Twenty local groups and organizations looking for volunteers had the chance to take part in a volunteer market at the Dauphin Active Living Centre, Saturday afternoon.

The market included a presentation from Volunteer Manitoba, as well as Martijn van Luijn, economic development manager for the City of Dauphin, and Jerry Joss, who spoke about his own volunteerism.

Deborah Slonowsky, Dauphin and Area Welcoming Communities Coalition co-ordinator with Regional Connections, said there is no limit to the number of volunteers they can use.

“Because we need volunteers sometimes just to work at an event, which will be a two-hour commitment. And sometimes volunteers will want to commit to a longer term like being a language buddy, which might take place over several months, sometimes years. And those flourish sometimes into a friendships that becomes a lifelong thing,” she said, adding they will go with whatever the volunteer is looking for.

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Earl Thompson tees off on no. 6 at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club, Friday, as the local course opened for business earlier than expected.

Although it was a cool day, the course was busy as local golfers were eager to hit the links. The Gilbert Plains Country Club also opened for the season on Saturday.

It was the best of both worlds when the Rotary Club of Dauphin hosted its annual wine tasting event, Friday, in conjunction with its bi-annual book sale, which ran from Thursday to Saturday at the Ukrainian Orthodox Auditorium.

The book sale itself proved to be a hit with a new record of just under $8,000 in books being sold over the three days, including more than $1,200 in sales on the evening of the wine tasting, for which 238 tickets were sold.

The combination worked quite well, according to organizer JL Guillas, with many positive comments from the wine vendors, who thought it was a unique and interesting combination.

Costs and profit for the wine event are still being calculated, but it was a definite success, Guillas said, with a lot of fun for attendees.

There is something about playing on their home court that brings out the best in the Parkland Vipers volleyball players.

The 15U Vipers became the program’s third team to win its home tournament, this past weekend.

Parkland finished second in its pool after round-robin play, opening with a 26-24, 7-25 and 8-15 loss to the Westman Wave.

The Vipers rebounded with a 25-8 and 25-20 win over CW Smash, followed by a 26-27, 25-20 and 15-11 win over Vision Elite Blue.

Parkland opened the playoffs with a 25-15 and 25-17 win over the Kenora Lakers in the quarterfinals and advanced to the championship match with a 23-25, 25-21 and 15-12 win over the CW Rage.

The final was a battle of the Parkland with the Vipers coming out on top over the Predators, 25-22, 20-25 and 16-14.

Vipers coach Nicole Yarema said the team played well throughout the tournament.

“It feels like things are finally coming together. This was their last tournament before provincials and it feels really good to end things on such a positive note,” she said.

The team has been consistently improving with every tournament they’ve played since the start of the season, Yarema said.

“This tournament especially, they were playing like a team. They were playing strategically. You could see the things that they’ve been learning in practice. It was really, really good for everyone,” she added.

Yarema hopes the team can carry the momentum from this tournament win into provincials, May 6 and 7, in Winnipeg.

“Our ranking is pretty low, so our goal is to come out in the top half,” she said.

Winning their home tournament is a special moment, Yarema said.

“As a coach, it’s definitely one of those moments that makes you super proud. All the girls worked really hard and they definitely deserved the win,” she said.

As for provincials, the expectation is to keep playing they way they have in recent tournaments.

“They’ve definitely shown me that they have got it in them to win. The team that we beat in the final, the Predators, are ranked quite a bit higher than us, so I’m hoping that they can really show everything that they’ve learned,” Yarema said.

Branch and Riley Langevin, who will soon turn three years old, enjoy an ice cream treat from A Scoop of Happiness, Dauphin’s new ice cream shop.

A Scoop of Happiness opened for business on Friday, serving soft and hard ice cream treats, just in time for summer.

It will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The U17 Parkland Vipers hosted a four-team volleyball tournament at Barker School, Saturday, going undefeated in winning the event.

The Vipers scored a 25-13, 20-25 and 15-7 win over the Neepawa Voltage to open the tournament. Then they defeated Club West Smash, 25-11 and 25-16.

