Friday, September 25, 2015 • Vol.26 No.48 • Neepawa, Manitoba
It’s that hectic time of year again
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News and reviews Page 8-10
Bringing in the harvest, the old fashioned way It was a beautiful weekend for the annual Threshing Days and Toy Show at Third Crossing Agricultural Museum in Gladstone. Threshing Days has been a yearly event for the past 27 years and the toy show has been a part of it for the past three. About 150 people came out to the event, which took place Sept. 19 and 20. There was a parade each day to showcase the different farming machinery that has been used over the years; threshing demonstrations also took place to give a glimpse of how farming used to be done before combines and balers. John Teichrib (left) and Dale Neustater helped with the threshing demonstration on Sunday. See more on page 6. PHOTO BY KIRA PATERSON
‘Dragons’ looking for the region’s big ideas By Kira Paterson The Neepawa Banner Local entrepreneurs will have a chance to make their ideas a reality at a new event in Minnedosa next month. On Thursday, Oct. 22 at 9:00 am, the Minnedosa and Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) and the Neepawa and Area Development Corporation (NADCO) will be hosting an entrepreneurship event called “What’s the Big Idea?” at the Minnedosa Community Conference Center. The day will include a
Dragon’s Den style event, where the entrepreneurs will have the chance to present their idea to the “dragons,” who will evaluate their pitch. There are a number of cash prizes and incentives from local businesses and organizations for the most successful pitches. Each award comes with a set of criteria the entrepreneur must meet to be eligible. For example, there is a prize for $150 for the best pitch from a female entrepreneur, or a $500 grant from the R.M. of Oakview for the idea “which best benefits the residents of the municipal-
ity.” One pitch could potentially win several awards, if the entrepreneur and idea meet the criteria. After the event is over, Marilyn Crewe and Vern May, economic development officers of Neepawa and Minnedosa, will have a list of new businesses that hope to get started. Their goal is to help the entrepreneurs with anything they need to build their business. They will be able to refer them to other organizations that would support their business, help them find a lot or a venue where they can run their business or just
give them advice along the way if that’s what the entrepreneurs need. Those wanting to make a pitch have to register with either May or Crewe. There is no cost to register or to come and watch. The hope is that anyone who has an idea will come forward to make a pitch. “Anyone who thinks they have an idea, and they’re not sure what we’re looking for, they’re more than welcome to give me a call or come see me. Both Vern and I are waiting for the phone to ring from those entrepreneurs,” said Crewe. “We actually have a
coaching list so that we can provide the information that those entrepreneurs would maybe want to think about before they stand up in front of a ‘dragon’.” The main goal of “What’s the Big Idea?” is to give entrepreneurs an opportunity to make their ideas happen. Crewe said that people who have these ideas often don’t know how to get started. “There’s various support agencies and we’re just bringing them all to one place so that the entrepreneurs can learn about what support systems are there,” Crewe explained.
“We also want the community to come out,” she added, noting it’s important for people to know about potential local businesses. “That just grows the local economy because you have a community that’s committed to seeing this new business be successful, so they’re going to support it.” The event is also a way to get more small businesses going within the small communities in the region. Local businesses are important to small communities like Neepawa and Minnedosa. Continued on page 7