Sun, suds, sparks and stars

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/06/2022 (1215 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Summer 2022 may have been the most anticipated one in Winnipeg’s history.

One of the worst winters on record in our city was followed by one of its soggiest springs. Winnipeggers went 12 rounds with Mother Nature over the past seven months — she was a nasty foe indeed, dealing enough cold, snow, rain and wind to knock out almost any locale — but the fight is finally over.

COVID-19 also packed a wallop, with the Omicron wave in December and January giving a strong right hook to plans to “return to normal.”

We are bruised after sparring simultaneously with two opponents, and we didn’t win, but we survived. The leaves are green, the nights are warm, and the vibes are good.

Since November, when the punishing conditions began in earnest and continued unabated through May, you probably yearned for hot days and long evenings. They’re here — with our longest day at 16 hours, 21 minutes, and eight seconds of sunlight taking place Tuesday — and it’s time to make the most of them.

Local suds in the sun

Local beer and sunshine: name a more iconic duo.

Like the sun in mid-June, the craft beer scene in Winnipeg is stronger than ever, with more than a dozen different breweries making excellent, honest beer of every possible variety right here.

The “support local” trend may have died off a bit now that Manitoba is in its post-restriction phase, but it’s still important to show your locals some love, so why not hit up a few of their patios in the months ahead?

Here are just a few humble suggestions:

Stone Angel Brewing Company (1875 Pembina Highway) has a massive deck facing the Southwest Transitway to enjoy (but take sunscreen if you’re going during the day, because it’s in full sun all afternoon). It’s an easy destination to bike to if you want a cold beer after cycling, and it’s dog friendly as well.

Kilter Brewing (450 Rue Deschambault) has a lovely patio under a venerable, sprawling tree where you can sit and sip one of their many creative offerings, while Little Brown Jug (336 William Ave.) just revamped its outdoor space with striking black Adirondack chairs — perfect for leaning back and soaking in the Exchange District rays.

There are also a couple within a five-minute walk of each other to visit back-to-back: have one at Sookram’s (479-B Warsaw Ave.) while watching the rapid transit action or playing a board game, before strolling down Pembina to Low Life Barrel House (398 Daly St. N.), a relative new player that just opened up its own space last month.

Then there’s a remaining, but welcome, holdover from pandemic days, when bars would pop up in open spaces, served out of shipping containers. Cargo Bar at Assiniboine Park is one.

For more ideas on where to go and what to drink when you get there, see Free Press drinks writer Ben Sigurdson’s many columns here, http://wfp.to/oJh.

Assiniboia Downs fireworks and festival

The past few years have had a depressing lack of fireworks as large gatherings were kiboshed and reasons to celebrate were few and far between.

This Canada Day will be the first since 2019 we are all able to gather together and see some pyrotechnics light up the night sky. This night will shine bright.

One place to see a such a show is Assiniboia Downs; fireworks at 11 p.m. will cap off an all-day festival on the grounds that will feature live music, beer gardens, food trucks, and a market that promises more than 100 artisans and vendors.

Tickets are $10 and kids under five get in free.

The Hockey Sweater on stage

A beloved slice of literary Canadiana has leaped off the pages.

Of course, we refer to The Hockey Sweater, Roch Carrier’s 1979 illustrated short story about a Quebec boy who receives a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from the Eaton’s catalogue instead of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Montreal Canadiens jersey he ordered, and the persecution he faces from his friends for wearing the sweater of the Canadiens’ greatest rival.

The Hockey Sweater: A Musical pays homage to the classic story of aspiration and belonging, expanding it into a full-length feature suitable for all ages that is soon to play at Rainbow Stage.

If your real life was (or still is!) on the skating rink as it was for the kids in the book, you may want to catch it during its run, which begins on June 30 and closes on July 17. Tickets are available at rainbowstage.ca.

A double serving of Shakespeare

Across town, another outdoor venue is hosting its first shows since the pandemic.

Shakespeare in the Ruins has brought a pair of plays to the south St. Norbert stage; they say that brings “double the joy” and “double the chances to explore the beauty of the Ruins at the Trappist Monastery Heritage Park this summer, after two years away.”

Between now and July 2, you can catch both Much Ado About Nothing — a comedy about a pair of romances that bloom when soldiers arrive in Messina (and the infidelity and deception that comes after) — and The Player King — a one-man show about a travelling Shakespearean actor who tries to deliver a solo performance of Hamlet after his castmates don’t show up to opening night. The latter is written by Canadian MADtv actor Rod Peterson.

