Terry Klippenstein

Rhineland Area Food Bank is planning a spring food drive to stock its shelves.

Richard Bage, pastor of the South Park Mennonite Brethern Church in Altona, says they are working to meet the needs of a growing clientele.

Palooza.

"It's like an explosion," says Nina Edbom-Kehler, coordinator of the Altona and Area Family Resource Centre. 

"It goes well with 'puzzle' and it's fun to say!"

The title was a perfect fit for the Centre's first jigsaw puzzle competition on April 28th.  

She had no idea how popular jigsaw puzzling is in the area.

May 12th marks the start of a new season for Lake Minnewasta campground near Morden.

Eager campers began booking reservations on Monday with ice still floating on the lake.

"We need some double temperature days and it won't take long," said campground manager Brian Thiessen. "It just needs to start happening a little bit."

A few piles of snow remain on the ground too. 

"We're hoping that the rain will help, but it's making things muddy as well. That last dowse of snow we got didn't put us in the right direction for summer."

Until sunshine dries the ball diamonds in Altona's Centennial Park, young ball players have been relegated to practicing indoors.

In an effort to help Ukrainian newcomers adjust to life in Winkler, Regional Connections ran an indoor soccer program over winter. 

"When we saw the increase of Ukrainian kids move to town, they came (to our office), and every time I asked them, what was something they enjoyed doing? It was always football - which is soccer to us," explains Aubrey Krahn, who works for the organization through its Settlement Workers in School (SWIS) program.

A love for jazz and pop music has kept the Sonatrice Singers harmonizing for over 50 years.

The Carman-based community choir celebrated its golden anniversary this week with a pair of concerts Thursday and Friday evenings.

"My friend and teaching colleague, Audrey Myers, wanted to start a group, and she wanted to play the piano, because she'd been an accomplished accompanist," explained Clarice Gilchrist, one of the founding members who currently handles publicity for the choir. 

Those original members met in the local elementary school over 50 years ago.

The Municipality of Rhineland has won an award from the Manitoba Good Roads Association (MGRA) for the most improved rural roads in the province.

"We belong to the MGRA, an organization that encourages good practice in terms of municipal drains and a few other things," explains Reeve Don Wiebe. 

For the past 50 years, April 22nd has been celebrated as Earth Day, promoting awareness for the health of our environment.

The Altona Community Action Network (ACAN) is marking the event by hosting Active Transportation Day on Saturday, April 15th.

"Active transportation is about accesiblity," says spokesperson Jonah Langelotz. "It's not just for the athletic folks among us who want to wear spandex and ride their bikes as fast as possible."

Manitoba Sustainable Energy Association (ManSEA) returned to Morden to host its 2023 conference on Tuesday.

Speakers and displays addressed the theme: Energy Independence for Manitoba. 

Miriam Sweetnam, a local dairy farmer and board member for ManSEA, says this educational event is aimed at people looking for options in adopting renewable energy.

Tuesday (April 4th) is National Caregiver Day, in honour of the often invisible and unpaid labour of the caregiver workforce.

In November, Manitoba Possible (MP), formerly known as the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities, launched the Care Possible online platform to give Manitobans more control over their home care and respite services.

This week the non-profit celebrated a milestone, announcing the onboarding of 1,000 users across the province.