Town & Country

W I N K L E R / M O R D E N WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY MARCH 16, 2019 5 2019 REGULAR S E A S O N REGISTER NOW PLAY BASEBALL THIS SPRING CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION ONLINE REGISTRATION COMING SOON! BASEBALLMANITOBA.CA (204) 925-5763 WES'S TIRE SHOP Farm Truck and Passenger Tires as well as on Farm Services WE SPECIALIZE IN: Carbs Wheel Alignment Passenger, Light Oil Changes Light or Heavy Truck Truck & Farm Transmissions Fully Licensed Mechanics Tires, All sizes Brake Service Vehicle Inspection Station Air Conditioning Exhaust Service 24 Hour In-The-Field Shock Absorbers Engine Tune-ups Repair Services R/V Axle Engine Overhauls Alignment GOODYEAR G3X DEALER 1-800-778-2076 | 204-745-2076 CARMAN MB, 215 MAIN ST. N. | westire@mts.net Email: info@allsize.com www.allsize.com Phone: 1-204-325-9457 Exclusive manufacturer of grain drying equipment for new and existing Bins, Quonsets or Piles 2-500 Main Street Winkler, MB p. 204-325-4615 f. 204-325-6712 106-400 Stephen Street Morden, MB Johanna M. Franz joan@fhwlaw.ca Jaret P. Hoeppner jaret@fhwlaw.ca Edwin J. Sloane ed@fhwlaw.ca Cartwright, MB Ph 204.529.2484 Your Complete Building Supply Centre Flooring Drafting Paint Hardware Building & Deck Pkgs Cartwright, MB Ph 204.529.2484 Your Complete Building Supply Centre Flooring Drafting Paint Hardware Building & Deck Pkgs Cartwright, MB Ph 204.529.2484 Your Complete Building Supply Centre Flooring Drafting Paint Hardware Building & Deck Pkgs Pilot Mound Pharmacy (204) 825-2500 Crystal City Health (204) 873-2176 Open Monday-Friday PARALYZED BY FEAR? If you experience: Shortness of breath • Tightness of chest Choking sensations • Dizziness Racing Heart • Trembling or shaking Numbness or tingling • Feelings of unreality 204-925-0600 or 1(800)805-8885 www.adam.mb.ca We can help. If tourism initiative Explore Winkler Morden isn't familiar to you, it soon will be. In 2017, the cities of Morden and Winkler and the RM of Stanley joined forces to boost local tourism, with an as- sist from Travel Manitoba's place brand- ing program. Last spring, the volunteer- run group launched the Explore Morden Winkler website and, this year, the project will have a higher profile in both commu- nities, with a billboard on Hwy. 3, stick- ers on windows at restaurants, hotels and service stations, and brochures to pro- mote events and attractions. Place branding is a destination market- ing tool that highlights distinctive experi- ences and attractions under a strong brand umbrella. Working with ad agency Mc- Kim Communications Group and Probe Research, Travel Manitoba has facilitated brand development for about a dozen towns and cities, including Portage la Prairie. Since Morden and Winkler are such close neighbours, it makes sense to pro- mote the two cities under a single brand. "The proximity of the two cities is what makes it a unique destination," Explore Morden Winkler chairperson Reg Braun says. "There's really nowhere else in the prov- ince that you can come and have two com- munities so close together — and they're two very unique communities." Braun says Explore Morden Winkler doesn't replace other local or regional tourism initiatives, but it creates a cross- promotional link between the two cities. If someone is visiting Morden, they'll be encouraged to add Winkler to their itiner- ary, and vice versa. One idea is to develop travel packages that might, for example, combine a golf day in Morden with a stay in a Winkler hotel and a dinner at a local restaurant. Explore Morden Winkler will have a presence at community festivals and special events, so folks who attend the Mor- den Corn & Apple Festival or the Winkler Harvest Festival will also be made aware of accommodations, restaurants and attrac- tions in the neighbouring community. The goal is to attract more visitors, more often, and have them stay longer. While Winnipeg, North Dakota and South Da- kota are primary markets, Braun says local residents will also be encouraged to be a tourist in their own town. "Local awareness of your tourist assets can be a tremendous source of community pride," he says. "The biggest success factor that we see for ourselves is when we have the cities themselves and other organizations includ- ing the Explore Morden Winkler logo in their own marketing. That's when you know you've got the local buy in." To learn more, visit the website at exploremordenwinkler.com and follow Explore Morden Winkler on