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Let the party of the summer get underway.
The 35th edition of Dauphin's Countryfest kicks off Friday and runs throughout the weekend.
Countryfest Board President Duane McMaster says he is looking forward to seeing the crowd that will flock to the Selo Ukraina site over the course of the weekend.
"I love going out there on a Friday or Saturday night and looking up at that huge crowd in the ampitheatre and just knowing that I was part of the crew that managed to put this together and part of that long history of bringing all of these people from all over the place to our little town and showing it off."
McMaster is extremely happy to see a rise in ticket sales conpared to the last two years.
He says festival attendees will notice one change this year, as they have dropped the food tokens system.
"We talked to a few different festivals that do food tokens and we did try it out for two years. It did not go very well the first year but we thought we would do it twice just to make sure. We thought we had worked the kinks out, but after two years, nobody was really a fan of it and it just was not functioning well on the logistics side on our end, and it was a lot of work for no real benefit."
It is a largely "90's Country" lineup this year, with headline acts including Clint Black Friday night, Alabama on Saturday, and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on Sunday.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
These vouchers are valued up to the following:
$175 for female dogs;
$125 for male dogs: and
$75 for male cats.
In a press release, Mayor David Bosiak had the following to say about the new program.
“A key factor in responsible pet ownership is to spay and neuter dogs and cats, so we do not add to the problem our shelters are facing with limited space and overworked volunteers,” said City of Dauphin Mayor, David Bosiak. “We encourage residents to be a part of the solution by fixing their pets.”
To apply for SNAP, head to City Hall or online.
Proof of residency in Dauphin and a valid pet license are required for eligibility. Upon approval, the City will issue a voucher that can be used at either the Dauphin Vet Clinic or Uptown Pet Clinic. Pet owners are responsible for paying the remaining fees at the time of their appointment.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
With only five percent of people working in the trades sector being women, First Peoples Developent Inc. is hoping to bump that number up significantly.
They have opened a LauncHer Into Trades Program, which aims to promote the retention of all women in Red Seal Trades in Manitoba, while also assisting women in achieving employment in a Red Seal trade career.
Barb Moran is the program manager, and says there are some qualifications that have to be met by potential participants in the program.
"The individual must be working. so they have to have an employer for us to assist them with say PPE, boots, safety glasses, or anything like that."
Barb recognizes that there are a lot of challenges in the trades, especially for women. She also says that since five percent of the current trades labor force in Canada is made up of women, this leads to a largely untapped demographic for the trades.
"you know, we want to educate the females to increase women in the field first of all, and also recognize the employer as champions hiring the women as their taking on apprentices."
A total of 30 trades are eligible for assistance with the LauncHer program.
To get more information or to start the application process, you visit fpdinc.ca
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Some updates from the courts this week.
One of the accused in a trio of armed robberies in Dauphin this past March was back in court this week.
24-year-old Lorenzo Ducharme of Duck Bay appeared in Dauphin court on Tuesday, where he had his matters adjourned to July 9.
And a Dauphin teen is free after charges related to a November traffic stop in the city were stayed this week by the Crown.
18-year-old Diondre Nicholson was arrested after police found out the driver of a vehicle was driving while suspended.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
A 14-year-old is facing several charges after being taken into custody on Wednesday in Dauphin.
Just before midnight on Wednesday, Dauphin RCMP located an intoxicated 14-year-old male walking down Main Street North and he was taken into custody for his safety.
Officers found the youth to be in possession of an air pistol that resembled a restricted handgun.
As a result, he is being charged with consuming alcohol as a minor and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He has been released with a future court date.
The Dauphin RCMP are concerned with the number of realistic-looking firearms that are being seized.
While they are legal to possess, firearms charges can follow if brandished as a firearm. Officers are unable to tell if these realistic-looking weapons are real firearms or not and they will be treated as such until proven otherwise.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Three bridges within the Municipality of Gilbert Plains are closed until further notice, as officials assess damage done to them by rain and moisture so far this year.
The closures include the Pernarowski Bridge on Road 144 North between Roads 122 and 123 West, the Zadorozny Bridge on Road 122 West between Highway 10 and Road 150 North, and the Nykiforuk Bridge on Road 154 North between Roads 120 and 121 West.
The Municipality says it is working with engineers to determine the amount of damage, as well as getting an estimated length of bridge closures in order to repair them.
