“The first one actually went better than we expected. It’s a great way for friends and families to get together in-person or through video chat, have some fun and learn some cool facts about our city,” said the city’s Culture Coordinator Ellie Longbottom.

The last quiz night was held on April 29 and the city’s Marketing and Communications Coordinator Riley Aisman, who also hosted the quiz on Facebook Live, said that was the first time the city ever tried a virtual event.

“We sort of learned on the fly. It was a lot of trial and error trying to figure out the best way to do this,” said Aisman.

“In the end we got a lot of great feedback from those who played and overall, everyone had fun. With the weather cooling down and people looking for things to do in their homes, we thought this would be a good time to bring it back.”

If you sign up, you’ll get an official quiz form that you’ll use and your score will be tracked live. If you don’t you can still follow along on Facebook Live and test your Selkirk knowledge.

“We did it this way so people familiar with the normal quiz format can have the closest thing to a normal quiz night as possible,” said Longbottom.

“If you’re not exactly tech-savvy, it’s as easy as going to our Facebook page and following along. There’s no prizes for winners but people didn’t really seem to mind that, they were just happy to have a reason to have some fun with their friends and family.”

“We’re going to do five different categories, but this time they’ll be a bit more interesting,” said Aisman.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do again for a long time, simply because so many people asked us to. We’ll be giving away prizes throughout the night just for playing as well. We’re really excited to give people a reason to come together, whether as a family or virtually.

Here’s how to register:

Sign up your team at www.myselkirk.ca/quiznight ahead of time.
On Sept. 30, the city will send you a link to the quiz form about 4 hours before it starts. That’s where you’ll submit your answers. Have the quiz form open around 6:45 p.m. so you know it’s working.
Tune into the Selkirk Virtual Quiz Night live stream on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/cityofselkirk. That’s where you’ll get the questions from.
It’s best that you have 2 devices ready. One for the quiz form and one for the Facebook Live Stream.

Croy keeps on challenging herself

Brook Jones

September 20, 2020

SUB-SpecialOlympicsCanadaWinterGames2020ReaganCroy01 — Reagan Croy is all smiles as an assistant coach for snowshoeing with Team Manitoba at the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Photo Submitted By Reagan Croy)

Reagan Croy continues to chase her dreams and goals in life.

The Selkirk Comp grad recently completed the Mantario Challenge and was able to raise more than $1,000 in the effort. Funds raised through the challenge are going towards post-secondary scholarships for Winnipeg Youth.

Croy has already started her next venture, which is working towards a masters degree in occupational therapy.

“All if the lectures are currently over Zoom, which is understandable given the state of Covid-19 cases and the safety for the public,” Croy told the Selkirk Settler Times.

Croy is also a Special Olympics coach with Interlake Athletics. To learn more about Croy and her passion to give back to the community through coaching, check out this week’s feature by Special Olympics Canada, which can be also found on the Selkirk Settler Times website.

“Special Olympics has not started yet, and if we do, it will definitely look different this year,” Croy added. “Hopefully, we can work through a solution that suits the athlete’s physical activity, community, and safety. If I have learnt anything this year, it’s that we all have to be flexible with our plans changing.”

Steelers ready for puck drop

Jim Bender

September 19, 2020

BJ-2017-2018SelkirkSteelers01 — Despite the COVID-19 pandemic the Selkirk Steelers are looking forward to the start of the 2020-2021 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season; which gets underway on Friday; Oct. 9; 2020. (Brook Jones/River City Photography)

The Selkirk Steelers are still stickhandling their way through the many Covid-19 restrictions issued but they can’t wait to take their shots on Manitoba Junior Hockey League ice again.

“The Covid protocols are going to be a challenge, but at least it lets us play hockey,” said Hudson Friesen, who has taken over from Nick Lubimov as the Steelers head coach.

Those protocols include MJHL players, staff and officials being mandated to wear masks when entering and exiting MJHL facilities, on the buses, and in restaurants and hotels. They don’t have to wear masks on the ice. The limited members of public who will attend games will also be encouraged to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

“It’s definitely been an unprecedented couple of months,” said Friesen, 27. “But all of our players are on board with following all of the protocols. Everyone has families and grandparents and we want to make sure everyone stays safe.”

The MJHL has added an expansion franchise, the Winnipeg Freeze, owned by 50 Below Sports and Entertainment (which also operates the Winnipeg Blues). That has allowed the league to establish three divisions of four teams each this season. The schedule has been reduced to 40 games (from 60) with each team playing 24 games within its own division.

