Theatre Amisk had the community rolling in the aisles as they presented three sold out performances of Co-op The Musical at the Watson Arts Centre over the weekend.

Written and directed by WAC co-ordinator Peter Nadolny, the locally-focused play centred on a regular day at a Co-op store.

On top of the regular performances, staff from Dauphin Consumer’s Co-op were invited to the dress rehearsal, May 2, as a thank-you for all their support in making the performance a reality.

 Swan Valley Animal Protection League (SVAPL) member Nikki Chartrand (left) receives a $10,000 cheque from Dan Grazier (right) who is a member of the Swan River Kinsmen Club as well as the SVAPL. “These are two organizations that I am proud to be affiliated with and who do such great things in our community,” said Grazier. “After a presentation, the Kinsmen voted unanimously to fully fund the “Kinsmen Kennel,” a large dog run that will be constructed behind the shelter to help our pooch friends. Thank you so much to these two groups for all that you do, and a real “Big Kin” to the Swan River Kinsmen Club for stepping up on this project that would have taken us years to fund otherwise!”...

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew came to the Valley last Thursday (May 2) to make some important announcements and investments in the area. He met with all local municipal governments and then went on to tour LP...

A meeting called by the Municipality of Roblin to determine if a shortage of workers and housing was an issue for the community definitely did what it was expected to do.

The round table meeting, held April 24 at the Community Centre, brought together close to 30 community members including concerned residents, business owners, business managers, realtors and other interested parties.

Find out more in this week’s Review.

The Manitoba government reiterated its commitment to making rural communities safer and Manitobans feel safe through its five-point plan that includes strengthening the province’s bail system and developing a new provincewide strategy to reduce crime and make communities safer.

The announcement was made by Premier Wab Kinew and Justice Minister Matt Wiebe Thursday in Swan River.

Want to know more? Check out this week’s issue.

Around 7 p.m. on April 18, Roblin RCMP received a report of an impaired driver. Unfortunately, the incident was reported three hours after it happened.

Members were tied up with another file and unable to attend. If you suspect someone is driving while impaired, please call police immediately.

More in this week’s RCMP report.

This spring could easily dubbed the year of the swan, with multiple people mentioning they’ve seen more swans than normal throughout the local area.

You might have seen them too, as these large all-white birds with long necks are hard to miss.

Want to know more? Check out this week’s Moments in Riding Mountain.

Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) is well known for its musicians and artists, and one artist has been working hard to make his dreams come true. Low Budget Rock Star’s Kennie Henderson has dreamed of going to Nashville and do some recording. Thanks to some connections and hard work, he has been able to do just that.
“For me, we’ve come a long ways since the last time talked about my music,” said Henderson. “I remember one interview I had done for the Opasquia Times, where I talked about how I wanted to go to Nashville, connect with some people down there and record some music. Now I’ve done exactly that.

Spring is in the air, as and the snow has melted, we are seeing more birds returning from a long winter and soon some buds should also be blooming. With the snow gone, many are eager to get out, enjoy the warm weather and take in the sights on the Grace Lake Boardwalk Trail.
“One of our board members said the boardwalk has just started floating and we will be inspecting it as it has gone through the first winter since we installed it,” said Opasquia Trails Board Member Al McLaughlan. “We want to make sure it handled the winter well and everything else is looking really good, so we are excited for people to get out and use the trail.”

Winnipeg’s number one morning show, featuring a former Valley resident, has another accolade to its credit. Last week, Tyler Carr won an award for Radio/Podcast Host of the Year, and although it’s not Carr’s first award attributed to his work on-air, it’s still one that means a lot to him.
“I’ve won a few awards in the past, but this one specifically, I’ve never received,” said Winnipeg Energy 106 FM Radio Host Tyler Carr. “This one is for the Winnipeg Nightlife and Style Awards and it’s voted by people online. People go online to vote, and the top-voted contestants move on to the next round. The voting happens again and then the winner is chosen by the number of votes. It’s kind of like the Grammys, where they have the list of nominees and then announce the winners live.
“This award was different than the other ones, for me, because this one was more local. It had people from Winnipeg and all over Manitoba voting, whereas the other awards I received in the past, were voted on by boards or members. To get an award that is voted on by people in your community and listening area is surreal.”
The criteria this particular award is based on, comes from the fans and listeners themselves, for they are the ones who cast the votes. For Carr and his team, their morning show is both a regular timeslot feature and is also a podcast for people to take in whenever. Carr believes this played a pivotal role in him winning the award.
“The award is Radio/Podcast Host, so it’s out of a pool of people who are hosting morning, afternoon or evening radio, or someone who is hosting a podcast show,” said Carr. “It’s a versatile award category, but at the same time, it’s all-encompassing. For me, the best thing is doing the morning show. I just love being a part of hosting the morning show on Energy 106.
“My best friend and colleague, Dave Wheeler, also edits our show and makes a podcast out of it. So, for the listeners who didn’t catch the morning show, they can still get our show at any hour, at any time, with no music. It still provides what’s happening and going on in the area, which allows people to still access our content. We have this radio show and it’s also a podcast, so I think that helped me in terms of this award.”
Carr recognizes that not everything discussed on-air can have that light and fluffy feel to it, but the overall goal is about connecting with people on a real level and one that they find themselves in, during that specific moment.
“We don’t steer away from having hard conversations on radio and sometimes tensions get high, but we like to be real and show every emotion,” said Carr. “That is the part of the morning show I love the most. I get feedback from people in Winnipeg to Swan River, who appreciate that raw emotion that they can’t get anywhere else that time of day. It helps people not feel alone first thing in the morning on that drive to work or wherever they may be starting the day. I wouldn’t change this timeslot for anything in the world.
“We do this feature called the Loud Line and I think it’s my favourite thing. It’s a voicemail that callers can call in at any time and they leave stories, jokes, rants, or whatever and we play it at the same time every day. I love it because we get these messages and hear what others are going through or having to say, which allows us to hear their stories. So, they are listening to us, and we are listening to them. It’s like we are interacting with them on a certain level.”
There are several components to being an on-air radio host that Carr loves. Although mornings may not be his thing, he loves being a part of helping set others on the right foot to start their day.
“I will be honest, I am not a morning person, but I love the timeslot because it’s when everyone is going to work and you have the opportunity to help them get ready for their day,” said Carr. “Maybe they woke up not in a good mood or are stressed out, and we are trying to set them up as best as possible for their day, whether that is trying to make them laugh or giving them information so they can be aware. I love that.
“Then when I’m out in the community, I will have listeners come up to me and tell me they were having a really bad day and we said something on the radio that made them laugh and it changed the rest of their day. That’s why I love that timeslot because I have the opportunity to make someone else’s entire day better.
“Honestly, the feedback we get back from people listening, also helps us with our day, because we’re starting our day in the studio,” said Carr. “When they are sending you positive text messages, it just feels like a radio hug with people that you don’t necessarily know and I love that because it’s all about the message of positivity.”