Great grooves at folk festival Posted: 10:43 PM CDT Sunday, Jul. 9, 2023 Last Modified: 7:41 AM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 11, 2023

Finish summer strong with these fun, relaxing options

Late summer can feel neither here nor there.

As on a Sunday night, a certain back-to-school or -work melancholy sets in. The big Manitoba festivals have come and gone. You’re starting to take a reckoning of all the craft beer and food-truck calories you’ve sopped up for two months, without having done as much hiking, canoeing or yard work as you promised yourself.

The wind begins breathing threats of fall, but the golden colours, jack-o’- lanterns and corn mazes aren’t here yet to reassure you of fall’s dusky pleasures. Instead, on a perfect 22 C day, you find yourself having flashbacks of Winnipeg winter nights colder than Mars.

Are we being overly depressing? Absolutely.

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Great grooves at folk festival

The 2023 edition of the Winnipeg Folk Festival kicked off with a torrential downpour during Thursday’s opening-night concert, but that didn’t deter fans from flocking to Birds Hill Provincial Park for the rest of the weekend. Official attendance was not available at press time but record crowds attended on Sunday, when day passes completely sold out.

Manitoba singer-songwriter William Prince had his mainstage debut cut short owing to the weather Thursday, but a last-minute cancellation saw Winnipeg act Boy Golden claim a moment in the spotlight in front of thousands of new fans Saturday evening.

Over four days, folkies old and young — body glitter has replaced patchouli and sequins have replaced tie-dye — grooved to bands from Ukraine, South Korea, Iceland, Mexico, Ireland, Louisiana and our own backyard in a celebration of world music.

Whether dancing under the stars at the Big Bluestem @ Night stage or mellowing out in the golden hour at mainstage, the vibe was Summer of Love positive, with no shortage of hugs and interpretive dancing.

Sisters among 137 to begin doctor journey at U of M

Not everyone enters medical school with a built-in study buddy.

Sisters Maya and Dana Jalal joined 135 of their classmates to don white coats and mark the beginning of their journey through the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine Wednesday morning.

Maya, 22, and Dana, 21, were accepted into medical school at the same time.

“Thankfully, we both got accepted in the same area, same time. So we decided we’d rather go together than apart,” Maya said. “It’ll be nice seeing different perspectives during our studies. We are siblings, but we each have our own perspectives, our own lived experiences.”