Submitted by: Kathleen Markle | On April 12, 2012 the Royal Bank and Swan River Lifeline organized and hosted a Volunteer Day at the Anglican Church. Florence Gray participates in a distress demo. The 85 people in attendance received information and saw demonstrations of the Swan River Lifeline Program and then enjoyed visiting over lunch. […]

Submitted by: Evelyn Bredin | On Thursday, April 26th, several Grade 5 & 6 students from the Swan River Valley met in the St. Andrews United Church to participate in the annual Spelling Bee, hosted by the Swan Valley Fine Arts Festival Association. The Grade 6 students participating in the Spelling Bee. Grade 5 spellers […]

Submitted by: Marilyn Atkinson On Saturday, April 28, 2012 Chris Delaurier and Carlie Rondeau started their pre-wedding fun during their social that night. The hall was filled with friends and family from all over Manitoba as well as supporting friends from the valley. Thank you to everyone who helped with the shower & the social. […]

Submitted by: Nancy McLennan The finale of the 2011-2012 Home Routes House Concert series went well. Attendance was thirty, precisely the size of crowd Home Routes hopes we will achieve, enough so the artists can pay their expenses and earn a bit on this tour. Harley House was the perfect venue, as always. It can […]

Submitted by: Jocelyn Beehler | Students and staff at CBFCS were blessed with musical expertise from several local, valley musicians on April 24th and 25th. Rita Thiessen (new to the valley) and Heidi Honke (Geloa) worked specifically with our JK to Gr.4 students. Martin Snell and Kendra Thiessen (new to the valley) worked with the […]

Submitted by: Shasta Scott The Swan Valley Chapter of The Compassionate Friends held a public information session on April 19, 2012 Pictured here are: Bob Lewis – Advisory Board member, Tara Fahrenschon – Chapter Leader, Shasta Scott – Treasurer, Kathy Highmoor (back) – Advisory Board member and Erin Clouson. The Compassionate Friends is an international, […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Swan Valley Cheetahs Gymnastics held their annual demo night April 19, 2012 giving the gymnasts the opportunity to demonstrate their skills for parents, grandparents, family and friends. Click any picture for a larger version. At the Kindergym level basic skills are taught as class dynamics are learned. The display highlighted the […]

Submitted by: Willetta Hoffman | The Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute from Outlook Saskatchewan presented a concert at Trinity Lutheran Church on Friday, April 13. The concert was made up of a mixture of classical and modern songs, and included a mini-miracle based on Jonah and the Whale. The audience appreciated the music and the quality […]

Province of Manitoba Media Release April 12, 2012 | A new food-processing centre is part of a one‑year pilot project that will provide entrepreneurs from northern communities with the opportunity to test and develop food products for commercial markets, Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced at the opening of the facility here […]

Submitted by: Lana Edmunds Nearly 90 people were involved with the Hillsview Hike on a windy Monday April 9, 2012. Nearly 90 different stories unfolded as the day progressed. Pictures submitted by Courtney Densen, Lloyd Gilchrist and Gale Wagner. Click any picture for a larger version. To Kathy Highmoor, the day signified a coming together […]

Submitted by Wayne Grier | The Swan Valley Chamber of Commerce held their Annual General Meeting April 4, 2012. It was a great evening with approximately 50 people in attendance, highlighted by Guest Speaker Kathy Fisher and her presentation on Leadership! It was a profound message, one that every Valley resident would have had a […]

ValleyBiz Story | With the snow gone and signs of spring popping up, skiing and snowboarding may be the furthest thing from your mind, but not so for the dedicated members of the Thunder Hill Ski Club. Pictures courtesy Thunder Hill Ski Club As one of only a handful of non-profit ski hills in Canada, […]

2012 Swan Valley Host Society Media Release | The 2012 Swan Valley Host Society held a Kickoff Event at the Swan Valley Consumers Co-op on Friday, March 23, 2012 to announce the Power Smart Manitoba Summer Games “Games Wear Day of the Week”. Pictures by ValleyBiz Town of Swan Mayor Glen McKenzie, declared that effective […]

ValleyBiz Story | On Friday, March 23, 2012 an official sod-turning ceremony took place at the construction site for the Swan Valley Recreation and Wellness Centre. Sod-turning honours went to Ron Kostyshyn (Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister) Robert Sopuck, (Member of Parliament for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette) Glen McKenzie (Mayor of Swan River) and Tom Hamilton […]

Submitted by: Michele Poole The Swan School of Dance held their annual recital, on Wednesday March 21st, at the SVRSS Auditorium. In front of a packed house, people were entertained with tap jazz, ballet, hip hop and to top the night off they performed an amazing Bollywood number. Click any picture for a larger version. […]

Submitted by: Dennis Medwid The Swan River, Bowsman and Minitonas Lions clubs are now offering a confidential paper and document shredding service with all proceeds going toward Lions projects within the Valley. The Lions Clubs of the Swan Valley have a long history of collecting and promoting recycling within the Valley. The addition of the […]

