News briefs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2017 (3036 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Celebrating in red and white
Portage la Prairie artist Yvette Cuthbert’s celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary is displayed at the Portage & District Arts Centre’s boardroom gallery (11 2nd St. NE) until Oct. 7.
Cuthbert said she came up with the idea for her Celebrate Canada exhibit of 150 paintings last February. On Sept. 19, she said she had completed 137 paintings, with 13 more to go.

“It has been a great personal challenge. I never really paint in red, and limiting myself to just red, white, black and some yellow in the background has allowed me to stretch my thought process,” Cuthbert said.

“I have learned things about Canada along the way as well, like they used camels for a while during the Gold Rush, that we had Blue Nuns from here help out during the (First World War),” she said.

Cuthbert hopes that the exhibit will be shown in other galleries and also hopes to have her images included in a book.

For more information, see http://www.portageartscentre.ca/Portage_%26_District_Arts_Centre/Home.html

A spicy fundraiser
MNP Portage la Prairie is offering local residents the chance to awaken their taste buds at their 15th annual Chili Challenge at the Herman Prior Centre (40 Royal Rd. N) on Thurs., Sept. 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The luncheon cost is $8 which includes samples of each contestant’s chili, a roll and drink and you can cast a vote for your favourite chili. Proceeds from the event will go to Central Plains Cancer Services.

MNP manager Diane Robertson said the company continues to host this event because it is great for the local community and because businesses, non-profit organizations, and the public continue to support it.

Over $3,000 was raised in 2016 for donation to a local charity, and approximately 250 people usually take part.

Robertson said that nine chili cooks are displaying their culinary skills in this year’s challenge.

Encouraging Portage tourism
Portage Regional Economic Development executive director Vern May said everyone is invited to see the new tourism brand for the City and RM of Portage la Prairie on Wed., Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in the William Glesby Centre (11 2nd St. NE).

Travel Manitoba and McKim Communications have completed work on a new tourism brand for Portage la Prairie. May said the brand’s purpose is to change local residents’ and outsiders’ views of the Portage area and what it has to offer year round.

“One of the challenges that Portage has is the outside view of it as being a ‘gas and go’ place,” he said. “We need to reframe people’s point-of-reference.”

May said the new brand will include the area’s urban and rural attractions. “It really accurately captures who we are.”

“We’d like to see the whole community come out to the unveiling — anyone who wants to see Portage grow,” May said.

— Staff