Action-packed memoir an insider’s view of key moments in history

Roger Turenne never set out to write a memoir.

But one quiet evening on a canoe trip with his granddaughter Léa changed everything.

“We’re lying back in the tent one evening and I was telling her stories about my life,” Turenne, 82, recalls during an interview.

“I said, ‘OK, you tell me a story now.’ She said, ‘No, I’m only 10 years old. You’re 70. You’ve got the stories. I want to hear them all.’”

North Kildonan horticultural hub has flourished for nearly half a century

Two hundred and fifty pounds of onions, 450 pounds of cabbage and 500 pounds of cucumbers per day.

Three thousand pounds of potatoes weekly. More than 20,000 cobs of corn a month. All of it grown right here in Manitoba.

Those are some of the sales numbers at Country Roots Market & Garden, a homey hub near the intersection of Henderson Highway and Chief Peguis Trail that has been peddling flowers, bedding plants and local produce under one banner or another since the mid-1970s.

Owner Kathy Plikett says the majority of her clientele dwells in adjacent neighbourhoods such as Elmwood, Rivergrove and North Kildonan, but she also welcomes those who make the trek from a bit further afield to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies.

Fall book season offers a cornucopia of new titles

Fall book season has kicked off in earnest, with new titles flooding bookstore shelves and a raft of authors prepping for (or recovering from) book launches.

Local authors working in a range of genres have produced a bumper crop of books that are making their way into the world this autumn. Here is a selection of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children’s books by Manitoba authors to watch for in the coming weeks and months, many of which will be highlighted at forthcoming events.

Launches for authors noted below will take place at McNally Robinson Booksellers’ Grant Park location.

FICTIONHad a Great FallBy Raye Anderson (Signature Editions, Aug. 28)

Young reviewers sound off on Free Press Summer Reading Challenge picks

The Free Press Summer Reading Challenge for Kids is winding down for another year, but before this story comes to a close, we have one more batch of reviews written by our young readers to share.

The reading challenge kicked off in June and offered curated book lists for kids aged 7 to 9, 10 to 12 and 13 to 15, all compiled by McNally Robinson Booksellers. Throughout the summer, those registered for the challenge have received reading guides and activities, as well as instructions on what information to provide in their review(s) — including a handy star-rating guide — should they want to submit one to be published in the paper.

And submit they did; the first set of reviews was published July 26, and this second batch contains even more reviews than the first. Thank you to all the reading challenge participants who shared their thoughts on the books they read this summer; your honesty and critical analysis made for some truly great reviews.

Messy PerfectBy Tanya Boteju

A roadtrip through Scotland’s rolling hills, ancient history and the zany spectacle of Fringe

Caravanners, backpackers and daredevil cyclists.

Roadtripping in Scotland is a chance to explore the country’s awe-inspiring landscape on your own schedule, while dodging droves of eclectic travellers doing the exact same.

My partner and I spent eight days in July navigating the Scottish countryside in a rented campervan.

We picked up our home on wheels — a well-appointed Volkswagen van — near Edinburgh and headed north for the highlands. Rolling farmland quickly gave way to rolling hills and tall evergreens. A wee taste of what was to come.

Wet and wonky is the theme of Wawanesa’s water race

A plywood sheet. Some two-inch boards. Poly and a Styrofoam sheet. Plus a plastic pipe, screws and duct tape.

From these materials, 10 boisterous teams build boats and oars in just over three hours for a truly endearing race: Wawanesa’s Pound, Pail and Paddle.

This July, two boats capsized. Just two! Sometimes, most do. Sometimes vessels don’t leave the start line.

Two hours southwest of Winnipeg, Wawanesa lies between a meander of the Souris River. Cliffs and hills further distinguish the townsite from its prairie milieu.

What’s up: MCO, Tarp, Heat & Harvest Festival, A Taste of Manitoba, Le Burger Week

Tarp releases EP

The Handsome Daughter, 61 Sherbrook St.Friday, 8:30 p.m.Tickets: $15 at reallovewpg.comOn Friday at the Handsome Daughter, post-folk quintet Tarp marks the release of its debut EP Automatic Solar Light, a dream-like, four-song sensory response grounded in the group’s formative — and transformative — experiences at its unofficial headquarters in Marchand, 10 kilometres southeast of La Broquerie.

Formerly known as Heinrichs Maneuver, Tarp — Seth and Jaki Heinrichs, Joe Madden, Brian Gluck and Holly Ruth Stratton — was a standout at the final Real Love Summer Fest in July, performing a sweat-soaked Saturday afternoon set that showcased the group’s undeniable command of time and place.

Those sensibilities are captured well on Automatic Solar Light, which examines the reflective mechanisms of coping with grief, the ways in which built environments encapsulate personal memoir and the profound effect of separation.

Building Blocks, Crumbling Foundation: Child Care in Crisis

A six-part investigation into the state of child care in Manitoba, examining the underlying issues that put kids and families at risk.

Landmarks: Exploring unique and iconic Winnipeg locations

Landmarks is a monthly feature in which columnist Alison Gillmor explores unique and iconic Winnipeg buildings and locations.

Pierre set to debut as head coach as U of M Bisons regular season kicks off Thursday

The Stan Pierre era of Manitoba Bisons football is ready to kick off.

Pierre, who enters his 27th season with the Herd, will begin his head coaching career on the West Coast against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at Thunderbirds Stadium on Thursday (8:30 p.m. CT).

A defensive co-ordinator by trade, Pierre was promoted in February to replace long-time friend Brian Dobie — who retired after leading the program for nearly three decades. A natural transition period followed, as players and coaches adjusted to a new voice calling the shots, but a strong training camp has left the bench boss feeling confident about his group.

“Was there some turnover in the off-season? Certainly there was. But in terms of the group now, they’ve been excellent,” Pierre told the Free Press. “We’re all rowing the boat in the same direction, and everything’s clear, I think, to the players of what the expectations are. They’re a great bunch of kids — they’ve been working hard and just trying to get better.”