Monthly Archives: December 2020

Brandon and District United Way’s List of Initiatives Continues to Grow!

At the United Way of Brandon & District we have a variety of initiatives that centre around the same theme:  Kindness.

We feel that a small act of kindness can have a big impact on someone’s life. Some initiatives we participate in are:

• Day of Caring –  where we  go into the community and make a visible and substantial impact in our city by volunteering.
• Random Acts of Kindness Day –  where members of our staff go around town and simply spread kindness anyway we can
• Conscious Kindness Day –  a Manitoba wide initiative to spread kindness to anyone you see.
• Giving Tuesday –  a worldwide, online movement to encourage  individuals to  give back after Black Friday & Cyber Monday.
• Manitoba 211 –  an online database to help Manitobans to connect with the resources they need.

We aim to do one thing:  Ensure that everyone feels like a valued member of our community. For more information on our initiatives please email  events@brandonuw.ca  or call  204-571-8929.

DAY OF CARING

This community-wide United Way event demonstrates the power of volunteering. It is a unique opportunity for employees, students, and other groups to come together and make a difference in our community by taking part in meaningful volunteer projects with local community organizations.

Tasks could include anything from painting, landscaping and gardening, to serving meals, sorting donations or event assistance. These are projects that our local agencies many not have the time, resources or staff to accomplish on their own. Volunteers learn about their community through a hands-on experience while meaningful projects are completed for agencies.

If you have a group that would like to get involved in Day of Caring let us know! We’d love to match you up with a project that suits your needs. Call  204-571-8929  or email  events@brandonuw.ca  for more information.

CONSCIOUS KINDNESS DAY

May 10th, 2020 was Conscious Kindness Day in Manitoba.  This is a  province wide initiative, engaging communities all over Manitoba.   The idea is to show kindness and thanks to others you would not normally engage with on a daily basis.

What will  You  do to spread kindness in your workplace and our community?

• Hold the door open for someone
• Buy a stranger a coffee or treat
• Give a compliment
• Leave kindness notes in public places

We strongly believe that a simple act of kindness, big or small, can go a long way in a person’s life.

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

Once a year we try to organize and engage our community to promote acts of kindness throughout the city within a single day.   A simple gesture goes a long way, saying good morning to someone, holding the door for someone, or even offering to help someone carry a heavy load.   Ideally we would like this idea to carry forward throughout the year.

Organizing a team to engage others is a great way to show your support to your community.   We are always available to help with ideas and suggestions to get you started.

This year on June 15th, the United Way of Brandon & District team went out into the community and spread the kindness by placing friendly “kindness” reminders under windshield wipers, plugging nearly expired parking meters, saying thank you to our wonderful supporters, and by sharing delicious treats with each other.

GIVING TUESDAY

This is a Canadian movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Cyber Monday. The “Opening day of the giving season,” is a day where charities, companies and individuals join together to share commitments, rally for favorite causes and think about others. For more information on this initiative check out their website at  GivingTuesday.ca

The United Way of Brandon & District  is participating in this event on  December 1, 2020.  Please show your support by donating to our 2018 campaign.  100% of donations stay local and go towards our 29 partner agencies and their 35 programs.

Together we are working towards:

BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES  |  MOVING PEOPLE FROM POVERTY TO POSSIBILITY  |  HELPING KIDS BE ALL THEY CAN BE

Help us meet our  goal and share the message on social media by using  #GivingTuesdayCA  and  #UWBdn.

For more information please contact  us at  204-571-8929  or email us at  office@brandonuw.ca

MANITOBA 211

A new online database helping Manitobans connect to important services in their area is now live!

211 Manitoba is an online database  that  includes health, government, and social services available across Manitoba. The service helps Manitobans to  connect with the right community or social resource they need.

The website is a partnership between the United Way and Volunteer Manitoba.

Visit the Manitoba 211 website today!

“The Spark” Born out of COVID

What do you get when former radio veteran finds himself on an indefinite work stoppage and has plenty of spare time on his hands? Answer: an online radio station called The Spark.

“In the midst of the COVID lockdown I wanted to do something creative and positive to occupy my time,” said Frank McGwire former radio veteran who spent the bulk of his 30 year career in Brandon with stints in Red Deer, Alberta and Dauphin, Manitoba. His most recent radio gig was for Westman Communications Group as morning news anchor for CKLQ and STAR FM. McGwire had started to research the web radio idea a few years ago but just didn’t have the time to go through all the channels for making it work.

The idea for his concept was sparked from years of having so many listeners ask him why radio stations seem to only play limited amounts of songs or often only 2 or 3 hits from iconic artists when their catalog offers so much more. “I kept hearing people say, “Classic rock covers 30 – 40 years so there has to be more than the 400 songs radio stations always seem to play over and over, and I really wanted to do something about it. Think about it, why do you think people made mix tapes in the 80s and 90s? Why do you think iPods were so successful 20 years ago? People weren’t getting enough music variety as radio stations didn’t take any risks and chose to only play the hits,” said McGwire. I’m a big fan of album oriented rock but that format fizzled out in the early 90s. After 92 or 93 most stations played it safe and only played familiar songs or maybe new releases from established artists.

