Carolyne Braid

Arty little birds take flight

There’s nothing odd about the birds of Little Wing Odd Birds — they are a unique, creative expression of one person’s love of nature.

Book helps kids learn about body positivity

First-time author Marilyn Joy Anderson’s new book is helping teach children about body positivity, diversity, acceptance, and empathy.

Get in the loop

Kids, are you looking for a fun way to get to school? Parents, do you want your children to have a route to school that you can feel confident about? Teachers, are you looking for a fun and interactive program?

‘X’ marks the coffee spot

A shared passion for coffee, food, culture and more led cousins Lou and Lyn Alarkon to create a unique and fun event called Coffee with “X” in 2021.

River Heights Arena needs your support

A community fundraiser for the River Heights site of the Corydon Community Centre is still underway and needs your support.

Apparel makers find audience with local themes

For one local couple, what began as a desire to have a cool, Winnipeg-themed T-shirt has turned into a robust clothing line that now includes hoodies and tuques.

‘And they had a bar on wheels…’

Using reinvented horse trailers and an old Airstream-like trailer, Nomad Box Bar offers a mobile bar and beverage service that is sure to add a level of ‘Wow!’ to any event.

“My partner Brianna (Schofield) and I started with the idea of creating an experience for weddings and

parties like no other,” said Grant Forzley, co-owner of the company, which was established in 2018. “Caterers were commonplace, and many people offered services to pour a rum and coke or a beer, but beautiful and tasty craft cocktails, mocktails and draft beer being served from an elegant rolling bar was a completely new concept and we are so excited to bring it to Manitoba.”

Nomad Box Bar provides services to all types of people and for every occasion.

The treasures of Yellow Door Art

Celebrating a special occasion? Looking for that unique piece of art to finish off your garden or great room? Well, local artist Susan Hope can take your keepsakes and other everyday items and turn them into something truly beautiful.

“Growing up I never thought of myself as being artistic. It wasn’t until I was dragged to a fabric statue workshop that I discovered my artistic talent,” said Susan Hope, artist and owner of Yellow Door Art. “My inspiration comes from the things around me. I am a huge fan of hand-crocheted doilies, and I can instantly see how I can recycle it into something unique.”

Susan describes her art as whimsical.

“I create statues of people, animals and ‘things’ from wire, tape, fabric hardener, 100 per cent natural materials, hand-crocheted vintage doilies and tablecloths, as well as punto tagliato (Italian for cutwork),” Susan said. “I bling things up with vintage buttons and jewelry and give them a whimsical feel.”

Children’s book shares elder’s teachings

When local writer Tarina Parisian heard of her elder’s passing, she knew it was time to share the children’s story that she had written almost 18 years earlier.

“My parents passed away years before my children were born,” Parisian said. “It was my responsibility to share my culture but unfortunately at the time knew little about it. I reached out to a place called Red Willow Lodge and became engulfed in learning through ceremonies and sweat lodges.”

During that time, Tarina received her spirit name, North Summer Wind Woman and first heard the seven sacred teachings.

“Learning about my culture was an awakening experience,” she said. “It gave me a sense of self I had never really experienced. It was at my first visit to the lodge, where they were having ceremonial fires. The elder, Jules, shared that you can see things in the embers and the flames of the fire. That child, spirit and fire are all one. To be mindful of what that experience was to bring. I had seen the images of the animals in the fire that night and asked what their meaning was. It was then I heard these teaching for the first time and I started to cry.

Taking Friendly Manitoba to the streets

Two university students who graduated just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and with job opportunities looking a little slim, decided to start their own clothing line celebrating Manitoba friendliness.

“We both graduated university into a global pandemic and with time on our hands, and with a lack of good news, the situation created the perfect storm to try and create some much-needed positivity,” said Cole Wielgosz, co-owner of Friendly People. 