Songs of the Modern Wild West Submitted by: Nancy McLennan If you’ve never been to Montana, just listen to the music of Martha Scanlan and you are carried into her beloved landscapes. Martha’s post office box is three miles from her ranch cabin. There, she can get a few groceries, but to do a full […]

Submitted by: Jocelyn Beehler (on behalf of CBFCS) Community Bible Fellowship Christian School students Gr.1-8 participated in an online math competition that was open to all schools in the province. The contest involved students answering math questions through an online game called “Sumdog.” 13 schools participated in the 1-week competition. During the contest 340 students […]

Submitted by: Holly Urban & Melissa Johnson Swan Valley Sport Fishing Enhancement Inc. held Family Fishing Day again this year on March 18. The weather was fair, and one Northern Pike was caught by Briar Werbicki. Swan River Elks provided a fabulous hot lunch and hot chocolate. There were 28 kids who attended along with […]

Submitted by: Barry Stephen | If you missed the 15th annual Billy Beal Classic, you missed one of the best ever. If you were there you’ll know what I mean when I say the weather was unbelievable, the conditions were great, the food was awesome and the fishing was pretty good too. Click any picture […]

ValleyBiz Story | Sapotaweyak Cree Nation Chief Nelson Genaille and Swan River Mayor Glen McKenzie signed a Municipal Development and Services agreement on Thursday, March 15, 2012. Members of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, councilors, youth and members of the public gathered at the Swan River Friendship Centre to witness the signing of the agreement that is […]

Submitted by: Micheline Carstairs The Swan Valley Fine Arts Festival Association, Dance Festival began on Thursday evening at the Friendship Centre with the Dolyna Dancers and Benito Vesselli Dancers rivaling it out for top marks. Click any picture for a larger version. It is very interesting to watch all the traditional dances of Ukrain but […]

Submitted by Sharron Carpenter Spring is coming soon and with it thoughts of no more snow, baseball, seeding, warm days and many other things we wait for all winter. Some of us also wait for festival season too. The Fine Arts Festivals gives many people an opportunity to perform on stage. To do this, the […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Swan River Skating Club presented Broadway on Ice, Sunday March 11, 2012 at the Swan Valley Centennial Arena. Click any picture for a larger view. The older skaters did a great job presenting their routines with the flair and personality of true Broadway performers. There were “No Worries” as the little […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Minitonas Figure Skating Club presented their annual figure skating carnival, “Disney on Ice” on Friday, March 2, 2012 at the Minitonas and District Arena. Click any picture for a larger version. The evening was full of endearing Disney songs and characters: From the country flair of Toy Story To the Hawaiian […]

Submitted by Derek Sagert The Swan Valley Snowmobile Association held their 5th Annual Vintage Snowmobile Ride on Saturday, March 3, 2012. It was a beautiful day for all to enjoy. We had a great lunch, lots of laughs, visiting and many great memories. Over 40 vintage machines dated prior to 1990 attended the event.

Submitted by: Leona Sweetser | The 33rd Annual Bellsite Poker Derby took place on Sunday, February 26. There were 179 driver hands sold and 297 ghostrider hands sold. Click any picture for a larger version. 1st prize 20% of total Best Hand 4-8’s to Claudia Sutherland $834.00 2nd prize 15% of total Best Hand 3-A’s […]

Submitted by: Leona Sweetser | The first annual Porcupine Bash, started out with a guided snowmobile ride, with approximately 20 people. There were more sledders that chose to ride on their own. Click any picture for a larger view. Fire and Ice, had about 60 people stop in for Chilli and a bun. The home-made […]

Submitted by: Shanna Schroeder | Pictured here is our Minitonas Sharks Team after their second win of the day. Click the picture for a larger version. Left to right, front to back: Jake Bartel, Nate Immerkar, Brooke Foster, Kristen Moshenko, Ella Hart, Sammy Moshenko, Logan Grandfield, Callie Immerkar, Cayden Kovachik, Brayden Bartel, Trae Bateman. Coaches: […]

ValleyBiz Story | A fully licensed and inspected commercial kitchen meeting Provincial food safety standards, will soon be available in Swan River on a fee-per-use basis. The Food Processing Centre is an initiative of the Veteran’s Community Hall with funding from the Government of Manitoba and will be available for use by entrepreneurs looking to […]

Submitted by: Louise Schabert The 5th annual Benito Open Mixed Bonspiel took in 32 rinks.  An age range of 11 to almost 80 participated in the events of the week at the Benito Rec Centre.  A terrific time was had by all. First Event Winners sponsered by the Swan Valley Credit Union L to R […]

ValleyBiz Story | Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our local snowmobile clubs, and with a little help from Mother Nature, the Swan Valley is buzzing with excitement as we share our snow with sledders from the snow-free parts of the Prairies. We are fortunate to have two snowmobile clubs in the Swan […]