They say until these assessments are complete, no traffic will be allowed on any of these bridges.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The party is on just south of Dauphin.
The gates at Dauphin's Countryfest are now open and on Thursday morning, hundreds of campers and RVs packed the line to get in.
While there will be no entertainment on Thursday, festival goers are just excited to be back at the site and without a doubt, fun will be had on Thursday ahead of the entertainment that starts Friday.
Truman is from Swan River and alongside his husky, they brought their camper up for family members who will be enjoying the weekend festivities. Truman and his family have been attending Countryfest since 2012 and they don't plan on stopping anytime soon.
"We love country music and the atmosphere out here, you can't beat it," Truman said as he waited to get in the gates.
The list of performers this weekend includes Clint Black, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Doc Walker, Jason McCoy, Quinton Blair, Alabama, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and George Fox, to name a few. You can see a full list here.
Weekend passes and day passes are still available.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
An annual tradition is returning to Dauphin, and it will be an incredible time.
The Dauphin Ag Society Fair has something for everyone, from food, games, rides, shopping, agricultural displays, and more.
Ag Society President Terron Stykalo is thrilled to bring this all together and recommends a specific show.
"You have to go and watch the 6-horse heavy hitch team. it's probably one of my favorite things."
As well, new this year is the chuck and chariot races for some highspeed horse action.
"We're really excited for the chuck and chariots. we're certainly excited for all the events that are happening, whether it's the extreme dogs, the stock dogs, or the 4H animals, everybody there is really excited to be there, and we're really excited to put it on."
There's lots of great food, lots of rides, and all sorts of family fun to be had at this year's Dauphin Ag Society Fair!
NEW*** We will have a point of sale machine at the main gate for debit and credit cards!
Posted by Dauphin Ag Society on Monday, June 24, 2024
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
As a part of Westman Communication's Westman Tour, there is a key fundraising BBQ in Dauphin on Thursday.
From 11:30 to 1:30, smokies, hot dogs, and drinks will be available. While there will be no charge, donations are greatly appreciated. All proceeds from the BBQ will be going towards the Watson Art Centre's air conditioning fund.
There will also be live music performed by Ethan Drory and Johnny Pacey. So head to the Dauphin Rail Museum on Thursday afternoon for lunch, enjoy some live music, and donate to the air conditioning fund at the iconic Watson Art Centre.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Manitoba government along with Trails Manitoba has announced an over $880,000 investment in 33 recreational trails across the province.
Four of those projects are local, including 20-thousand dollars for the Dauphin Rerailleurs Cycle CLub towards the Northgate System Weather Resistance project.
The Rossburn Subdivision Trail Association is receiving $24,700 for general trail maintenance and enhancement, while $33,333 has been earmarked for the RM of Harrison Park for new trail construction and enhancements.
And the Birtle-Miniota and District CDC will receive $633 for a signage and Snowshoe box project.
The 2024 Trails Manitoba grant program will support the development of new and improved trails across the province, adding 36 kilometres of trails and maintaining and upgrading more than 600 kilometres of existing trails.
A total of $697,365 is being invested in Rural Manitoba, while $190,000 will be invested inside the city of Winnipeg.
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Activity will pick up at the Selo Ukraina site beginning tomorrow when the gates for Dauphin's Countryfest open at 10 am.
This is the 35th anniversary of the festival, which is opening its gates a day later this year due to there being no performances on Thursday night.
Countryfest Board chair Duane McMaster says it should be a seamless entry to the grounds for festival goers.
"If they placed their order far enough in advance that they already have their wristbands in the mail, then entry into the site will be really easy. Ever since we went to the RFID system a few years back, the gates go really quickly. It used to be that you had to sit in line for three, four, or five hours to get into the site. Now we get everyone in really good and quick there."
There are sure to be some people arriving early with hopes of being the first ones to access their campsite.
However, McMaster is not anticipating as big of a lineup as in some past years.
"It used to be with us not opening until 2 pm, people would start lining up early. But the Province of Manitoba has stated that you are not allowed to park on the highway shoulder overnight. So, I do not anticipate the lineup being really horrible because you are not allowed to actually line up on the highway. You can line up in our driveway, but once the driveway is full, you can not park on the highway overnight. You have to go back into town and drive back out in the morning."
Day one of performances is Friday.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