“We tossed around a lot of ideas for our slogan, eventually landing on flipping the classic ‘Friendly Manitoba’ slogan to ‘People here are more than friendly, they’re Manitoba Friendly.’

“We began our journey with a hand-painted sign, sitting in public parks asking people to share stories,” Cole said.

Scouts set Xmas tree sales record

The annual Christmas tree sale held by the 67th Winnipeg Scout Group lot saw record sales in 2021.

“We sold about 2,200 trees — far more than we have in any one year,” said Doug Strang, group commissioner. The group regularly holds its annual sale at the River Heights site of Corydon Community Centre.

“Overall, the tree sale was great, but a little strange,” Strang said. 

“There was a lot of talk about a tree shortage and, when we opened the sale on Nov. 27 a lot of people came on the first day and we sold almost everything we had on the lot at that time.”

Local gifts will please anyone on your list

The holiday season is well underway and if you still have people on your list, here are a few great local businesses which promote local products and creators:

• For the art lover on your list, Spaces n Places has a series of detailed pen-and-ink sketches by local artist Shaheer Mansour.

“My Winnipeg drawings covered the city’s most iconic historic and modern architecture, to celebrate the city’s diverse and rich architecture,” said Mansour, founder of Spaces n Places. “Drawings include St. Boniface Cathedral, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and the Esplanade Riel Bridge.”

Visit www.spacesnplaces.net to see the full catalogue and to order.

This artist just happens to be an orthodontist

Local artist Kris Row is a practising orthodontist but said he considers himself an artist who happens to be an orthodontist and not the other way around.

“I was an artist before and will be one after when I am finished straightening teeth,” Row said.

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has helped spur his creative spirit.

“My paintings and sculptures are often inspired by a story — usually something funny that has happened in my life,” he said.

A prepared meal service for seniors

Meal delivery services are not a new concept but until recently there wasn’t one strictly dedicated to meeting the unique needs of seniors. One area resident has changed that by bringing Heart to Home Meals to Winnipeg.

“I got involved after I visited a close friend who is struggling with her health the previous winter in her Florida home,” said Fred Pennell, owner of the Winnipeg franchise. “While there was a nurse who brought her lunch and dinner each day, when I saw the quality of these meals I was horrified. I knew I had to find something else, especially when she came back to Winnipeg.”

After an extensive search Fred found Heart to Home Meals and knew this would be the perfect solution for the seniors of Winnipeg.

“Heart to Home Meals is ideal for seniors who want and need nutritious meals and find it a struggle, a hassle or difficult to cook,” Pennell said. “It is also great for seniors who still want to cook for themselves.”

Ag in the Classroom connects kids to farmers

Agriculture in the Classroom - Manitoba, a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to teaching students about agriculture, is going virtual this year with the introduction of livestreamed virtual farm tours.

"To make farms more accessible to students, we are introducing the Follow the Farmers virtual farm tour program,” said AITC executive director Sue Clayton.

“We are continually finding new ways we can help teachers and students have engaged conversations about agriculture and we feel the virtual tour will give students a unique inside look into Manitoba farms.”

During the tour, students will be able to talk directly with host farmers during a live, question-and-answer webinar.

Plan ahead, get your trees banded this fall

To ensure the health of your trees and keep our beautiful, forest-like canopy intact, you should be sure to add tree banding to your fall list of chores.

“When trees are not banded the cankerworm population will continue to build up year after year,” said George Jarvis, past-president of the Earl Grey Neighbourhood Safety Association (EGNSA).

“In worst cases, boulevard and ash trees will be defoliated and nasty worms will be dangling over streets and sidewalks for up to three weeks. The trees will not die but will certainly be weaker and prone to disease and the elements.”

The mission of the EGNSA is to promote safety programs that make our community better. It is a self-funded group of volunteers in the Earl Grey and Ebby/Wentworth communities and offers a number of community initiatives, including tree banding.

Fantasy Cakes business thrives in pandemic

Not having access to an oven until she was 26 did not stop one area resident from opening River Heights’ newest decadent bakery.

