Dawson Trail Dispatch
More Than Just News!
September 2013
7
Grand Pointe Trucking Company Invests Millions Check it out ASAP! Our new After School Art Program for ages 9-15 provides a safe, supportive environment where youth are mentored in exploring their creativity. Runs Wednesdays and Thursdays starting Wednesday, September 18. Ça Claque in Concert - Friday, Sept 27 at the SRSS Theatre, at 7:30pm. World-class entertainment that will captivate you from the first note of the fiddle to the last step of the gigue. Ça Claque has been keeping French Canadian culture alive at home and abroad since 2009. Call for tickets (204) 346-1077. Concert Season tickets make a great gift – plus the best seats in the house all year round. Five shows – great rates.
Register NOW for Fall!
Reduce stress and increase flexibility with Pilates, Zumba and Yoga… or experience the physical benefits of Belly Dance. Come with friends, family or co-workers. The Steinbach Arts Centre has something for every night of the week. FREE Yoga Saturday, September 7 and 14 – increase your stamina and feel the benefits! Limited spaces. Tons of Visual Arts classes – Kids! Try Kid’s Art Adventure, Art XTravaganza, Cartoon Illustration, and Clay Hand Building… Teens and Adults! Check out Exploring Acrylics, Realism/Impressionism/Abstraction painting, Pottery Passion, and Clay Intro to the Wheel or Digital Photography, including a Photography class just for moms! Learn how to photograph your infant better. Mixed Art for Adults is starting soon. It’s a taste of everything! Perfect for teachers… Dabble in several mediums and bring that knowledge back to your classrooms. French and Spanish are back, including a new classes geared towards kids and teens ages 10-16. Build confidence and ignite your creativity with the Backyard Theatre Company. Practice voice projection, memorization and story writing, plus improvisation and fun exercises. You’ll love our props room full of costumes. We are pleased to welcome back Jeremy Plett and Michaela Senkiw as our creative instructors. Cooking – Kids will love our Kids in the Kitchen classes. Adults – make six tantalizing recipes with Creative Cooking. It’s not just cooking – it’s a social experience. Back by popular demand, the Arts Centre is kicking up our FUSION Musical Theatre program once again! Leave your name with us, and we’ll let you know all about our upcoming workshops. Dance and Martial Arts for ages 3 to adult with XCOMPANY Physical Arts Training School. Try Hip Hop, Breakdance, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Stage Combat, Kickboxing, Hawaiian Hula, Chinese or Filipino Martial Arts, and more! A family values based program, XCOMPANY costumes and choreography are 100% parentapproved. To register call 204-471-9266 or email info@xcompany.net. Steinbach Social Dancers – call Lorna, 204-326-2617. The Arts4Tots Preschool Program is family values-based with a huge focus on exploration and discovery in music, theatre, dance and visual arts. We hire professional clinicians to teach special workshops geared towards our tots, to help them learn and grow in the most hands-on way possible. A few spaces left. The Amazing Race Steinbach Edition – Enter your team NOW! Saturday, September 21 at 1:30 pm. Experience the thrill of surprise challenges, team bonding and competing to win in real life at The Amazing Race Steinbach Edition! With the help of amazing local businesses, the Creative Youth Council has organized the race of a lifetime – don’t miss this opportunity to have fun and win prizes. Sign in and receive your first clue at the Cultural Arts Centre. All ages are invited to participate and each team must include a member with a valid driver’s license. Please bring cameras, sunscreen, hats and water bottles. Download registration forms online before Friday, September 13 for your chance to win! ARTISTS! Join the Southeast Artists Group on Tuesday mornings at the Cultural Arts Centre. Call Gary 204-346-9623. Also – let us know if you’re interested in an evening slot. On Now in the Hall Gallery - “Untamed” featuring local artists Cheryl Nickel and Kayla Hiebert. The exhibit runs until Thursday, September 26. Up next… join us for the exhibit opening for “Expressions: A Decade of Recovery through Creative Expression” on Friday, October 4, at 7 pm at the Steinbach Arts Centre Hall Gallery. “Expressions” showcases artists who use art in the journey of recovery from a mental health problem. View all our events on steinbachartscouncil.ca.