After researching internet radio stations for a few weeks and doing a cost analysis for the station’s launch, McGwire felt confident he could launch a solid classic rock station that plays 75% hit or familiar songs and 25% non hit selections mostly from established artists. The format ranges from the late 60s up to the 90s and there are even some selections from the past 20 years in the mix as well as some music from local bands. So rather than hearing most songs you are generally tired of hearing, listeners of the Spark will hear songs they haven’t heard in years or possibly never at all. They may know the artists but in some cases won’t be able to figure out the song. That’s when the Web Radio player available at www.sparkwebradio.com comes in handy. It not only displays current songs playing, it also shows songs coming up and recent tunes played.

The Spark was made available to the general public on June 1^st. Since then, not only has the listenership and social media following grown, but so has the talent roster on the station. McGwire hosts the morning show which runs weekdays from 7 – 9 a.m. Holding down the afternoon slot is Bryan Elliot a former on air announcer who logged regular shifts on HOT 101 and STAR FM in the early 2000s. Bryan has also owned and operated Expressions Entertainment (a mobile DJ and wedding planning service) for just over 20 years.  

The station also offers exclusive specialty programs such as The Excellence of the 80s show Hosted by Paul Devo. Devo aka Gillespie also got his start in Brandon doing wheat kings play by play on Access 12 before moving on the CKX Sports. He eventually moved west to take on the role of Sports Director at two more CBC affiliates in the 90’s with CJFB Television in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, before moving on to CFTK Radio and Television in Terrace, British Columbia. Paul was hired by the Winnipeg Police Service in 2002 and currently serves with them as a member of the Community Relations Unit.  Paul still has a passion for 80s music which he proudly features on his Excellence of the 80s show which runs Saturday night from 6 – 8 p.m.

Fans of Psychedelic rock will enjoy Psychedelic Sundays from noon – 3 p.m. With replays Sunday and Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. The program features the more eclectic sounds from bands in the rock and roll pantheon between the mid 60s and the late 70s. The show is hosted by Paul Derringer (aka McMullen) who also got his start in Brandon at KX96 in 1991. McMullen’s radio career spanned 20 years with stops in Winnipeg, Calgary and Yellowknife. 

Metal fans will enjoy the Monday Night Metal Shop presented Monday evenings from 7 until 8 p.m. Hosted by Darry “Beef” Wolski, the show includes personal selections from Beef that run the gamut from the early days of metal (late 70s / early 80s) right up to the current metal scene. The program is touted as the loudest hour in radio and is already building a formidable following. Beef started radio back in the late 80s doing a similar show on 92 CITI FM, his radio career also included a stop at KX 96 a job that lasted a few years until he was let go back in 1999. But as Beef says, “He moved on to bigger and better things,” however, his love and passion for the craft of radio remained and he jumped at the chance of resurrecting his metal show for The Spark.  All of these former radio show hosts have a few things in common, they all once worked in Brandon where they worked together and became colleagues and long time friends, they also never lost the passion to perform through radio.

Rounding out the Spark team is Manitoba Sports legend Peter Young. Young has just agreed to bring back his “Just a Minute” Sports feature. The former CKY sports anchor and ESPN sports contributor is semi retired while working part time as a Marketing Executive for Northerners Entertainment Group LLC. Among Young’s many achievements in the sports world is something nobody can claim, he is the only broadcaster to do play by play of the WHA and NHL Jets, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Goldeyes. He’s also managed pro baseball and hockey teams. His Sports feature will start this Friday, July 3^rd. Listeners of The Spark can hear Young’s sharp opinion on the Just a Minute Sports feature at 7:50 a.m, 11:50 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. Weekdays. In its first 6 months The Spark’s social media platform is well over 1000 followers and growing. The Spark’s program sponsor list is continually growing as sponsorship packages are available and discussions are ongoing with many local advertisers. The web radio station continues to catch on in many different places in Canada and around the world. “Among our steadily growing audience we have many pockets of listeners out west in B.C and Alberta. We often have listeners in Ontario and some from Quebec as well as stateside in New York, Michigan, California and many other states and just this week we had listeners in the UK!” said McGwire. The really neat thing is it’s available on most parts of the planet. As long as you have wi-fi and a computer or hand held wireless device you can always add some Spark to your life.”

Ted Good Music Signs on as a Major Sponsor of The Spark!

Just over 40 years ago Ted Good started teaching lessons out of his basement at 747 10th Street, with the goal of bringing music to those without. After four decades, numerous expansions and thousands of strums, crashes and chords later, we are as committed as ever to helping you find your voice at Ted Good Music.

