Arts & Culture

Saying farewell to our ‘Best of Friends’

Millennium Library gift shop shutters doors after 17 years

Damien Davis, staff

The Best of Friends Gift Shop might be easy to miss if you are passing through the Millennium Library, but its impending closure after 17 years of service will leave holes in the hearts of many library patrons.

The gift shop is operated through the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library (Friends WPL), a non-profit charitable organization that has been in operation for 30 years and is dedicated to promoting literacy and learning.

Funds raised by the shop go to programming projects run by the Winnipeg Public Library. In fact, the organization makes a donation once a year to the Winnipeg Public Library to use as they see fit.

Current president and longtime member of Friends WPL Rita Burgess told the Manitoban that the closure was due to various factors.

“A good deal of it was reduced customer traffic,” Burgess said. “We’ve also had a very challenging time with volunteer recruitment,” she added, explaining that this has not been uncommon for volunteer-run organizations

Over the past two decades alone, the organization has generated over $348,000 for library programming. They have done this by sponsoring other fundraising activities as well as co-sponsoring the annual Writer-in-Residence program, helping to fund the annual Spring Break program and providing items for different library initiatives.

The gift shop itself is volunteer run, and because of that it is difficult to find available volunteers who are able to commit long-term. There are no honorariums or paycheques given to those who help in the gift shop. It operates entirely on the availability of its volunteers and their hours.

“When you’re operating a gift shop you need to be able to commit to an amount of time, because there’s a certain amount of training and everything that goes into it,” Burgess explained.

“Some just don’t have the time anymore, some have aged out.”

Despite the closure and the rich history that will go with it, Burgess said that the organization has plenty of good things in store for the future, including their Spooktacular Trivia Night fundraiser which will be held Oct. 20 at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

“While it is a time that is very sad, as an organization we’re excited for the future,” she said.

As far as the official date for when the gift shop will close its doors for good, Burgess said that the plan is to have operations cease by the end of the year, but that it will depend on whatever is left product-wise by then.

“If individuals have things that they enjoy in the shop, they should probably get there sooner than later,” she said.

Burgess wants the community to know that she and the organization are thankful for the support that has

staff Ebunoluwa Akinbo / photo /

been given to the shop over the years, and said that members of the community should “stay tuned to what the Friends are going to do next.”

“Let’s continue to keep libraries top of mind,” she said.

“Our libraries are so important in our community, and that’s what we feel so strongly about.”

arts@themanitoban.com

’Toban about town

Sweet treats to study and relax to

Jessie Krahn, staff

With university life returning to campus, many students are eagerly scouring for fresh and reliable study spots. Working tirelessly in the same place every day will quickly become stale, and sometimes refueling while working at an eatery can be reinvigorating. Students at the University of Manitoba will find one such rest stop within walking distance of the Fort Garry campus.

Located at 18-2077 Pembina Highway, Meet Fresh is the chain’s only franchise location to open in Winnipeg. The eatery is a convenient refuge for anyone looking to study away from the hustle and bustle of campus life, or to just hang out with peers. Billing itself as a home to “authentic Taiwanese dessert,” Meet Fresh primarily serves milk teas, boba and Taiwanese-style shaved ice.

A sweet tooth is mandatory for anyone wishing to visit.

The strawberry and mango Gemini Milk shaved ice is a stand-out. The dish comes with an even balance of fresh strawberry and mango that compliments the sweetness of the condensed milk. I ordered the shaved ice dish with one other person, and the portion size left us full to bursting and wishing for a third to share it with.

Small side bowls make the large serving size easy to divvy up between two or more people. This is an improvement on many shaved ice restaurants, where in my experience groups must often huddle over one communal dish.

The menu is expansive and varied. Along with the shaved ice, various puddings, dessert waffles, mochi, almond soup and purple rice soup leave dessert fans with lots to sample. What’s more, its bubble teas are of a very consistent quality.