Story by: Nancy McLennan | February of 2012 appears to be a turning point for Valley House Concerts. Since the House Concerts began in 2008, over 900 people have attended the shows and professional musicians have earned almost $13,000 in revenue. Pictures by Micheline Carstairs (Click any picture for a larger version) On Wednesday (Feb […]

Submitted by: Barry Waito | The Boots in the Backcountry Introductory session on Monday Feb 13th at 7:00 pm attracted 34 registrants. Of these, 27 were able to make the meeting with the balance requesting to be kept up to date with further sessions. The meeting started with Barry Waito introducing himself, talking about the […]

Submitted by: Florence Gray The Luthern and Anglican ladies got together at the Luthern Church to make quilts for Luthern World Relief. Over the 3 day span (Feb 13-15) about a dozen women worked together using donated material, thread and wool to make 38 quilts. Click any picture for a larger version. First, one team […]

Submitted by: Shelley Cotten Part II of the Swan Valley Human Library took place last week at the Northwest Regional Library in Benito. Tuesday, February 7th, the 5th-8th grades came over from the school and checked out several books. Click any picture for a larger version. Both the “books” and the “readers” seemed to enjoy […]

Submitted by: Janine Stewart | Swan River will soon have a new option for licensed school age child care services. Photo by Caitlin Stewart Heyes Child Care Centre Board of Directors: Kim Kuruliak, Crystal Ross, Robyn Eisner, Janine Stewart, Michelle Eisner (click for a larger version) Heyes Child Care Centre hopes to open its doors […]

ValleyBiz Story | When Gerry Stevenson moved here from The Pas 13 years ago, he turned his passion for sled dog racing into an annual community event. The 13th Annual Birch River Sled Dog Race took place this weekend with 9 teams participating. Click any picture for a larger version. Following a circuit that includes […]

Submitted by: Kamshi Kanavathy | “No boys and no donkeys allowed, go away!” and so did David Copperfield’s Aunt Betsey open the 200th Anniversary Celebration of Charles Dickens at the North-West Regional Library in Swan River last night. Click any picture for a larger version. An entertaining and spectacular portrayal of Aunt Betsey was played […]

Submitted by: Service to Seniors | Service to Seniors were very pleased with the turnout for the Telehealth Heart & Stroke presentation they hosted on Monday, February 6th at the Swan Valley Health Facility. 33 people attended the session that dealt with the signs and symptoms of what has been termed “The Silent Killer.” The […]

Submitted by: Doreen and Doug Windsor St. James Anglican Church hall was filled to capacity on Saturday afternoon, February 4th for its’ very successful Valentine Tea Tasting event. Click any picture for a larger version. Much laughter augmented the fellowship which was enjoyed by each and everyone after they chose from a wide selection of […]

Submitted by: Bev Leach | The Friends for Grandmothers of Africa were delighted to host nearly forty guests in the North-West Regional Library on January 24. The event was held to express the group’s appreciation for the interest and support which has been given to the Stephen Lewis Foundation by the community and therefore to […]

Submitted by: Shelley Cotten | Part One of the first Swan Valley Human Library event took place January 12-14th at the Northwest Regional Library in Swan River. It was a great time! Click any picture for a larger version. There were 15 Human Books available at different times for “checkout” (30 minute conversations/demonstrations) to Readers […]

Submitted by: Dee-Ann Clarkson | There was a good turn out for Friday night shinny in Minitonas. Everyone had a great time. If you missed out, join in next time. Click for January Dates Click any picture for a larger version.

Submitted by: Florence Gray We had a very good Christmas dinner at St. James Anglican Church on Dec.25. Very well attended with 51 people taking part in the meal. It’s amazing how many people volunteered with food and helping put the meal on the table. Without this help it just wouldn’t happen and the opportunity […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Bowsman Lions Santa Party took place on Thursday, December 22 at the local arena. Santa was on hand to make sure his list was complete and to hear any last minute wishes. Click any picture for a larger view. Family and friends honed their skills and enjoyed good company on the […]

Submitted by: MaryAnn Friesen and Scott Tibble Several valley churches worked together to put on a Live Nativity at Scott and Cindy Tibble’s farm near Benito. There were approximately 90 volunteers and more than 350 people that attended. Click a picture for a larger version. Cars were parked at the parking lot with the help […]

ValleyBiz Story | Mr. & Mrs. Claus made a special appearance in Minitonas during the Downtown Christmas Party on December 16th. Click a picture for a larger version. Hot dogs and hot chocolate were ready at 6pm as people started to arrive. The warmth of the bonfire welcomed young and old to gather round. Santa […]

ValleyBiz Story | It was an afternoon of skating, fun, friends and Santa at the Minitonas Arena on Sunday, December 11. Santa stopped by to hear the kids’ requests and the Lions Club handed out Christmas treat bags. Click any of the pictures for a larger version

Submitted by: Torey Werbicki | The Dolyna Ukrainian Dancers hosted a Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 8, 2011. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. Click any of the pictures for a larger version.