“A show must go on, if not the intended Hamlet show. So the actor tells his own story, interlaced with lines from the Bard to illustrate when appropriate, that is: frequently,” Free Press critic Randall King wrote of The Player King in a review earlier this month.

“At its heart, it is a serious exploration of the meaning of theatre, and a timely treatise it is, given that live theatre is effectively rising from the dead after two and a half years in a pandemic-induced coma.”

See shakespeareintheruins.com for a full schedule and tickets.

Sneakers off, party on!

That’s the tagline of The Big Bounce Park, which promises to be more than just a load of puffery.

The Big Bounce Park is Canada’s biggest inflatable theme park and it’s bounced its way to Winnipeg for the summer, telling the writer they’re opening sometime during the upcoming week. You’ll find the striking structure set up at 1170 King Edward Ave., at the Punjab Cultural Centre.

The four colourful walls of the 13,000 square-foot inflatable emporium contain obstacle courses, a 25-foot “leap of faith,” basketball hoops for slam-dunk action, a DJ to keep people jumping, and of course, a bevy of bounce areas.

You can book specific time slots in advance at thebigbouncepark.com or try your luck at getting walk-up tickets; all ages are welcome but minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Explore the city’s trails

If you’re not the camping type or your favourite spot in the wilderness is flooded out, you can still connect with nature. One doesn’t even have to leave the Perimeter to access green spaces and trails, and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors abound in every neighbourhood.

Take your kids, take your dog, take your bike, take your camera, or just take a break to enjoy our urban canopy and get away from it all for an afternoon, an evening, or even just an hour or two.

The Winnipeg Trails Association — whose focus is on promoting active transportation for people of all abilities — is a fabulous resource to learn more about trails near you and access detailed maps. See winnipegtrails.ca.

From Churchill Drive to the Harte Trail, from Bunn’s Creek to the Seine River Greenway, from Little Mountain Park to King’s Park, the opportunities to get your steps in are quite varied, and in some cases, you may forget you’re still in the city at all.

Take yourself out to the ball game

This is the Winnipeg Goldeyes’ first full campaign in Winnipeg since 2019. Owing to COVID-19, they have been road warriors, playing a 2020 shortened season out of Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D., and most of the 2021 season in Jackson, Tenn. before returning to Winnipeg last August.

If you haven’t been to Shaw Park since 2019 — or have never been at all — it’s time to take yourself out to the ball game.

American Association baseball is usually quite entertaining and competitive, but even if you’re not a big fan of the sport itself, there’s few better places to be on a summer evening or Sunday afternoon than the jewel of a downtown ballpark; get some mini donuts, grab a beer bat, sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.

The Goldeyes are on the road after this afternoon for a little while, but return for a three-game set against arch-rival Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks at the end of the month and still have 32 home dates between that series and Labour Day.

Get a kick out of Valour FC

Get your footy fix at IG Field by rooting on our Canadian Premier League team.

Valour FC is in the thick of its fourth season and currently possess a 2-4-4 record (two wins, four draws, four losses) while playing out of IG Field.

They’re on the road for their next two matches but return home on July 10 for a tilt with Pacific (from Langford, B.C., on Vancouver Island). That match is the first of seven home dates between then and Labour Day.

Will they rise in the standings this summer? Be there in person to find out.

Here’s a hot tip if you want to brush elbows with Valour’s biggest supporters: they always gather at Nicolino’s Restaurant (2077 Pembina Highway) before games for food and drinks before embarking on their “March to the Match” down Thatcher Road and University Crescent to the stadium, 45 minutes prior to game time.

See valourfc.canpl.ca for a full schedule and tickets.

Study the skies, indoors and out

Stargazing is best done outside city limits, away from the streetlights and sky glow, but the best place to learn about our skies is right downtown.

Before you head out of town for a stargazing session, though, first visit the Manitoba Museum Planetarium for the Manitoba Skies live show — you’ll learn more about the celestial events, constellations and planets you can see on clear evenings in our province.

Then, when you go out for real, you’ll know where and what to look for (and have a chance to impress your companions with your astronomical acumen).

Manitoba Skies plays on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Labour Day.

declan.schroeder@winnipegfreepress.com