Ty Hildebrand

Altona is gearing up for a weekend packed with parades, music, fireworks, food, and community spirit as the 60th Manitoba Sunflower Festival kicks off July 25 to 27.

What started in 1964 as a small-town summer celebration has grown into one of southern Manitoba’s most anticipated events. Organizers say this year’s festival will celebrate tradition while making room for fresh energy and new ideas.

“It’s huge for a town this size to have a festival that’s gone on this long,” said festival chair Sandra Klassen. “People look forward to it all year.”

If you’ve ever looked up at the stars and felt a twinge of cosmic wonder, now is your time to lean in. The Perseids meteor shower is lighting up the night sky and Kenton Dyck from the Astro Club says it’s one of the most spectacular astronomical events of the year. Even better? You don’t need a telescope to see it.

“You just need the good old Mark 1 eyeball,” Dyck laughs. “No gear. No telescope. Just your eyes and a bit of time under the stars, it’s gorgeous every time.”

Zack Wiebe never thought a song he wrote in his bedroom would travel the world, but that’s exactly what happened.

The Morden singer-songwriter, who releases music under the name Zackery, is still adjusting to the reality that nearly 8 million people have streamed his breakout 2022 track On The Edge. Now, two years later, he’s packaged that song and five others into his debut EP, Fragments, a collection of personal tracks written over the course of several life changes.

If you’ve ever looked up at the stars and felt a twinge of cosmic wonder, now is your time to lean in. The Perseids meteor shower is lighting up the night sky and Kenton Dyck from the Astro Club says it’s one of the most spectacular astronomical events of the year. Even better? You don’t need a telescope to see it.

“You just need the good old Mark 1 eyeball,” Dyck laughs. “No gear. No telescope. Just your eyes and a bit of time under the stars, it’s gorgeous every time.”

If you’ve ever looked up at the stars and felt a twinge of cosmic wonder, now is your time to lean in. The Perseids meteor shower is lighting up the night sky and Kenton Dyck from the Astro Club says it’s one of the most spectacular astronomical events of the year. Even better? You don’t need a telescope to see it.

“You just need the good old Mark 1 eyeball,” Dyck laughs. “No gear. No telescope. Just your eyes and a bit of time under the stars, it’s gorgeous every time.”

Hold onto your hats, the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition is back. Running July 18 to 20, Morris is once again hosting the only professional rodeo on Manitoba’s leg of the Canadian Tour circuit, and it’s shaping up to be a record-breaking weekend of thrills, community spirit, and cowboy grit.

Hold onto your hats, the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition is back. Running July 18 to 20, Morris is once again hosting the only professional rodeo on Manitoba’s leg of the Canadian Tour circuit, and it’s shaping up to be a record-breaking weekend of thrills, community spirit, and cowboy grit.

Over 50 vintage tractors rumbled across southern Manitoba this weekend as part of Eden Foundation’s 18th annual Tractor Trek — a community-driven fundraising event supporting mental health services in the region.

The event kicked off Saturday morning at the Eden Health Care Centre grounds in Winkler and wound through Morden, Chortitz, and Schanzenfeld.

A music producer from Altona is making national waves. Laura Smith better known by her artist name Daggerss has been selected as one of just seven women across Canada to take part in Music Publishers Canada’s 2025 Women in the Studio National Accelerator, a program designed to support mid-career women and gender-diverse producers.

Now in its seventh year, the accelerator offers professional development, mentorship, and networking opportunities with some of the top minds in Canadian music.

One of the oldest and most beloved fairs in Western Canada is back and better than ever! The Carman Country Fair runs this weekend (July 10–12), kicking off summer in the Pembina Valley with a full weekend of agriculture, entertainment, and high-octane fun for all ages. “This is the 145th Carman Country Fair,” said Elaine Owen with the Dufferin Agricultural Society. “Very few fairs have been around that long, and even fewer keep reinventing themselves like this one.”