Facebook. DOUBLE IDENTITY Joint tourism effort links sister cities BY PAT ST. GERMAIN BY WENDY KING I f you are an aspiring thespian longing to "tread the boards," Candlewick Productions Inc. wants you. The community-based theatre company is committed to encouraging participation in the- atre through a variety of events and ministries throughout southern Manitoba. Based in Morden at the Kenmore Theatre, Candlewick's executive producer/director and head "go-fer" is Richard J. Klassen. He has been involved in community theatre since the '90s, and started Candlewick in 2002. "When we named it, we thought back to those old theatres with the lights that have the candlestick type of look — and now we keep the name because we keep it burning at both ends!" he says. "It was just a little idea, about a simple little flame burning and how you could use it for what you could produce on stage." Klassen was always interested in the arts. When he attended university, he chose to major in theology, but all his electives were in theatre. He worked as a youth pastor for a time, but be- fore long, theatre took centre stage. "We started Candlewick to look after things we were doing in terms of children's drama and youth drama and activities like adult commu- nity theatre events," he says. "When I started, there were about six to 10 people that were interested in getting involved, and now it keeps building and building." Hundreds of people have become involved over the years and for some, it's become a family tradition. "The second-generation volunteers are a little bit scary when you've been doing this for so long, and all of a sudden one of your actors' children starts showing up," he says, laughing. "You stop for a minute and say, 'Wait a min- ute, I was working with your mom or your dad just a few years ago and now you're involved?' "It's fantastic to see the multi-generational side of it." Candlewick — which also owns DanceWorks Studios, located in Morden with satellites throughout the region — presents a number of adult productions, including Valentine's and Christmas dinner theatres, throughout the year. For youngsters and youth, all kinds of differ- ent productions are created, both in the school system and in the community. "Those shows can range from a theatrical show to a whole musical," Klassen says. "I've had a really good experience with Mani- toba elementary schools over the years and we've been able to utilize the ArtsSmarts program through the Manitoba Arts Council." With such a broad range of ages, selecting and developing scripts takes some extra thought. "We are conscientious in choosing pieces that the audience is familiar with, while at the same time trying something that's a little bit new or different," he says. "Having said that, we also try to select pieces that will help to generate some cash flow — and that's my producer self speaking — that would be more in the lines of our adult productions." With youth productions, Klassen looks at how many kids are involved to choose scripts that will provide both maximum participation and an interesting show. "The kids are also involved in script selection, so they get a chance to look at a couple of dif- ferent options along with us and then they can choose which one they think will be the best for the group," he says. "This March 14 to 17, we're doing West Side Story in Prairie Spirit School Division and in early April we're doing Willy Wonka Junior with the elementary school kids and Pride and Prejudice with our junior high kids in Morden," he says. Audiences can watch out for Mary Poppins Junior, a western called Is There a Doctor in the House? and some playwrights working on a spoof of Jurassic Park. Candlewick strives to offer many opportuni- ties to participate and aims to give everyone a shot at the stage as well as behind the scenes. "We try to get anyone that's interested (to be) involved with what we do, and while people are waiting to get on stage, there's lots of backstage work to do and we can always use more people on our crews. "And I really want to emphasize how ap- preciative we are of all the different volunteers that are involved," Klassen says. "I've got a very endearing group that I love to work with and they're just fantastic." Upcoming Candlewick productions are listed on the website at candlewick.ca. Photos courtesy of Candlewick Productions Inc. COME OUT TO PLAY Regional theatre company welcomes all ages

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