Submitted by Jayne Leadbeater | At the SVRSS Cafeteria, last Wednesday, 4 December 2019 over 70 people enjoyed a musical evening presented by Swan Valley Community Band who were performing their 26th Christmas Concert, “FLURRIES OF THE SEASON!” Lots of familiar faces were in attendance, with a few from as a far away as Edmonton […]

Submitted by: Kendra Thiessen | Taking place on Sunday, December 1, 2019 Madge Lake Bible Camp’s Christmas Musical and Dessert Theater was a wonderful evening. This year’s performance included live music, delectable desserts and a guest performer from the Swan Valley, Tim Mueller on dobro, mandolin and guitar. A big thank-you to all who attended […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Swan Valley Fine Arts Festival held their 56th Annual Carol Festival at Temple Baptist Church on December 1, 2019. Various groups and individuals raised their voices and instruments in song in celebration of the season. The afternoon featured performances from Highly Strung Ukulele Group, Girls Christmas Choir, Terri Boyd & Jason […]

Submitted by: Karen Gade | The Benito Rec. Centre was buzzing on Saturday, Nov. 30 when the Benito United Church hosted their 18th annual Craft and Trade event. The mild weather contributed to the great turnout. 42 tables of crafters and home based businesses gave those attending a large variety of shopping choices. Pictured above: […]

Submitted by: Tracy Boychuk | The Swan Valley Tigers game on Sunday December 1, 2019 vs REMP ended with Tigers winning 8-2. The team collected food and toys for the local food bank, collecting a total of 136.9 pounds of food! (Not including the toys). The food bank was very grateful for the donation! Thank […]

Submitted by: Judy Biech | Lenswood Hall was filled December 1, 2019 with a big crowd of hungry kids, parents, grand parents and great grandparents attending the Lenswood Santa Brunch to kick off the Christmas season. Our 3 cooks were busy cooking all morning and did a great job on the pancakes and sausages. The […]

Submitted by: Tanya Staniland | Another successful Harvest Windup was held in Lenswood on November 16, 2019! Everyone enjoyed the music, dancing, and food!!!

Submitted by: Maxine Larway | The Christmas Gift Show held on November 23, 2019 in the Riverview Condos Clubroom was well attended!! We raised $225 so far towards the Alone At Christmas Dinner” Vendors at the show included; Kristen: Thirty-One, Cyndi Miles Designs, Leanne Delaurier: Norwex, The Mushroom Patch, North Country Grains and Hannys Hobbies. […]

Submitted by: Renate Wille | The Lutheran Fall Tea held on November 16, 2019 was a beautiful event, as it always has been. This was the first time in our new home at St. James Anglican Church. It is a learning curve when two congregations share a home, like a couple merging their households, but […]

Submitted by: Swan Valley Primary Care Centre | Dr. Leah Koetting presented her last speech at the Elbert Chartrand Friendship Centre on November 21, 2019, regarding the Low Carb High Fat diet geared for diabetics and weight loss. The presentation was given to 80 people in attendance listening to the presentation. There were questions given […]

Submitted by: Lorri-Ann Munro On Saturday November 16th the SVCTC Toys 4 U Toy Drive kicked off with an event hosted by the Swan River Fire Hall. The goal was to stuff a Police cruiser and the Swan Valley communities did not disappoint! Thank you to the Swan Valley Emergency Services, Shared Health/ Emergency Medical […]

Submitted by: Lloyd Gilchrist | Three very appreciative audiences were entertained this past weekend as the Valley Stage Players presented their comedy, “The Big Five-Oh,” a two-act comedy by playwright Brian Mitchell. The play was based around the Thomas family, whose patriarch, George, was trying to cope with all the life ramifications of reaching the […]

Submitted by: Lynda Parsons | What an amazing night!! The Community Foundation of Swan Valley’s Annual Gala featured local talent Brad Slepicka & Tim Mueller, Martyn Snell & The Marxmen. Following a delicious meal catered by Julie Nahnybida, our guest speaker returning valley resident Miles Jones, shared both his humour and his message of legacy […]

ValleyBiz Story | The Swan River Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 11, 2019 began with the march to the Cenotaph and the placing of three crosses in honour of the Air Force, Navy and Army. The service at the Veterans Community Hall began just before 11 am. Following the Last Post, Minute of Silence, Rouse […]

Submitted by Debbie Soloway | The Pine River Community Centre Fall Supper was held on Sunday November 10th, 2019 5:00pm -7:00pm. The supper was advanced tickets only and they completely sold out accommodating 160 quests. The tables were decorated in beautiful fall colors and the entrance table displayed a cross and a wreath commemorating Remembrance Day. […]

Submitted by Donna Leming | Monday evening, November 4, 2019 a small group of ladies attended a Plant-based Cooking Class in the Swan River Seventh-day Adventist Church basement Meeting Room. They watched as Linda Ogram and Donna Leming demonstrated how to prepare some dishes. The ladies were then shown ways to plate their creation for […]

Submitted by: Tracy Boychuk | The SVRSS Tigers winning streak comes to an end with an 8-3 loss to the Major Pratt Trojans on Sunday November 3, 2019. Tigers are on the road this Wednesday as they head to McCreary. Next home game action is Saturday, November 9, 2019 vs Sandy Bay at 4:30.

Submitted by: Minitonas Knox United Church | By the time the Minitonas Knox United Church Fall Supper started on Sunday, November 3, 2019, the hall was filled with happy, hungry people. More than two full seatings of people were served a feast of turkey, meatballs, salads and many other trimmings and many take-out orders were […]

ValleyBiz Story | One of our readers from Russell, MB pointed out this little gem. On the November 5, 2019 edition of CTV Your Morning, co-hosts Anne-Marie Mediwake and Ben Mulroney have a short exchange about Swan River, MB. “It sounds like something from a fairy tale.” said Mediwake and, after remarking about how “delightful” […]

Submitted by: Association of Community Living | November 1, 2019 marked a special milestone in our Calico Corners history. The Association for Community Living-Swan River has hosted this amazing craft event for 40 years. Crafters from near and far look forward to this event every season to display and sell their wares. It was wonderful […]

Submitted by: Jaci Zbirun | The Benito Ladies Auxiliary would like to thank all who came out to enjoy our Fall tea and bake sale on October 19, 2019. Your support is so greatly appreciated! Winners of the draws were: Door Prize – Vera Markin Hamper – Irene Wright 50/50 – Bev Halushka Thank you […]

Submitted by: Tracy Boychuk | The SVRSS Tigers had a very successful home opener weekend clenching their second win versus the Birtle Falcons with a 14–1 final score on October 27, 2019.

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 […]