“I grew up in Israel and lived with my father, who is very basic human being, so I never had an oven,” said Luba Yurchenko, owner of Fantasy Cakes.

“After my military service at the age of 21, I got married and it was only after the birth of our first daughter that we got an oven.”

After trying a few other professions, Luba realized she had a passion for baking.

Exploring Manitoba, one burger at a time

What began as a casual drive in the country has turned into a fun search for Manitoba’s best small town drive-in restaurant.

“About four years ago my wife, Stephanie,  and I went for a drive one weekend, no plans or destination in mind,” said Kerry O’Brien, creator of the Manitoba Small Town Drive-ins Review Facebook group and YouTube channel.

“While we were out there, we saw a drive-in and stopped for a bite to eat. The next weekend we did the same thing but made a point to look for a drive-in. This happened again and again.”As this became a regular weekend adventure, they thought it would be fun to become amateur burger critics.

“We started videoing the ‘reviews’,” Kerry said. “My first few were terrible, short and lacking detail but over time I started to feel more comfortable. Soon we had over 25 reviews.”

50 years and still going strong

The Children’s Hospital Foundation has been serving the community for over 50 years and it couldn’t have done it without the help of some amazing volunteers.

“There can be upwards of 600 volunteers a year working for the betterment of sick and injured children,” said Kathryn McBurney, manager of communications and marketing for Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

“Volunteers help in a variety of ways from governance and counsel on the board of directors and board committees, to planning and executing our signature events like the golf tournament and gala.”

Barb McLean is a Children’s Hospital Foundation volunteer who has been helping the organization since day one - all the way back to 1971.

Neighbours helping neighbours

Even though we can’t get together with our neighbours, one local group has found a way to continue to reach out and help one another.

The Mutual Aid Society (MAS) is an online Facebook group that connects neighbours with neighbours.

“Our aim is to provide community members tools and resources so they can self-organize their local communities by filling the needs and gaps that their family and neighbors may have to face,” said Oumer Kinnarath, a volunteer organizer with MAS.

The group page is filled with people who are either in need of something, those offering to help or others who have something of value to give away.

Highlighting male infertility

Infertility is often seen as a “female condition,” but the reality according to the Government of Canada, is that, when couples are unable to conceive, men are the main factor 30 per cent of the time and 20 per cent of the time it is a combination of both partners.

 Local author Jon Waldman sheds light on the struggles of male infertility in his new book, Swimming Aimlessly.

“One in six men struggle with infertility. The inability to conceive naturally can be extremely painful for men,” Jon said.

“They often have feelings of inadequacy, shame and isolation.”

Learn to beat the COVID blues

Are you feeling sad or restless? Are you angry or withdrawing from things you used to enjoy? You could be suffering from COVID blues.

Not to fear, there are things you can do to lift your spirits during these unusual times.

According to Ryan Anderson, a life and performance coach with Motiv8 Coaching, one key to managing is to focus on what you can control instead of stressing out about what you can’t.

“Most of the time, the ‘what ifs’ never happen,” Anderson said. “Be grateful for everything you do have. Establish new healthy routines, start a new project, foster a dog, and explore new creative hobbies.”

Be prepared for an online job interview

Online meetings have become the way things get done - including applying for a new job.

Whether you’re seeking an entry level position or a senior executive role, putting your best ‘background’ forward during a video meeting on Zoom, Teams or another platform is part of the new normal.

“While it’s tempting to just dress up the top half of yourself while on video, get out of your pyjama pants and into full work attire just as you would in a face-to-face interview,” said Gail Eckert, director of recruitment at Summit Search Group.

“Apart from feeling put together and professional by being fully dressed, there is always a risk that your audience might become aware of your casual lower half.  I heard of someone who, without pants during a video call, received a text from a participant to let them know that the mirror on the wall behind the person clearly displayed to the entire group that they were sans pants.”