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Another edition of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival is in the books.

Although final numbers still need to be crunched, festival President Kayla Gillis is confident that they were well above pre-pandemic attendance levels this weekend.

"I think everyone is just more comfortable coming back out again and celebrating our Ukrainian culture and heritage and just getting back into a routine and celebrating the festival and making sure that it keeps going year after year."

Gillis is thrilled to see this event attract visitors from all over North America and beyond.

"We had people here from Texas that I spoke to this weekend, so that was amazing to see.  It is not just the locals that come, it is people from all across Canada that are coming as well as from the United States.  We had quite a few families that came in from Ukraine as well which was very nice to have. "

Gillis adds the support they had from volunteers, patrons, and performers was amazing throughout the weekend. 

Next year will mark the 60th anniversary for Canada's National Ukrainian Festival, and Gillis says they are looking forward to keeping this event going for many years. 

The Containment process is underway at Clear Lake, after Zebra Mussels were confirmed to be in the lake.

eDNA testing, as well as a visual sighting, have made their presence clear.

The Impermeable barrier has been installed, blocking off a good portion of the boat cove area. Testing from the Department of fisheries is also underway on different water sample to track the spread of these mussels through the lake.

as well, The Tourist vessel known as the Martese has also been  grounded as part of attempt to prevent spread of this invasive species.

The Gilbert plains municipality has received a sizeable chunk of funding to help repair the cost of flood damages from earlier this spring.

Minister Ron Kostyshyn met with Reeve Manchur, CAO Roehl, and members of Council along with Scott McCallum, Gilbert Plains Golf Club Manager and Board members recently to make this contribution to get the area into tip-top shape for the upcoming Manitoba Summer Games.

The Province of Manitoba will be investing $2.11 million to help cover the costs of repairing the flood damage that occurred this past spring.

The time frame is tight though, at the Manitoba summer games are just over a week away

CN Park was flooded with people all Thursday long as the Hottest Little Part of the Summer kicked off the busy weekend.

The Parkland Chamber of Commerce Street Fair And Dance was a roaring success, and Chamber Executive Director Stephen Chychota was floored by how busy it was to the end.

"About 10 o'clock, 10:30, we were kinda realizing 'this park is full' and every table and chair was getting used. Even at like 11:30, we couldn't do a whole lot as a group because there were so many people in the park, and so many people in the street. I'd have to say this was probably the best street fair we've ever had."

 Hundreds, if not thousands of attendees stopped by the Parkland Chamber of Commerce Street Fair and Dance for food, music, shopping, and fun.

With how Late the party went, Chychota's still hard at work today.

"for us to do the takedown for the street fair, we are probably onsite until 1-1:30 in the morning. thats pretty close to a 24-hour day being in CN Park there. And while I'm talking to you this Friday afternoon, I just dropped off my volunteers who helped me move some things, but I'm still in the process of delivering some items."

He also sent a big thanks to everyone who made this party possible, from the volunteers, the sponsors, and of course the attendees.

The RCMP Musical Ride will saddle up this Saturday in Dauphin for a spectacular display of horsemanship.

The event starts with an opening that features a brief history of the Dauphin Ag Society, and the singing of the National Anthem by DAS member Talya Morgan.

Long-standing members of the Ag Society Jim Kaleta and Brian Damsgaard will join Dauphin RCMP Staff Sargent Scott Link Later in the salute.

The DFC diversity dances will also have a performance at 12:40, right before the Mounties Get their show going at 1:15.

Shortly after the ride, the riders and horses will be available for pictures and conversations with those in attendance.

The Barns will also be open to visitors once the horses get settled in and open Monday from 9 am to 9 pm.

A Dauphin man, who was originally supposed to go to trial on charges stemming from an assault and shots fired incident is off the hook.

Back in September of 2022, Dauphin RCMP say two people were confronted outside a business by two individuals, with one woman being struck in the head with a hard object, while a man was cut.

They added as the victims got into their vehicle and tried to leave, a man allegedly shot at the vehicle, striking the passenger side, but not injuring anyone.

28-year-old Peter Flatfoot appeared in Dauphin court on Tuesday, where the charges against him were stayed by the Crown.