President and owner Norm Curtis along with staff Jennifer Rayburn, Shane Resvick, Brian Kusdub, Ainsley Walker, Doug Bowes and Bobby Roulston are looking forward to the completion of their new offices in Grand Pointe. Photo by Marianne Curtis
By Marianne Curtis The last few years have been difficult on the trucking industry with fluctuating diesel costs, cross border restrictions and other deterrents have forced many small trucking companies to either downsize or shut their doors. While some companies have, seen difficulties Keystone Western Inc. in Grande Pointe is embracing growth and even expanding. The company recently invested $1 million to expand their current office space by 5,000 square feet. But more impressive is an investment of $5 million to purchase 40 new highway trucks to replace the entire fleet of company trucks. In addition, another $250,000 was spent to purchase 10 new trailers. Doug Bowes, Manager of Drivers
Services credits the company’s growing success to the leadership. He adds that the goal of the company is to grow by another 20 percent in the next 12-18 months. “Our growth stems from good leadership, Norm views us as assets, not employees,” Bowes explains. “We have varied staff, with different backgrounds and we all have great relationships with each other; to work here you have to have fun but also know when to work.” A former truck driver, Norm Curtis, President and owner, purchased GBT Trucking in 2003 and in 2007; he changed the name of the company to Keystone Western. He has expanded business by growing a fleet that includes 60 owner operators and 40 company drivers. Besides the drivers, Keystone Western employs about 35 people
from the surrounding area. After Grand Pointe was decimated during the flood of ‘97, Keystone Western is one of a handful of businesses that remained in the community and prospered. Gord Froese has been driver with the company for 17 years. “The people make it worth staying here; you can go anywhere and work but it’s the people who make the difference,” Froese added. “I remember when the former owners had only 10 trucks; it’s been nice to be part of the growth.” Keystone Western operates a full service trucking company based in Grand Pointe. The company is known for hauling freight such as ATV’s, snow-machines and golf carts on both sides of the border. The company recently expanded into the US by establishing terminals in Minneapolis and Fargo.
Grief Support Group Offered in Niverville By Marianne Curtis No matter the circumstances, losing a loved one can throw even the strongest person into an emotional tailspin. Everyone grieves differently and sometimes support is needed. A new faith based program called GriefShare in Niverville hopes to teach about the grieving process. Elin Hiebert started the GriefShare group in Niverville this past spring. “The people who can benefit from this program are people who are grieving the death of a loved one, regardless of age and circumstance,” explained Hiebert. “Many people find themselves alone in their grief, even when surrounded by people, and many people find it is hard to explain their feelings in a manner that help the people in their life understand. GriefShare brings up topics that are common for those experiencing grief.” The group meets seven times in a cycle to watch a DVD program that teaches about the grief process. “There are seven sessions in a cycle, but aside from the first one, where we get to know each other a bit, each time we meet, we watch 2 sessions on DVD,” said Hiebert. “We then discuss and share how it relates to our situation. The DVDs are faith based, but we welcome anyone to the group.” Hiebert stresses that anyone can participate and it does not matter if the loss occurred last week or ten years ago. “Some people hesitate to come because their grief isn’t new, it may have been years since their loss, but it’s still a struggle. It is still perfectly fine to come even though the grief isn’t new,” Hiebert said. The session topics include Living with Grief, The Journey of Grief, The Effects of Grief, When Your Spouse Dies, Your Family and Grief, Why?, The Uniqueness of Grief (part 1 and 2), God’s Prescription for Grief, Stuck in Grief, Top 20 Lessons of Grief (part 1 and 2) and Heaven. For more information or to sign up for the next cycle, call 204-381-1155 to register or visit nivervillegriefshare.com.