Throughout the pandemic, Meet Fresh’s winter melon tea with lemon was one of my go-to drink orders. However, most other drinks on the menu reward customers for experimenting with different combinations of toppings for their beverages.

Meet Fresh boasts ample power outlets and comfort-

staff

/ photo / Faith Peters able seating spaces. On multiple occasions, even for part of the time I wrote this review, I have hunkered down on one of the restaurant’s comfortable couches, Meet Fresh offers a highly desirable space to plugged in my laptop and kick back for study-spot-starved students chipped away at my coursework courtesy of the restaurant’s free Wi-Fi. After classes, Meet Fresh also offers a relaxing atmosphere for students to winddown and socialize with friends. The restaurant typically has pop music from the ’00s, well-known hits circulating on TikTok, C-pop and K-pop in its rotation. As well, when I went the eatery had a small stock of playing card packs, board games, Rubik’s cubes, and other party favourites like UNO available to patrons.

While optimal for a stop along Pembina near the U of M, the experience Meet Fresh offers is not perfect. The staff are efficient and friendly, though their focus on customer service sometimes supersedes front of house cleanliness. At times, dishes will be left at the drop-off counter for hours after diners have left, and tables are occasionally left with mildly sticky residue after an insufficient wipe down.

These are minor complaints in an otherwise strong experience.

Meet Fresh offers a highly desirable space to kick back for study-spot-starved students, as well as a large and diverse menu of Taiwanese desserts.

Standing out in a saturated market of bubble tea restaurants along Pembina south is no small feat, but Meet Fresh manages to distinguish itself from its competitors with a broad menu and an environment that suits the hard-working student’s lifestyle.

Meet Fresh is open from 1:00 to 10:00 p.m. most days, with extended hours until 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

arts@themanitoban.com

Bisons men’s basketball season preview

Bisons men’s basketball looks to improve on last season’s struggles

Kieran Light, staff

The University of Manitoba Bisons men’s basketball team will play their first game of the 2022-23 season on Nov. 4, where they will face off against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The team is hopeful to see growth and improvement over last season’s second-half collapse, and have good reason to think they will.

At the beginning of last season the Bisons caught lightning in a bottle, winning six of their first ten games. However, the lightning soon escaped them. The Bisons finished last season losing six of their last seven games, and finishing with a 7-9 record and a sub-.500 winning percentage — not the end to the promising season they had set themselves up for.

U of M Bison forward Cieran O’Hara said that he expects the team will find success offensively this season. He noted that this year, the Bisons are a fairly young team, and said they will benefit from playing at a fast pace. “I think a lot of it has to do with just coming out, starting our game with a high tempo,” O’hara said.

“Last year I think we struggled with keeping our energy levels high throughout the game and going into the second half. So, I think coming off the bench, it will be important for everyone to stay engaged.”

When asked about the makeup of this year’s team, O’Hara said that the squad looks like a “good group” with strong veteran leadership. He added that the entire team is having fun so far, and that now is “the closest the team has been in a while.”

Tying back to the team’s camaraderie, O’Hara said that the team’s bond makes them more motivated to be “accountable for each other,” which he said propels the team to do better than the previous year.

The Bisons ended this past pre-season with a 2-3 record. Within those three losses, the largest deficit was a mere eight points, and the teams’ final pre-season game featured a 20-point blowout victory over the Western University Mustangs.

The team will not let last season’s disappointments deter them from moving forward. O’Hara, when speaking of his expectations for this upcoming season, said “I think a lot of what will come this season is just a lot of growth and learning.”

The Bisons have a great mix of youthful energy and veteran experience with players like third-year guard Mark Tachie and fourth-year forward Wyatt Tait. The team is aware of their issues and have worked to fix them.