It's finally here.

The gates are open at the Selo site and the 59th edition of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival officially kicks off today (Friday).

There will be performances on four different stages over the course of the weekend, including five grandstand shows on the main ampitheatre.

CNUF president Kayla Gillis says they have also had a great response this year from vendors.

"The pavillion is completely full with vendors, along with the hall and a lot of the kiosks as well.  Specifically with the food, we have our traditional Ukrainian dishes, and then we have some Italian and some Mexican.  So we will have a bit of everything."

Dance groups set to perform this weekend on the main stage include Cheremosh from Minnesota, Rusalka from Winnipeg, and local favourites Zirka and Canada's Riding and Dancing Cossacks. 

There is also a strong list of bands, including By Request, Budmo, Sloohai, and Dauphin's Party Time Orchestra,

For anyone going to the festival but not camping out at the site, Gillis suggests using the shuttle service.

"It starts at noon and goes all the way until 2 in the morning so we will get you home safely as well.  We have the four regular stops - the high school, Fudd's, Home Hardware, and then just by the Liquor Store.  With all of the construction going on - bear with us the sign will be there and there will be a stop."

Shuttle wristbands are $15 for the weekend and are available at the Co-op gas bars, or you can pay $5 per person per ride. 

Prairie Mountain Health has released an update on many of its construction projects in the province.

Here in Dauphin, the DRHC has entered another phase of construction that looks to add additional inpatient beds (seven in the Medicine Unit, two in Surgery), renovate the former cancer care unit into a physiotherapy area, and add additional storage areas.

The new Endoscopy suite, which was part of Phase 1 is still under construction and PMH is working toward having the new suite operational within the next few months.

Other expansions also include the new CT scanner in Swan river, a $2.9 million expansion at the Expanding Community Cancer Care Committee in Russel, and a new hospital being built in Neepawa.

There is also a sizeable project in the Western Manitoba Care Center, adding a nearly 9,500-sq-ft expansion and a second medical linear accelerator, used for delivering external beam radiation treatments to patients with cancer.

As well, Brandon Regional Healthcare will be adding a new Critical Care bed tower addition, containing 16 new intensive care beds, 30 medical beds on the second floor, and space for expansion above that.

many of these projects are estimated to be completed in 2026.

This year marks a special year for Rockin the Fields of Minnedosda.

It's the 20th year for the rock music festival, which opens tomorrow (Friday).

Marketing co-ordinator Kamryn Winters is very impressed with their lineup for this year.

"Friday we have Molly Hatchett and Kim Mitchell.  On Saturday we have Econoline Crush and Theory of a Deadman, and then Sunday we have Colin James, Amanda Marshall, and the Trews.  Overall, it is a really well-rounded lineup."

Winters says the main stage is not the only place to catch entertainment.

"We also have the Heritage Co-op Hilltop Stage, and there will be a lot of good rock acts up there over the course of the weekend.  And it is a little different than Countryfest (In Dauphin).  At Countryfest, all of the stages are going at once.  But at Rockin the Fields the crowd shuffles.  So you go to the main stage, and then when the main stage closes for the changeover, you run up to the top and the top starts.  So you are constantly shuffling between the two stages so you never really get to miss a beat."

Weekend and day passes for the festival are still available online at www.rockinthefields.ca, as well as at the festival site throughout the weekend.   

The annual service and celebration at the Trembowla Cross of Freedom Heritage site will have a special addition to it this year.

Set for Sunday afternoon at 12:30, this year's service will also include a special blessing of the new bell tower that was recently replaced at the site. 

The service, which will be followed by lunch and entertainment, is held annually as a part of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival.

The Trembowla Cross of Freedom site is located about 27 km Northwest of Dauphin on Provincial Road 362 and is home to  St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is the oldest preserved Ukrainian Catholic church in Canada. 

On Wednesday at approximately 4:30 pm, Dauphin RCMP received a report from a member of the public who recognized a stolen vehicle from the Winnipegosis area based on social media photos.

Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over and fled onto a gravel road.

Due to the dust conditions and limited visibility, the officers lost sight of the vehicle and were unable to track it. Despite additional patrols in the area, the vehicle was not located.