at the Veterans […]

Submitted by: Debbie (Bell) Soloway | This year the weather was great as the sun shone upon us and the flag flapped in the breeze. Everyone enjoyed seeing and petting the little puppy that Rita and Rhoda Jones brought for a visit. The games were for all ages to enjoy together, they started off with […]

Submitted by: Angela Mullin The Milk Run is a series of horse shows along what is believed to be the route the Milk Truck took years ago to pick up the farmers milk! Dax Mullin, Kailey McArthur & Tyler Petelski started in Gilbert Plains show on Saturday, July 13, 2019. On Sunday we moved on […]

Submitted by: Kendal Stechyshyn | Despite a cooler day the Benito Child Care Centre had a great turn out for their BBQ fundraiser July 19, 2019. The parents, kids and staff would like to thank all those who came out to support, the volunteers and our sponsors. Thank you to Key Chev for hosting the […]

Submitted Photo The Swan River Elks & Royal Purple made a donation in the amount of $2,000.00 to the Benito Skate Park. The cheque was presented on July 11,2019 by Exalted Ruler Malcolm Shaw Benito Skate Park President, Tracy Kerr.

Submitted by: Phyl Friesen | The Town of Swan River celebrated Canada Day with a family friendly afternoon. The day featured kids bouncers and games, 2 mini trains, kites and frisbies. Free ice cream was served and live music was featured at the entertainment stage. The day was topped off at dusk with fireworks at […]

Submitted by: Shirley Yaschyshyn | Benito was bustling on Canada Day with a full day of activities for all ages to enjoy. To start the festivities, the Benito Volunteer Firefighter’s hosted a Pancake Breakfast. Pancakes, sausages, coffee and juice were served to approximately 420 people with all money raised going to the CZ Miller Trust […]

ValleyBiz Story | Music filled the air on June 16, 2019 as the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School presented their year end concert at the Festival Stage in the Swan River Legion Park. The concert featured the Grade 9 band and Senior band along with a number of selections from the Toronto-Niagara Falls Tour Band. […]

Submitted by: Brenna Smith | On June 26, 2019 it was a sad day in Birch River as the community said their good byes to Birch River School. The evening began with past students, current students, parents, and community members touring around the school looking at pictures, trophies, and yearbooks from the past. The evening […]

Submitted by: Bev Leach | The Anglican Lutheran congregation was happy to be able to host ‘Company’s Coming’ at St. James on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. On this morning once a month in the summer, guests from the Lodge and Personal Care Home are given the opportunity to meet together to visit and renew acquaintances […]

Submitted by: Debbie Soloway | The Pine River LUD Committee held their sixth Annual Town Wide Yard Sales on Saturday June 15, 2019 th 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. This year there were eight exhibitors and Mother Nature kept the rain away, even though visitors told us they drove in rain to get here. The […]

Submitted by: Royal Canadian Legion Birch River Branch #48 | On June 16, 2019 the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #48 – Birch River hosted a Fathers Day Brunch! We got off to a slow start (we think everyone slept in), in the end our attendance was great! Lots of visiting and planning for the days […]