Last season began with hope and excitement, but ended with disappointment and frustration. This season is different and brings new challenges to face, only this time with past lessons to help guide the way.

staff Matthew Merkel / photo /

sports@themanitoban.com

Sports teams’ schedules

U of M Bisons — Women’s Hockey U of M Bisons — Men’s Volleyball

Regina Cougars @ Bisons

Oct. 14 — Final: 1 – 2 Regina Cougars @ Bisons Oct. 15 — Final: 2 – 3 Trinity Western Spartans @ Bisons Oct. 21 — 7 p.m. Trinity Western Spartans @ Bisons Oct. 22 — 2 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Women’s Soccer

Bisons @ Trinity Western Spartans Oct. 21 — 10 p.m. Bisons @ Trinity Western Spartans Oct. 22 — 9 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Cross Country

Chris McCubbins Provincial Championships Oct. 22

Bisons @ Lethbridge Pronghorns Oct. 15 — Final: 1 – 0 Bisons @ Mount Royal Cougars Oct. 16 — Final: 0 – 2 Playoffs: Regina Cougars @ Bisons Oct. 22 — 5:30 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Women’s Volleyball

Bisons @ Trinity Western Spartans Oct. 21 — 8 p.m. Bisons @ Trinity Western Spartans Oct. 22 — 7 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Men’s Football

Bisons @ UBC Thunderbirds Oct. 15 — Final: 21 – 27 Alberta Golden Bears @ Bisons Oct. 22 — 1 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Men’s Hockey

Bisons @ Regina Cougars

Oct. 14 — Final: 2 – 1 Bisons @ Regina Cougars Oct. 15 — Final: 4 – 3 Bisons @ Trinity Western Spartans Oct. 21 — 2:15 p.m. Bisons @ Trinity Western Spartans Oct. 22 — 7 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Swimming

St. James Seals Invitational Oct. 22–23

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Blue Bombers @ BC Lions Oct. 15 — Final: 32 – 40 BC Lions @ Blue Bombers Oct. 28 — 7:30 p.m.

Winnipeg Jets

New York Rangers @ Jets Jets @ Dallas Stars Jets @ Colorado Avalanche Jets @ Vegas Golden Knights Toronto Maple Leafs @ Jets St. Louis Blues @ Jets Oct. 14 — Final: 1 – 4 Oct. 17 — Final: 1 – 4 Oct. 19 — 7 p.m. Oct. 20 — 9 p.m. Oct. 22 — 6 p.m. Oct. 24 — 7 p.m.

Bison briefs

Kieran Light & Grace Anne Paizen, staff Bisons sweep Cougars at home

After beginning the season 0-2, the Bisons women’s hockey team returned for their home opener and rattled off two straight wins over the University of Regina Cougars.

In the first period of game one, the penalty box saw more action than either team’s net. There were a total of six penalties in the opening minutes, without a single goal to show for it.

This would change immediately in the second period, when Regina’s Paige Hubbard opened scoring. However, the Bisons responded with an unassisted power-play goal from Rachel Gottfried. The Bisons finished the game off with another power-play goal in the third period from forward Kylie Lesuk.

Game two was all Bisons. Defender Chloe Snaith scored the game’s opener. The Bisons found the net a second time, just twenty-nine seconds into the second period with a power-play goal by thirdyear forward Kate Gregoire. Regina followed up with a goal of their own to make the score 2-1, however Kaitlyn Chatyrbok put the game away with the game-winning goal. The Bisons women’s hockey team must be happy to get into the win column, and are sure to be looking to build off this momentum for the upcoming game against the Trinity Western University Spartans this Friday.

Bisons women’s soccer

The Bisons women’s soccer team went 1–1 over the final weekend of the regular season, but had much to celebrate.

In Saturday’s game against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, the Bisons triumphed with a 1–0 victory, with forward Tabata Bravo netting the lone goal.

In the second game of the Alberta-based final weekend, the Bisons fell to the Mount Royal University Cougars 0–2.

However, the Bisons have finished fourth in the Canada West Prairie division, and will go on to the first round of the Canada West Championship playoffs this weekend.

The first round, which is the play-in round of the playoffs, will see the Bisons take on the number five seeded University of Regina Cougars this Saturday, Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m.