The final match of the day saw the Vipers clinch first place in the round-robin tournament with a 25-22, 25-20, 17-25 and 25-23 win over the Rocanville Brash.

Vipers coach Chris Wolfenden said the team learned a lot throughout the tournament, a trend that continues every time they hit the court.

“We’re learning lots every single weekend about just how to overcome the simple parts of the game. They’re hard to master at the top levels, let alone at the bottom levels,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting our hands on balls and understanding just how to compete all the time, 100 per cent of the time. We’re getting closer.”

Coming off a weekend where they won the consolation at a tournament in Brandon, the team’s confidence, Wolfenden said, is good.

“It’s better than last weekend, for sure. This was really good for us to come and play three solid matches at home in front of fans and parents. I think the girls needed this, because we have three tough tournaments coming up,” he said.

The Vipers will be in Winnipeg this weekend for a tournament hosted by the Bisons, which will be a tough event for the local team.

“We have the potential to beat any of these teams. It just depends on which one of our teams shows up. And that’s what I mean by, if we come out and we compete and compete hard, we can play with anybody. That’s the team I want to see,” he said. “And aggression. It’s just one of those things learning as a young volleyball player that it’s okay to be aggressive and take chances. That’s what the girls are getting better at.”

Following the Bisons tournament, the Vipers will compete for a provincial crown, Apr. 29 and 30, in Brandon.

Kenai Mouck of the Parkland Jr. Rangers gets a shot off against the Moose Mountain Impact of Moosomin, Sask., Saturday, during the Parkland Showcase tournament at Credit Union Place.

The Jr Rangers went on to win the tournament with a 4-2 win over the Manitoba Force of Winkler, on Sunday.

The Impact won the bronze medal with a win over the Wheatland Wild.

Last weekend, the 2013 Parkland Jr. Rangers won their home tournament, beating the Yorkton Jr. Maulers, 9-3 in the final.

The Country Barons of Virden won the B-side with a 4-3 win over the Brandon Ice Kings.

The Jr. Maulers won the 2012 tournament, with a 5-1 win over the Wheat City Wild of Moosomin.

About 100 exhibitors will be on hand for the 32nd Kin Club Business Expo, Saturday and Sunday at the Parkland Recreation Complex.

The exhibitors will be spread throughout Credit Union Place, the curling rink and the walking track, as well as the facility’s hallways.

Expo organizer Daniel Pylypchuk of the Dauphin Kin Club added there is free admission.

“We’ve had free admission for the last little while and we still have people thinking it’s a pay gate. But, no, it’s free admission,” he said, adding there will be 50-50 tickets sold during the event in lieu of a pay gate.

Pylypchuk said there is a large number of new businesses which will be part of the expo this year.

“Everytime I look on Facebook, it’s one of these new businesses, and a couple of the older businesses that have been at the expo the last few years, they’re advertising all over on Facebook, which is great, because it’s not just our club that’s promoting it, but the exhibitors themselves have taken it on. They want to make this, not just a show, but a large event,” he said.

The expo is a fund-raiser for the Kin Club of Dauphin, which will donate the proceeds to groups and organizations around the city.

The expo is open, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m.

Pylypchuk noted one food vendor which has been part of the expo since the start will not be in attendance this year, but two other vendors will take the place of the original vendor.

There will also be a small animal and bird sale, Sunday at the Rotary Arena, with doors opening at noon and the sale starting at 1 p.m.

Because they have the space for it, Pylypchuk said they will take entries for the sale up until sale time.

Ethan Simons belts out an original song during Open Mic Night in the Old Fire Hall at the Watson Arts Centre, Friday.

Each performer was able to do three songs, much to the delight of the everyone in attendance.

The next Open Mic Night takes place, Apr. 28, at 7 p.m.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Auditorium in Dauphin hosted the 34th annual Gun and Hobby Show, Saturday and Sunday.

There was plenty for the public to see as they browsed the many tables offering collectibles for sale or trade.