The Steelers will join the Steinbach Pistons, Blues and Freeze in the Southeast Division. They will play each of the other eight teams twice. Travel will also be restricted, with breaks in the schedule to allow for possible Covid or weather concerns.

Not a single player opted out due to Covid worries, Friesen said.

“There’s definitely been a lot of uncertainty but everyone’s excited to be back on the ice,” he said.

The 2019-20 MJHL season had been shut down before it was over due to the pandemic so, it was a longer off-season than usual.

Tryout camps started this month.

“We’re excited about the group we have here,” said Friesen, a Steelers alumni who served as an assistant coach and business manager the past three years. “We have 12 veterans coming back and we have some good 17-year-olds competing for a lot of open spots.”

Those veterans include forward Blake Burr, the team’s MVP and top scorer with 28 goals and 52 points (ninth in the MJHL) in 60 games last season. The newcomers include prized recruit Ty Smith, who scored 23 goals and 56 points in 47 games with the Winnipeg Wild (midget) last season.

The Steelers, who missed the playoffs last year, have also added the venerable Al Hares as their senior advisor and associate coach.

The MJHL season opens Oct. 9.

Stingers ready to hit the ice

Brook Jones

September 19, 2020

BJ-U12A3SelkirkStingersWRLChampionship01 — The Selkirk Stingers U12 A3 ringette team celebrates their victory at the Winnipeg Ringette League Championship at the Gateway Arena in Winnipeg, Man., on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Brook Jones/River City Photography)

The Selkirk Stingers are gearing up for back to play in the upcoming ringette season.

Forgotten painting brings largest single donation to Selkirk Heritage Endowment Fund

Brook Jones

September 19, 2020

SUB-GabrielGély01 — A photo of Gabriel Gély stands next to the Canada 150 Mosaic Mural book. The local artist, who lives in Selkirk, Man., is the man behind the painting called Lily Pond, which sold for $5; 000 in early September of 2020. Gabriel and he wife Dorothy Myhal-Gély donated the money from the sale to the Selkirk Heritage Endowment Fund. (Photo Submitted by the City of Selkirk)

Submitted by the City of Selkirk

forgotten painting, an artistic soul and a generous heart have resulted in a $1,000 donation from a Selkirk couple to the Selkirk Heritage Endowment Fund

The painting, called ‘The Lily Pond’, was one of two found by Dorothy Myhal-Gély while searching for something else in the garage. She called her husband, Gabriel Gély, who had painted them some 20 years ago, to see her find.

Gabriel had forgotten all about the paintings, and the duo called their friend Mary Thorne to see what she thought might be a fitting future for them.

Thorne, a fellow artist and volunteer of the Gwen Fox Gallery, framed the 5×4-foot paintings and later brokered a deal with the City of Selkirk to hang them in the civic offices. If the paintings sold, the Gélys decided they would donate 20 per cent of the sale to SHEF, a cause they had supported in the past.

In early September, the painting sold for $5,000 and the Gélys made the donation and penned a touching note to the City of Selkirk. It read:

‘Greetings to the City of Selkirk Executive Members; We wish to express our appreciation regarding your generosity in allowing space to display ‘The Lily Pond’ painting. Enclosed, please find a donation to SHEF. Your kindness is very much appreciated by us – Gabriel Gély (artist) and Dorothy Myhal-Gély’.

Gabriel was born in France but had a dream to spend time in the Canadian North, which came true in 1952 when he left his homeland. He settled in the arctic and spent most of the next 35 years there. The reality of his dream did not disappoint and Gabriel’s artwork was a reflection of the people and culture he surrounded himself with.

SHEF was established in 2012 by the City of Selkirk as a perpetual endowment fund that will support the ongoing operational costs of a new municipal heritage museum. Until such a museum is established, the fund will provide annual grants to the Marine Museum of Manitoba.

The SHEF is managed by the Selkirk and District Community Foundation. In 2015, the fund paid out its first grant of $5,422 to the Marine Museum; in 2019 it paid out $14,297.

Selkirk CAO Duane Nicol, who was a City of Selkirk councillor in 2012 when SHEF was established, said it came about as a result of the city’s ‘Capturing Our Shared Heritage’ vision paper that was adopted by council of the day.

