Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Sweet home Manitoba
Manitoba Homecoming 2010, however, the year-long celebration of all things Manitoban that kicked off at The Forks on New Year's Eve, usefully reminds city folks that we are not alone and that there is a big province out there that many people have yet to discover.
As such, it is fitting that the province's official birthday party (we'll be 140 years young on May 12) will be held not in the capital, but over a period of three days in the picturesque town of Neepawa, where writer Margaret Laurence was born and is buried.
In addition to its many historical attractions, the town has also been named the World Lily Capital and it's been awarded the designation of Manitoba's Most Beautiful Town more times than any other community.
Like the literally hundreds of other towns, cities, historic sites and areas of natural and geographic interest in Manitoba, however, Neepawa is no more than speck on the map for Manitobans uninterested in our history and natural beauty.
Manitoba Homecoming 2010 is an opportunity to change those attitudes by including all of the province's cities, towns and villages in the celebration. It is also a way to remind Manitobans the province has one of the more interesting histories in the country.
The aboriginal story is, of course, an integral part of that history. Indeed, it's not clear that the province or the country could have developed the way it did, when it did, without the involvement of First Nations. There could be no fur trade without aboriginals, for example, and without a fur trade, we can only speculate on whether Winnipeg would even exist.
Manitoba is also the centre of Métis culture and history, a unique story of the establishment, rise and decline of a new nation with its own language, traditions and customs.
The province also has a remarkable military history. Manitobans have served in most of the significant world conflicts since 1870, including the Nile Expedition (1885), the Boer War (1899-1901), both world wars, Korea, Bosnia and Afghanistan, to name a few. The senior regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces -- the First Regiment of Royal Canadian Horse Artillery -- is based in Shilo, Man. It was founded in 1871.
It's not the purpose of Homecoming 2010 to provide Manitobans with a history lesson or a lecture on their lack of knowledge, but a birthday bash is always a good time to reflect upon the past, particularly when you're 140 years old.
The organizers of Homecoming 2010 hope it will be good for business and possibly draw home a few expatriates who are lonely for the bonds of community. The strategic plan might sound crassly commercial, but it is also intended to help those who live here to appreciate all that Manitoba has to offer, from sporting, cultural and outdoor pursuits to academic, recreational and historic events.
As the place that invented the "social," with its Old Dutch potato chips, kolbassa and Kub bread, Manitobans know how to throw a party.
So, go ahead, explore your home this year, not just your back yard.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 4, 2010 A10
The comment period for this story has ended.
-
Breaking News Alerts
Sign up for our new Breaking News Alerts
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins
-
Winnipeg road closures
Check if your commute is affected
-
Blogs to Watch
We pick our favourite local blogs for you to follow
-
Breaking News Widget
Create and embed a Winnipeg Free Press breaking news widget on your site or blog
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and news feeds on Twitter
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Editorials
Poll
Most Popular
- Hells clubhouse seized
- Bombers stamp out fun: fans
- City family's return from vacation turns tragic
- Corydon bar employee charged in man's death
- Second son dies after Kenora crash
- Hydro picks its west side route
- Happy hubby loves wife's nudity
- Girl tries to kill self at MYC
- Cost jump could change stadium design
- River Rouge runs aground
- Victims of deadly crash are from Winnipeg
- Tornado touches down near Oakbank
- City family's return from vacation turns tragic
- Man killed in motorcycle crash with car
- Night storms jar Manitoba with tornado, washed out roads and hail
- Man drowns in Whiteshell
- Monarch migration mystery solved by Canadian researchers
- Ice Edge loses exclusivity edge in Coyote deal
- Meat Loaf taken off MTS Centre’s menu
- Grandparent scam becoming more common in city
- What's 2204355? It's the latest unexplainable web trend
- Lundar resident faces charges over 911 calls
- Victims of deadly crash are from Winnipeg
- Katz dating younger woman -- but that shouldn't matter
- Teen takes own life after alleged assault
- Have the province and city gone too far in naming a lake and community centre after Jonathan Toews?
- Body found at The Forks tentatively identified
- Human head found at The Forks
- Body found near Grant Park
- Churches crumble across U.S.
- Hells clubhouse seized
- Bombers stamp out fun: fans
- Hydro picks its west side route
- Cost jump could change stadium design
- Cost flap delays start on stadium
- Housing project future of infill
- Three dozen neglected dogs destroyed
- Winnipeg police unveil new decal, motto
- Hey, hey, my, my... why do some fans behave like boors?
- Montana officials trap grizzly, 2 of her 3 cubs, after campground mauling that killed man
- The Oxy dilemma
- Cruisers curse police checks
- Winnipeg police unveil new decal, motto
- Hells clubhouse seized
- Bombers stamp out fun: fans
- Hydro picks its west side route
- Nursing students' careers put on hold
- Program to train aboriginal railway conductors
- Cost jump could change stadium design
- Core chaos shuts eatery's doors
- Katz dating younger woman -- but that shouldn't matter
- The Oxy dilemma
- Bombers boot beer snake
- More than 100 motorists charged under cellphone law
- Cruisers curse police checks
- Winnipeggers demonstrate against G20 protesters' treatment
- Winnipeg police unveil new decal, motto
- Hells clubhouse seized
- 'Dream home' lost, family devastated
- Bombers stamp out fun: fans
- WWII Lancaster Bomber flies into Winnipeg today
- Hydro picks its west side route
- Girl tries to kill self at MYC
- School staffer faces charges for sex crimes
- Province cautious on trials for multiple sclerosis therapy
- Corydon bar employee charged in man's death
- Housing project future of infill
- River Rouge runs aground
- Unfair to students
- Montana officials trap grizzly, 2 of her 3 cubs, after campground mauling that killed man
- Nasty, poisonous plant causes burns, blindness
- Night storms jar Manitoba with tornado, washed out roads and hail
- Nursing students' careers put on hold
- Old, new songs forever Young
- Woman who survived bear attack in US says she played dead to get the animal to leave her
- Saskatchewan premier calls for clinical trials of controversial MS treatment
- Liquid calories
- Tornado touches down near Oakbank
- Computer wiz's alter ego: Sir Lance-a-Lot
- WWII Lancaster Bomber flies into Winnipeg today
- Lundar resident faces charges over 911 calls
- Protection or peril?
- Nasty, poisonous plant causes burns, blindness
- Night storms jar Manitoba with tornado, washed out roads and hail
- Osteoporosis Canada issues updated vitamin D guidelines for bone health
- Nursing students' careers put on hold
- Last Grapes restaurant out of business
- A Royal whirlwind: The Queen's day in Winnipeg
- Bombers boot beer snake
- Katz dating younger woman -- but that shouldn't matter
Events
July 30, 2010
Gavins Chance for Change
Golf Tournament Fundraiser includes 18 holes of golf, cart, smokie or hamburger for lunch and banquet dinner. Registration at 8:30 a.m. Shotgun start at 10 a.m. ...
0 Comments
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.