In that time we’ve evolved from the small lesson program that Ted Good originally started to the largest music store in Western Manitoba offering a wide range in products and services. We carry leading brands such as Fender, Ibanez, Godin, Gretcsh, Pearl, Sonor, Peavey, Shure, Sabian, Roland, Boss, Dunlop and many others. We also have an experienced service department that can look after those buzzes, hums and rattles that afflict whatever your instrument of choice may be. And of course we still maintain a strong lesson program with dedicated teachers ready to get you over those little pitfalls and on your way to making beautiful music.

At Ted Good Music our goal has and always will be bringing music into your life, and with our experienced staff and many services we know we can help you find the instrument and the skills to turn that spark inside of you into something incredible. So find yourself, at Ted Good Music.

Ted Good Music everything you need to make music. This mainstay in the music market has been serving the westman area for over 40 years. (Picture: 1/4 of their front show room at their locat 747- 10th Street in Brandon)

Brandon Blasted By Bolt of Lightnin’ & Classic Rock Boogie Woogie!

There’s just something about the electricity in a crowd of concert goers just prior to a big rock show. It’s that certain something that stirs up your insides and gets you fired up for that first guitar riff or drum beat to come blasting out of the massive arena sized sound system. Last Wednesday night at Westman Place, that first blast of sound was provided by Toronto’s Flash Lightnin’. This heavy duty power trio did not disappoint as they made the most out of their 30 minute time slot. The Bass, Drums, guitar rock unit cranked out a steady stream of riff laden tunes for the crowd who were either, just making their way into the arena or boogying in a beer line. There’s no question this band earned a throng of new fans with their warm up set for classic rock hall of famers ZZ-Top.
Talk about the energy of pre-concert anticipation! ZZ-Top provided more than enough of that as they arrived in town last Monday morning a few days prior to their first ever show in Brandon. In fact there were numerous stories of ZZ-Top sightings leading up to show time. Among the confirmed sightings were: stops at the Shoppers Mall, Smitty’s Sportsline Lounge and the Keystone Motor Inn as well as an unconfirmed report of Mr. Gibbons cruising around Westman in one of his classic cars. According to Billy Gibbon’s mid show chat sessions, the band stayed at the Lakeview Inn and Suites and enjoyed a nearby eatery which Gibbons explained was so far off the grid it was cool. However apart from a shout out to area farmers and the obligatory “how are y’all feeling” shouts, the between songs chatter was kept to a minimum as the biggest little band out of Texas got down to bidness with a no holds barred, greatest hits type of show.

Let’s face it, you won’t get a much more stripped-down show than ZZ Top’s. The age-defying classic-rockers’ show at Westman Place was simple: Red curtain, drum kit, two video screens and two amps. Also, two beards, two hats and two pair of cheap sunglasses. Oh yeah, it was all topped off with some damn fine fretwork on their matching guitars. The bare bones stage set up is a perfect fit for ZZ Top’s understated, aloof and almost comical on stage persona. Bassist Dusty Hill and guitarist/singer Billy Gibbons’ minimalist choreographed stage moves involved swaying their guitar necks a few inches either way, and occasionally nodding their approval to the roaring crowd. Further proof of this is just before the lead solo break in “Tush” when a roadie appears to light a cigarette for Gibbons before he launches in to one of his many smoldering solos. This stripped down rock show was a hit with the 4,000 or so fans in attendance. Their style works well with their musical philosophy: all pocket, no frills. The only adornments on stage were those on Gibbons and Hill’s garish jackets. That’s the way it was from song one (Got Me Under Pressure) to song 15 (Legs) which surprisingly caused many smart phone cameras to pop up. The set also included a couple extended blues jams, a cover of Hendrix’s Foxy Lady and the double whammy encore of Le Grange and Tush.
Once an unusual, wildly successful product of the image-intensive MTV era, ZZ Top seems to know its credibility lies in its base skills as a power trio. Old, thick-grooved blues numbers such as “Waitin’ for the Bus” and I’m Bad I’m Nation Wide” were nice and gritty, and had more in common with the group’s new material, such as “I Gotsta Get Paid,” with its super-uber bass drum thump and extra-gravelly Gibbons vocal (the song is actually a re-write of a ‘90s hip-hop track called “25 Lighters”).
Gibbons is one of the great rock guitarists who manages to create great tone out of only a few notes. His performance is the essence of ZZ Top: a bit gimmicky but a ton of fun, and seemingly effortless. Speaking of effortless, Frank Beard’s command of the drum kit was as effortless looking as it gets! He makes it look easy even throwing in some smoke breaks between songs or while playing. It must be that ability to make it look effortless that has enabled them to still deliver a live show to satisfy hardcore music fans and casual concertgoers alike for over four decades. The set cruised along briskly for approximately 75 minutes, which is relatively brief for a big rock show, but clung to the wise old showbiz adage about leaving ‘em wanting more…