Shelby Proznick

The Whoop and Hollar Folk Festival is coming back to Portage this weekend, and some local artists will be able to show off their skills. Will Benn, the lead singer and guitarist for the newly-created band the Roadside Prophets, says that it's great to get out after two years of being unable to play.

"We've been sitting still for a while. We're just glad to get out again. There's a lot of stuff to write about, and we want to get out there and express what we do as entertainers. So, we're looking forward to playing shows and more concerts or festivals."

Over the weekend, Portage got a tour around the world at the Fort la Reine Museum's "I Heart Heritage Festival". Emma EnsMacIver, the museum director, takes the time to explain what the event is all about. 

Air Cadets from all over the country received their Power Pilot licence and wings following six weeks of training. Last week (Friday, August 19th), these cadets marched across the parade square in front of family and friends to show off their pride and accomplishment for a successful summer. These dedicated cadets have successfully passed the flying requirements and earned their wings. Warrant Officer Aris Amalla, from New Brunswick, one of the cadets on the course, explained how he felt after completing such a prestigious course.

Today Celebrate Summer went to the Stonewall Quarry Days. They had many rides in the midway, lots of food trucks, an abundance of vendors selling their products, and free quarry rides for anyone attending the event. It was a great event with many amazing things for the entire family to enjoy. You might have seen the Cruiser in the parade blasting country music for everyone to enjoy, or you could have grabbed some Blue Moon Water on this scorching day and entered your name in our draw box.

The Portage la Prairie School Division is reaching out to parents who will be sending their kids on buses and shuttles this fall. Shelley Anderson, the supervisor of transportation for the Portage Prairie School division, tells PortageOnline how crucial it is to have this service. 

"The importance of the shuttle service is to provide transportation to students who live more than 1.6 kilometres from their catchment area school." Anderson says, "It's to assist parents in ensuring that students are safely transported to and from school on a daily basis."

Apple will collect many surveys around Canada, including the Central Plains, in the upcoming weeks to update the look-around feature on Apple Maps. Although you can already use the feature on the app, it dates back to 2019. On Apple's website, they noted how they want to keep their map as new as possible to "maintain a high-quality, up-to-date map" The Apple car started its journey on Monday, August 08. The drive will come to a stop on September 30. 

Even though there is only one Apple store in Manitoba, they plan on driving through 21 areas across our province. Which include:

Last night the Portage la Prairie Parks Committee had a meet and greet to discuss the plans for the new and improved skate park that was initially planned to be up this summer. Due to low funds, Portage might have to wait a little longer to see the upgrade come to life in Simplot Central Park.  

Last week the town of Gladstone questioned who had the best burger or sandwich with the Happy Rock Restaurant Challenge.

Five restaurants went head-to-head with their creations. Over 150 voted on who they thought was best. In the end, Lickity Splits Drive Inn won with their Pulled Pork Deluxe Burger. They were crowned on Saturday during the Gladstone Agricultural fair in front of a vast audience. 

 Mag Jenkins, the owner of Lickity Splits Drive Inn, notes how challenging the competition was for her business. 

After a two-year hiatus, the Portage Potato Festival is back. This year it was clear that people were waiting for this as they came from all over the province for free fries from McCain and Simplot. Lineups for the fries and the other vendors were insanely long, some wrapping to the road. This year was the first year that Plappy got to show off his new look. He swapped the crown and cape for a tie. Some would say he looks very professional.

The Happy Rock Restaurant Challenge is here for the first time in Gladstone. All five restaurants participating either made a burger or a sandwich for the community to enjoy and vote on. Tara Fulton, one of the members of the Gladstone Agricultural Society, notes what the challenge is all about.