'A tremendous feeling': Brandon's Royal Winter Fair wraps up week-long celebration
A long-running, beloved Brandon event is celebrating a successful return to fully in-person festivities this spring break.
The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair concluded Saturday after six days of activities, entertainment, food, and more.
"It's been going absolutely fantastic," said Mark Humphries, general manager of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, "We've got the crowds back, trade show full, the equestrian shows going on, the weather's been on our side, so we've had a real good week all the way around."
This is the first fully in-person edition of the fair since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Humphries said last year's event was a challenge. "We had five weeks to put on a show, which was extremely difficult for staff and volunteers," he said. "Last year, we were still under COVID restrictions, so we had rooms taken up for the jab centres. This year we've got everything back and we're running at full steam."
Some of the events taking place at the Keystone centre included a four-horse team championship, farm relay, birds of prey competition, and the Woofjocks – a group of trained dogs performing tricks.
The Manitoba room featured a selection of food vendors, exhibitors, and live entertainment.
Humphries said crowds of people turned out for the fair. "Family day was absolutely bursting … great sponsors, great volunteers. Now that COVID's behind us, we're looking to build and build."
He added the fair is a great economic driver for the entire Westman region. "We've got the hotels all smiley again because we've been filling the hotel rooms, filling the local restaurants and local shops, so everybody bounces off the fair. It's a tremendous feeling for all of us," said Humphries.
The organization runs two major fairs per year. The Manitoba Summer Fair returns to Brandon June 7-11, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.