“In addition to the city’s annual contribution to the SHEF, the fund has grown as a result of many private donations from citizens and folks who have a passion for history. The Gély’s extremely generous donation is the fund’s largest one-time donation we’ve ever received. We are so appreciative of Dorothy and Gabriel’s donation, and it has been an honour to have these amazing works of art in our office – I’m going to miss Lily Pond to be honest. It is beautiful” Nicol said.

SHEF aligns with the city’s Strategic Plan, Nicol said, in that it aims to build a strong and stable local economy by helping to revitalize Selkirk’s image and capitalize on Selkirk’s tourism potential.

The Selkirk and District Community Foundation’s Executive Director Bev Clegg says she is always thrilled to learn about fantastic stories of generosity.

“Dorothy and Gabriel supporting Selkirk’s rich history through this endowment is a great example of how thoughtful, community minded people find creative ways to give to causes they care about. Like all donations given to the Foundation, this gift will be held in perpetuity – giving today, gives for tomorrow and is always ‘Here for Good’,” Clegg said.

Donations to SHEF can be made in person at the City of Selkirk Civic Office or online at www.myselkirk.ca/endowments. Donations can be made in memory or honour of a friend or loved one and to celebrate someone or something.

“With the donor’s permission, donations are permanently recognized by the city and are currently displayed on our virtual museum website. So, as a donor, you’re actually becoming part of our history, our legacy” said Nicol

For a limited time, anyone making a donation of $50 or more to the SHEF will receive a gift from the City of a beautiful hard cover copy of the Canada 150 National Mural Mosaic book, valued at $75.

Getting to know Romans

Brook Jones

September 18, 2020

BJ-WOASummerJam02MiniMeet01 — Emma Romans, who lives in St. Andrews, carries hurdles as she volunteers at the WOA Summer Jam Mini-Meet No. 2 in Selkirk, Man., on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. (Brook Jones/River City Photography)

Ten questions with Emma Romans.

Selkirk continuing to boom with commercial development

Brook Jones

September 17, 2020

BJ-MayorLarryJohannsonVaughanAvenueWest01 — Selkirk mayor Larry Johannson gives thumbs up to the residential development along Vaughan Avenue on the west side of Selkirk, Man., on Friday, Sept. 2020. (Brook Jones/River City Photography)

Selkirk mayor Larry Johannson has plenty to boast about these days when it comes to commercial growth for the local city located just north of Winnipeg, Man.,

Walker keeping wheels on her bike turning

Brook Jones

September 16, 2020

SUB-NicoleWalker2016IronmanWorldChampionship01 — Nicole Walker competes at the 2016 Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona; Hawaii on Saturday; Oct. 8; 2016. The East St. Paul resident; who spends her summers up at Victoria Beach; continues to train for triathlons despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Walker has qualified for the upcoming Ironman World Championship scheduled for October 2021. (Submitted Photo by Kyle Mulder)

Nicole Walker is not letting a global health pandemic interfere with her training routine.

The East St. Paul resident, who spends her summers up at Victoria Beach, continues to train in her chosen sport of triathlon.

New adventure underway for delivering news

Brook Jones

September 15, 2020

Brook Jones – Keeping Up With Jones

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for the newspaper industry, therefore, it would come as no surprise to my family and friends that I have started my own media platform. I am most proud to have recently launched the Selkirk Settler Times.

I started reading the Winnipeg Free Press when I was in Grade 5 and just two days shy of my 12th birthday I became a paperboy for the Free Press. It was a position I held for nearly six years.

It was an honour to have been able to work for Interlake Publishing for nearly 10 years. I started my career with Interlake Publishing as a multimedia journalist with The Selkirk Journal in 2010, then became the editor of The Journal in 2014 and finally group editor of Interlake Publishing in 2017. I appreciate all that I learned in my various roles during my time with Interlake Publishing (Sunmedia/Postmedia).

It is a thrill to be back covering news in the Tri-S area. It didn’t take me long to decide after Interlake Publishing closed its door in early May to embark on this new adventure. I have always said it was the people, who brought me the most joy while covering the news for Interlake Publishing, therefore, I am most excited to be able to carry on covering news, sports and entertainment, while continuing to connect with people in the local area.

My mom, dad and sister have always encouraged me to do my very best in life and I am blessed for their love and support. In order to chase your dreams in life, I believe you need the backing of your loved ones, therefore, I appreciate my family and friends.

I am appreciative to all those industry, who have given of their time to help me embark on this new adventure.

Brook Jones is the editor of the Selkirk Settler Times