Glorious Weekend for Frog Follies
“Wild Pink Yonder” Asking for Assistance By Marianne Curtis A number of southeast communities have eagerly jumped on board to support the first ever Manitoba Wild Pink Yonder ride which kicks off in September. Horse lovers and riding enthusiasts are invited to hit the trail for three weeks this fall, when the first ever Manitoba Wild Pink Yonder makes its way throughout the region while raising funds for breast cancer research. The ride, which started three years ago in Alberta, will kick off September 10 in Morden, then meander through the region until the final stop October 1 in Bird’s Hill Park. The trail covers 265 miles and brings the trail riders through 28 communities. Pam Glover and a volunteer committee have been making rounds to various communities along the route to gather community support and volunteers. “Our goal is to raise money for research, with the final goal to find a cure for breast cancer,” explained Glover. “Anyone over 12 can participate in the ride but we are hoping that communities along the trail will support us in whatever way possible.”
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La Broquerie Gets Books in Order Caveman Kerry attempts to sweet talk his frog during the frog jumping competition.
By Marianne Curtis The 42nd annual St. Pierre Frog Follies delivered on its promise of a fun filled family weekend despite a change in dates. Historically, St. Pierre’s annual Frog Follies and Agriculture Fair took place on the August long weekend. However, this year the event was moved forward to July 14-17. The non-profit event brought people together from all over, for a fun-filled, and action packed weekend. In celebration of the new date, the committee offered free gate admission. The weather and the date change both seemed to work well for the event. “Many people are gone August long weekend so we
Photos by Marianne Curtis
figured that we would reschedule for when people are sticking around,” explained Barney Morin, one of the event organizers. He added that the organizing committee, which consists of a younger group of volunteers, is promising many changes to the yearly event. This year’s focus was bringing a better lineup of entertainment to the community and next year, a rebranding will take place. Some of the featured activities included one of Manitoba’s premier agricultural exhibition displays and fair, numerous children’s activities, a slo-pitch tournament, a parade, fireworks, a Sunday night DJ social, and the Canadian National Frog Jumping Championship. There was also tons of live entertainment including Ça Claque, Dust Rhinos, Jerry Sereda, The Dusty Roads Band, and Diamond Disc Dogs.
The RM of La Broquerie has finally been able to close the books on their 2009 financial statements. According to Reeve Claude Lussier, the municipality only recently finished wrapping up the 2009 books and can now turn their focus on 2010. Municipalities must have their books complete and audited by the end of June each year. However, due to a delay in closing 2009 they were unable to finish 2010. “It’s been a year since the deadline but we are pleased they are finally getting done,” stated Lussier. He would not explain why there was a delay. The RM of La Broquerie council is optimistic that it will not take as long to close the books on 2010 even though it should have been completed by the end of June 2011. “It will be late again this year but we expect that they will be on time in the future,” Lussier added. Meanwhile, the RM of La Broquerie staff have been working hard at improving the process including ensuring that monthly statements are prepared ahead of time and presented to council for review each month.