Set aside everything today to celebrate all things Prairies

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/06/2019 (2623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You might want to cover your ears, because I’m going to yell this at the top of my lungs — I LOVE THE PRAIRIES!

Out of journalistic fairness, I should point out this wasn’t always the case. When I moved here from B.C. more than 40 years ago, I was a somewhat truculent teenager.

I missed the sight of the mountains. I missed the smell of the ocean. I missed being in close proximity to my beloved football team, the B.C. Lions.

But what a difference four decades can make. Today, I am proud to declare myself a hardcore Prairie boy. I am moved to tears by the sight of golden fields of wheat rippling in Prairie breeze.

I am not dismayed by having to shovel so much snow in winter that the sides of my driveway resemble the (bad word) Grand Canyon. And there’s a certain sense of hometown pride when, while barbecuing in the backyard each summer, a large percentage of my blood supply is drained by mosquitoes the size of Yorkshire terriers.

Not to mention that I get all misty-eyed when I am driving in my car and, suddenly and without warning, I hear Randy Bachman — whom people say I resemble to a frightening degree — belt out the following moving lyrics from his mega-hit Prairie Town: “Growing up in a Prairie town/Learning to drive in the snow… Winter nights are long/Summer days are gone/Portage and Main fifty below!”

In case you are wondering, there is an excellent journalistic reason that I have decided to sing the praises of life on the Prairies. Today, June 1, just happens to be (prepare to be unreasonably excited) National Prairie Day.

I’m going to take a stab in the dark and suggest you didn’t know that today is the day set aside each year for celebrating all things Prairies. The truth is, I didn’t either, but fortunately, my job requires me to fritter away a lot of time randomly Googling things on the internet.

“In North America, the Prairies are at the heart of the continent. On the first Saturday of June, we recognize one of the richest ecosystems on the face of the Earth with National Prairie Day,” is what I read on the special-day website nationaldaycalendar.com.

“A wide swath of central North America is comprised of flat grassland running from the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan down to Texas. Prairies are home to a wide variety of wildlife including prairie dogs, prairie chickens, buffalo, bison, elk, deer, rabbits, hawks and foxes. Diverse native prairie plantings offer year-round food, shelter and nesting grounds for habitat.”

The website also warned great swaths of Prairie habitat are becoming endangered, so we all need to spend a bit of time today thinking about conservation, preservation and restoration, along with raising a glass to the majestic beauty of our beloved Manitoba home.

Out of journalistic fairness, I should mention the Prairies are not the only thing we are allowed to celebrate on June 1. According to nationaldaycalendar.com, today also happens to be National Nail Polish Day and National Go Barefoot Day.

But, forgive me for getting all judgmental, I think expressing our love for the unparalleled awesomeness of the Prairies is a bit more important than paying tribute to painted toenails or even taking off our sneakers and revelling in the wonderfully squishy feel of grass getting caught between our toes.

You know what I love most about the Prairies? I will be happy to tell you, and only partly because I have to write a certain number of words to qualify for a paycheque. What I love most about the Prairies is the people. I love friendly Manitobans, the sort of never-say-die, plucky pioneers who wear Bermuda shorts in November and are always there when you need help pushing your (bad word) car out of a snowbank, if you catch my snowy drift.

It will do your heart good to learn that I am not the only person who feels this way. If you Google the words “things I love about the Prairies,” you will find yourself awash in glowing news reports and blogs extolling the virtues of life in a region where you can let your dog outside and then spend the next three days watching him walk away.

For instance, in a recent article on the popular travel website expedia.ca, writer Carolyn Albee gushed unapologetically about our “beautiful beaches, charming towns, delectable foods and stunning landscapes.”

It was headlined “12 reasons to visit the Prairies,” and four of them featured Manitoba attractions, namely Little Limestone Lake (“Experience the tropics without leaving Canada”); Minnedosa (“Filled with friendly faces and classic winter activities”); Pinawa (“If you’re in search of totally original selfies with an avant-garde air, you need to get to Pinawa”); and the Narcisse Snake Dens (“For those willing to brave the slithering masses, this strange spot is one of Canada’s weirdest and most wonderful attractions”).

So, I’m urging everyone within the sound of my voice to drop whatever they are doing, pick up a champagne glass and deliver a heartfelt toast to the Prairies. That should be easy, because today also happens to be National Bubbly Day.

If you’re tempted to utter a discouraging word today, just keep your yap shut, because it’s also National Say Something Nice Day. You can look that up if you don’t believe me. We have great internet service here in the Prairies.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca