Shelby Proznick

Today marks a day when many Canadians fought for our country in World War I, the Battle of Vimy Ridge. 

Bob Oldford, the Media liaison for Portage Legion Branch 65, says this day is significant to our country and, more so, even to Portage la Prairie, as 161 soldiers from our area lost their lives in World War I. 

Every year, a summer highlight for CFRY and Country 93.1 was hosting Farmer Appreciation lunch. Over 500 people attended this year in hopes of winning the big prize, a Grain Max 2300 Hopper Bottom Meridian Bin. 

Rob Peters, who farms just south of Portage la Prairie, was this year's lucky winner. Peters was excited to receive his prize earlier this month. Peters and his family could not have been happier to see the bin in their yard. 

"It's a huge Prize to win. It took a little bit to sink in, but it's a little more surreal now that it's rolling up into the yard." 

Now that spring is here, most are starting to think about what they should be planting in their garden, and the Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) is ensuring you are prepared. 

Lorna Knight, the Community Engagement Coordinator with the PCRC, says they already had one Gardening Workshop and have two more installments.  

With the holidays being a busy time of the year, the City of Portage Operations Department hopes to make it easier for you. The city will increase its curbside collection service for solid waste from 2 to 4 containers. This special occasion starts today (Wednesday, December 28, 2022) and will cease on January 4, 2023. 

However, since New Year's Day is a holiday, there will be a brief pause in the collection. Therefore, there will be no pickup on January 2, 2023, but it will continue on January 3 for two final days. 

Another year has come and gone for Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment. This past Monday, they had its Annual General Meeting to discuss the past year and what the next year has to hold.

Executive Director Stefanie Dunn says that even though the 2021-2022 year was a huge pandemic year, they adapted, and overcame all of the challenges with the ever-changing restrictions.

"We've really worked hard to uphold our mandate and really prioritize some new goals of being an inclusive centre of excellence for arts education."

School isn't the only thing coming back this fall; swimming lessons with the Portage Regional Recreation Authority (PRRA) are filling up quickly. Zapphira Neuschwander, the PRRA's recreation manager, says that it is important for people to register as fast as possible.

It's official, Grain Rush is back! CFRY and Fountain Tire staff packed up the vehicles last night and made our first delivery! It was off to Kelly Grain Farms just east of Langruth where John Kelly and his family were happy to for a cooks night off and the meals from Mr. Mikes Steakhouse Casual. CFRY loves getting out into the community and talking to area farmers along with our partner businesses. Especially, when it means putting meals on their tables since they are always putting meals on ours.

Today I had the opportunity to go to Our Farm Greenhouse for their Fun with Family Day. At the event, they had something for everyone to enjoy. They had bouncy castles, a face painter, a bunch of businesses selling their product, and a battle of the bands with lots of local artists. I could not be more thankful for all the amazing volunteers, organizers, and community members for such an amazing day. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and said hello, grabbed some water (to stay hydrated in the heat we had today) and entered our Celebrate Summer Draw Box.

Over a dozen local businesses gathered on Thursday night at the East End Market. There were two markets last year and this is the first one of 2022. At this year's market, all of the table proceeds went to the Portage Ukrainian Nursery School. The goal was to bring the community together, one of the organizers Chelsea Lewis mentions that a lot of late nights were put into planning this event.  

"We tried to think about the best way to support all of the local businesses and vendors."