The Social Page

Free Press recommendations on whose sets folkies should check out

Musical discovery is a central tenet of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, which takes place Thursday through Sunday at Birds Hill Provincial Park. Keep reading for a round-up, curated by Free Press staff, of acts playing the festival for the first time.

Work keeps Bombers QB from attending Kelce-Swift wedding

HAMILTON — You would think Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift would’ve looked at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ schedule before locking in a date for their wedding.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and the global music icon tied the knot Friday at New York’s Madison Square Garden in front of a star-studded guest list.

Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros — who was teammates with Kelce during their time at the University of Cincinnati — was invited but had to miss the occasion to prepare for Sunday’s road clash against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6 p.m. CT).

“I told him that! I talked to him the other day,” said Collaros shortly after arriving in Hamilton on Saturday. “They were taking a walk together and I’m like ‘You guys could’ve taken a look at the damn schedule.’ But yeah, it is what it is.”

Businesses report ongoing struggle amid reduced walk-by traffic 1 year into Graham Avenue transit corridor rework

Layoffs, squeezed profits, reduced hours and a downsizing have plagued Graham Avenue businesses in the year since buses were removed from the former Winnipeg Transit strip.

A convenience store along the road doubled its footprint two years ago. Now, it’s operating in half the space: a wall was built in the middle of the shop last month, creating room for a new tenant.

Across the street, bong seller Aluminum Sound has laid off two staff. It’s one of at least two companies to lessen its employee count following the Transit overhaul.

“You could fire a cannon down Graham Avenue a lot of the time and not have to worry about any casualties,” said Aimee Peake, owner of Bison Books.

Southwestern Manitoba hammered by hail, thousands without power amid more wild weather

It looked more like the middle of February than early July in parts of southwestern Manitoba, with streets, rooftops and yards blanketed in white on Sunday.

The white covering Killarney wasn’t snow, however — it was hail, left behind by a powerful storm that pummelled the community located about 250 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

“It looks like a war zone at the moment,” Killarney resident Céline Dagg said on Monday.

Residents reported the hailstorm began around 5:45 p.m. and lasted about 10-15 minutes, leaving widespread damage in its wake.