Countryfest's 30th Draws Big Party

Another Dauphin's Countryfest has come and gone.

9000 people took in the festival and 3500 campsites were occupied.

"The weekend went well. It wouldn't be Countryfest without a little bit of rain and that, of course, happened on Saturday," said Ann Ransom. "That forced a couple of delays, but the amphitheatre cleared out very quickly and everyone was still having a lot of fun. Our volunteers are a well-oiled machine and we're really pleased with how the weekend went."

The festival kicked off on Thursday with the 730CKDM Thursday night Kick-Off Party. The Nitty Gritty Dirt band headlined the evening. Also performing was Meghan Patrick and Streetheart.

"With everything being upstairs, it really created that kitchen party, getting together type of party," added Ransom. "Nitty Gritty was fantastic. It was such a great evening and we had lots of fantastic comments from people."

Preparations for next year's Dauphin's Countryfest have already begun.

"We have lots of great things planned and we also plan to celebrate Manitoba's 150th during the festival as well," said Ransom. "Our members will get the word first, so that's an exclusive perk for them. After that, we'll get it out to the public shortly after."

Tickets for Dauphin's Countryfest 2020 are now on sale.

More Countryfest facts:

Number of festival week volunteers: 1500

Number of volunteer directors: 11

Number of full-time Dauphin’s Countryfest staff: 5

Number of artists: 54 bands on 3 stages over four days

Number of artist meet-and-greets during the weekend: 13

Number of lucky fans who got to attend meet-and-greets: 325

Pounds of bacon consumed in the bacon eating contest: 16

Number of vendors on-site: 40

Number of meals served in the VIP tent over the weekend: 2700

Daily 50/50 Take Home Totals: $11,427.50 / $16,927.50 / $18,674.00 / $18,442.50

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jul 2, 2019 - 10:16 am

As of Monday at midnight, the provincial sales tax in Manitoba is 7 per cent.

This follows the PC government’s announcement in March that they would drop the tax rate from 8 percent.

The reduction comes a few short months before the provincial election on September 10th.

Finance Minister Scott Fielding called this tax cut the biggest in Manitoba’s history. He added that he cut would mean $325 million in annual savings.

For 2019, a single person will save about $86 and a four-person household will save about $239 in the next six months. In 2020, the savings for both households will more than double.

Manitoba now has the third lowest PST rate in the country behind Alberta, who has no PST, and Saskatchewan, who has a 6 percent tax.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Jul 2, 2019 - 8:53 am

While people were enjoying themselves at this past weekends festivities, the Dauphin Fire Department was hard at work.

First, on Thursday, a faulty propane line caused a lot barbecue to set fire to a trailer at the Countryfest site. Thanks to fast-acting neighbours and firefighters on site the fire was put out quickly.

Then early Saturday morning at 3 am, firefighters responded to a structure fire on Merrell Avenue where the home was completely engulfed. Crews stayed on scene for 4 hours.

Shortly after the Merrell fire, crews responded to a structure fire on 5th Avenue South West where a carport was aflame and spreading to the next house. Crews battled the fire for 3 hours. The fire is being treated as suspicious in nature and is under investigation.

No injuries were reported at any fire and no damage estimates have been released at this time.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Jul 1, 2019 - 9:12 pm

Later this week, the festivities continue and Mossey River Days starts up.

Riley Chartrand, vice chair for the Mossey River events committee, says they focus on the family aspect.

There’ll be activities for adults and kids, Chartrand says there’s a small town environment and they focus on local talent.

You’ll be able to take in the fireworks, kids shows, petting zoo, kids’ carnival, pedal-tractor pull, kids’ races, bouncy castles, axe throwing, an inflatable obstacle course and a whole lot more.

It costs 5 dollars to get in on Friday and 10 dollars to get in on Saturday.

The money raised goes to bettering the event in future years, supporting local organizations and sponsoring local events.

For more information on what to expect at Mossey River Days click here.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jul 1, 2019 - 6:12 am

Terry Lucier was born in Roblin and since that he's been around the province. Now, he's back in the Parkland.

Terry's the new Staff Sergeant Area Commander for the Dauphin/Parkland Detachment area. His first day was earlier this month.

"I'm really glad to be here. I'm enjoying it so far, I find the community really refreshing," said Lucier. "It's got a little bit of a bigger town feeling with a lot of small-town attitudes. The people are really friendly, I'm happy."

Most recently, Lucier was in Winnipeg where he worked in Criminal Intelligence with the RCMP. Prior to that, he made stops in Oxford House and Sprague just to name a couple. Terry has spent his entire life in the "D" division.

With a great staff in place, Lucier wants to keep moving in the right direction.

"My goal here is to continue building good relationships between our detachment and the communities we serve," continued Lucier. "Another goal is to make sure my members are always engaged and happy as well."

When Terry isn't working, he enjoys doing a plethora of things.

"I'm an avid hunter, I definitely hunt as often as I can," Lucier added. "I also like to ride my motorcycle, I really enjoy that. Also spending time with my family, family time is extremely important to me.

Terry is also looking forward to going around the community and seeing all the beauty it has to offer.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Jun 30, 2019 - 12:00 am

RCMP arrest male on multiple charges.

On June 24^th around 2:00 pm, Russell RCMP received a report of an assault and robbery.

A 56-year-old male told Police that a 39-year-old male had assaulted him, threatened him, and stole some of his belongings.

While officers were on the scene, the suspect began hitting the windows of the police vehicle trying to break them. Upon attempting to arrest the suspect, he became combative. Police then tasered him so they could arrest him.

While the suspect was in custody, he damaged the cell block area which resulted in additional charges.

Michael Man, of Brandon, has been charged with multiple offences including Robbery, Assaulting a Police Officer, Uttering Threats, Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose and Mischief. He has been remanded into custody.

RCMP continue to investigate.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Jun 29, 2019 - 6:04 am

Despite calling for more help, the task force conducting the report on meth in Manitoba isn’t recommending safe consumption sites.

The group, which was set up by the federal and provincial governments, as well as the City of Winnipeg, is recommending an increase in detox and treatment programs along with 24-hour safe spaces to get people off the streets.

Manitoba’s Opposition is calling for safe consumption sites, but Health Minister Cameron Friesen disagrees, saying they don’t work for meth users.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jun 28, 2019 - 1:25 pm

The collaborative learning team at MacKenzie Middle School applied for a grant for a study that focuses on “response to intervention.”

Blaine Johnson is the team leader for the project and he says they’re receiving $4136.85 from the grant.

Johnson is very happy for the grant to be accepted and it will allow them to explore their RTI program.

They want to change their delivery on their response to intervention.

Johnson is hoping for a better understanding of RTI and the RTI process, for more staff to know what the RTI process is all about, and 2-3 years down the road, he’d like to have a much stronger RTI program in place.

The collaborative learning team is made up of teachers from every grade level. Chelsea Hockridge, Orrin McIntyre, Kevin Monaghan, Katrina Mitchell, Kelly Kuzyk, and Sharon Paziuk make up the rest of the team.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jun 28, 2019 - 5:01 am

The Canada Day long weekend means the start of the annual Dauphin Ag Society Fair.

This year’s fair will see favourite attractions return like the demo derby, home living show, light horse and draft horse shows.

New to the fair this year is shows like Canines in the Clouds, The Cutest Show On Earth and the Magic Bean Agriculture Show.

Everything starts Friday with the gates opening at 9 am and the midway starting up at noon.

The parade takes place at 10 am Saturday and the highly anticipated demo derby goes down Sunday night at 6 pm.

For a full list of events and a weekend schedule, take a look at the Dauphin Ag Society Fair website.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Jun 28, 2019 - 5:01 am

The Dauphin Agricultural Society held its Sponsorship Appreciation Luncheon Thursday.

A record number of people attended the luncheon recognizing all the Ag Society Fair sponsors.

Vice President Tere Stykalo hosted the formal part of the lunch where several door prizes were given away as well as some prestigious awards.

Doris Fletcher was recognized for her 50 years of service to the Dauphin Ag Society.

Patti Eilers and Darren Damsgaard received the Lifetime Membership Award. Eilers and Damsgaard have been part of the Ag Society for 20 years.

The ceremony also saw Julie Butterfield receive the Dauphin Ag Society Sponsorship, which she will use towards her studies at Brandon University in the fall.

Another award the Ag Society gave way saw Don Dewar winning the Ron Brook Memorial Award at Farm Outlook in March

The Dauphin Ag Society Fair starts Friday with the gates opening up at 9 am and the midway starting up at noon. Make sure you catch the parade at 10 am on Saturday and the fan favourite Demo Derby taking place Sunday night at 6 pm. For a full schedule of events, check out the Dauphin Ag Society Fair website