What’s up: Alan Jackson experience, Manitoba night market, volleyball tourney, garden tour, butterfly festival and Sea Bears

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This article was published 18/07/2024 (780 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Alan Jackson Experience: Too Much of a Good Thing

• Burton Cummings Theatre
• Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
• Tickets $55 plus fees at Ticketmaster

After four decades and 35 No. 1 hits, Alan Jackson will hang up his trademark white Stetson next year following his farewell Last Call: One More for the Road tour.

Luckily, Aaron Halliday is here to fill that big hat.

Halliday, a Canadian country singer-songwriter who bears a striking resemblance to the American country icon, has been paying tribute to Jackson for 30 years. He brings his Alan Jackson Experience to the Burton Cummings Theatre this weekend, where country fans will be able to hear live Jackson hits such as Chattahoochee, Remember When and Too Much of a Good Thing.

— Jen Zoratti

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Manitoba Night Market

• Assiniboia Downs, 3975 Portage Ave.
• Sunday, 3-11 p.m.
• Admission $7 (kids 5 and under free); parking $5

If you’re not the fringe-ing type but are looking for outdoor food, fun and all manner of local vendors, Sunday’s Manitoba Night Market has got you covered.

Taking place from 3 to 11 p.m. at Assiniboia Downs, the market will feature more than 100 vendors and artisans selling and sampling their wares, including the Pet Treat Wizard, the Cupcake Queen, Boulangerie St. Pierre Bakery, Shrugging Doctor Beverage Company, Dead Horse Cider, Little White Bird Candle Co., Anishinaabe Girl Designs, Butterfly Balms and many, many more.

Come early so the kids can tackle the giant bouncy house slide or try out Gellyball, a new low-impact all-ages game where participants shoot water-based biodegradable orbs at each other. Three different stages will offer live music. (There will also be a live fire show.)

More than 20 food trucks will be selling street eats, including Big Daddy’s Perogies & More, Casama (Filipino and Mexican fare), Engocha (Ethiopian), Mikky’s (hot dogs) and, of course, mini-doughnuts served up at Adele’s. Wash it all down at the beer garden nestled among the food trucks.

For those with furry friends, pets are not allowed. If you can’t make it this time, the next Manitoba Night Market takes place Sunday, Aug. 25.

— Ben Sigurdson

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Serves and sets

Super-Spike volleyball tournament

• Maple Grove Rugby Park, 90 Frobisher Rd.
• Friday and Saturday
• Weekend passes $39 to $45 at superspike.ca

Super-Spike, Winnipeg’s largest annual outdoor volleyball tournament, returns to south St. Vital this weekend for two days of sport and live entertainment.

With 350 volleyball teams set to compete, registration is now closed for the tournament. Non-playing attendees can take in the rallies and watch musical performances by a roster of Canadian bands, including Down With Webster.

The Toronto rap-rock group is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its breakthrough album — Time to Win, Vol. 1 — with a limited national reunion tour beginning with Super-Spike. Down With Webster takes the stage at 10 p.m. Saturday.

The lineup also includes performances by the Dust Rhinos and UpCycle on Friday, followed by Men in Kilts, the JD Edwards Band, Daniel Desorcy and Neighbour Andy on Saturday.

The festival site includes a beer garden, local vendors and food trucks. Weekend parking passes are available for $20, but space is limited. Carpooling is recommended and bike racks are stationed on the grounds.

— Eva Wasney

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Garden and Art Tour

• Various locations across St. Andrews, St. Clements and Selkirk
• Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Tickets: $25 (self-guided tour); VIP tickets: $65 at redrivernorthtourism.com

This self-guided tour invites members of the public to stroll through seven residential gardens created by the local gardening enthusiasts of St. Andrews, St. Clements and Selkirk.

Showcasing an array of native flowers and plants, water features and stunning landscapes, visitors will get to peek at floral business owner Kyla Harman’s garden; wander through Holly’s Garden, a country oasis cultivated over 20 years; visit the charming, park-like setting of Carol’s Garden; have lunch at the Shops of St. Andrews; walk through Terry & Christian’s vegetable garden, grape arbors and fruit trees; feast their eyes on the floral statement pieces in the five-acres of Guttormson’s Garden; and learn about the onions and mushrooms grown in Gail and Larry’s Garden.

The event brings together more than 25 artists, authors, musicians and vendors from around the area. Visitors can see live art demos, learn about the artistic process and purchase original pieces (remember to bring cash, as not all artists will have debit or credit card machines; e-transfers and cheques are accepted).

There will be live music performed by local musicians such as jazz, folk and pop singer Amber Epp, ukulele player Canuckulele and country-folk singer-songwriter Fuller Hull, as well as a chance to meet local authors and buy their books.

Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to receive a list of participating gardens, artist locations, special guests, workshops and maps. The $25 ticket price is for the self-guided tour while the $65 VIP ticket price includes transportation to all the gardens, lunch at the Shops of St. Andrews and a tour led by a knowledgeable guide. For more information call 204-485-4881.

— AV Kitching

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Monarch Butterfly Festival

• Living Prairie Museum, 2795 Ness Ave.
• Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Free

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of butterflies at the 16^th Annual Monarch Butterfly Festival. This family-friendly event is packed with activities that promise both fun and learning.

Explore a variety of hands-on crafts, marvel at live butterfly displays and take home a milkweed plant to kickstart your own butterfly garden. Local scientists will be on hand to share insights into pollinating insects, and guided hikes through the prairie will offer a closer look at their natural habitat. Hikes are scheduled at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. each day.

The Prairie Flora plant sale returns, providing the perfect opportunity to enhance your garden with butterfly-friendly plants.

For more information call 204-832-0167.

— Thandi Vera

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Sea Bears, see music

• Canada Life Centre
• Saturday, July 20
• Tickets starting at $30 at ticketmaster.ca

Those who fit anywhere near the centre of the Venn diagram of “music lovers” and “basketball fanatics” will find something to cheer about while watching the Winnipeg Sea Bears. The city’s Canadian Elite Basketball League franchise is only in its second season, but the summertime pro team has attracted NBA-level talent (former Charlotte Bobcat Byron Mullens, G-League sharpshooter Scottie Lindsey, Utah Jazz draft pick Justin Wright-Foreman and the belongs-in-the-conversation David Muenkat) to take the court.

The team’s also surrounded the gameplay with a rotating cast of local performers and DJs. So far this season, the team has shone the spotlight on artists including the local dance crew Sikat, synthy afrobeats artist Tommyphyll, producer Boogey the Beat, and DJs Mama Cutsworth and J. Jackson of the House of Gold Diamonds.

With the team taking on the Saskatchewan Rattlers Saturday, Roman Clarke will play a halftime show. You might have seen the Brandon-raised Clarke on various Winnipeg Folk Festival stages last weekend, playing drums for singer-songwriter Leith Ross on Green Ash, making the most of a tweener set before Noah Cyrus’s mainstage set, and helping to open the festival during a Thursday solo set at the Big Blue @ Night stage.

— Ben Waldman

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