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Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ex-treme adventures
Angenia Papineau said she hasn't smiled this much in weeks. The 20-year-old from Cross Lake spent a thrilling evening with her sister and friend at the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg after a nomadic few weeks caused by wildfires near her hometown. 'It's been very stressful because we've wanted to go home for a while. We came out here for a break, and it's been a lot of fun,' Papineau told the Free Press on Tuesday. 'It feels a lot better getting out of the Airbnb after being stuck there and not really doing much.' JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Hailey Papineau, Angenia Papineau and Kayleigh Ross enjoy the Crazy Mouse ride at the Red River Ex Tuesday. More than three weeks ago, Papineau was preparing to return home to surprise her family after wrapping up her university studies this spring. She said her plans got derailed once her community was ordered to evacuate. 'It totally sucked. People left and had to find places to sleep. They were either going to community centres or arenas,' said Papineau. She and her parents, three brothers, sister, and dog are staying at an Airbnb since nobody in their family lives in Winnipeg. She said they are expected to return to Cross Lake, 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg, on Friday after the province lifted the evacuation order June 16. Thanks to the Canadian Red Cross, Papineau said she got free tickets to the Red River Ex this week. She rode the Ex's popular 'crazy mouse' and 'mega drop' roller-coasters and rode in the classic bumper cars. 'It's gotten our minds off what has been happening with the evacuation and being away from home and things like that. It's been nice,' she said. Shane Farberman, better known as 'Doo Doo the International Clown,' helped to bring ear-to-ear smiles to fair-goers, including evacuees. 'Everywhere I go, when I'm driving from a hotel and I see a busload of people walking in the park or having lunch, I've been jumping out, doing videos, taking pictures, and doing magic, and just getting families out,' said Farberman. 'I just feel it's good for my heart, and it's good for their heart.' The clown from Ontario, who appeared in Adam Sandler's Billy Madison and has performed at the Ex for more than 30 years, also entertains people across North America and Europe. Whether it's walk-around parties, pop-up shows, or being on stage, Farberman said Winnipeggers are an unmatched audience. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Doo Doo The Clown, who has been clowning for 30 years, entertains at the Red River Ex Tuesday. 'The love that I get in Winnipeg is just amazing. Everybody is so warm and loving, and the people I've met have actually become lifetime friends of mine,' he said. 'I always have hundreds of families that come up to me, and the parents tell their kids, 'This is the clown when I was little at the fair.'' It's no surprise, during Doo Doo's 31st year at the Ex, he was seen drawing in a crowd of younger folks with his comedic magic tricks and balloon animals. He said being a clown will never get old for him. 'What other job in the world do you get paid to make people smile and laugh? To have this longevity, you need to love it,' he said. Although Doo Doo has been a longtime staple at the largest travelling carnival in North America, Garth Rogerson, CEO of the Red River Exhibition Association, said there are new features this year. Some of the latest concepts include a pro wrestling show, a chainsaw-carving demo area, the 'haunted carnival'— a 6,000-square-foot walk-through haunted house attraction — and a lumberjack show, which includes an axe-throwing and log-rolling competition. There's a theme each day, including Indigenous Peoples Day on Saturday and Filipino Day and Kids Day on Sunday. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Rogerson said more than 4,000 people entered the park within the first hour on Sunday. The Ex's revenues are trending up at around 12 per cent to start this year's tour in Winnipeg. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Imrose Dhaliwal, front left, Sirat Sran, front right, Sahipbep Dhaliwal, back left, and Simrandeep Dhaliwal, back right, enjoy the Outlaw ride at the Red River Ex Tuesday. Safety measures have been beefed up this year, including a mile of new fencing, more lit-up areas to prohibit outsiders from throwing objects over the fence, additional cameras, and enough security officers to ensure there is at least one guard for every 250 guests. 'We want to make sure that everybody feels safe at all times and doesn't have to worry,' Rogerson said. 'Let us worry about those bad guys, and we'll take care of that.' The Ex concludes on Sunday.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
What's up: Red River Ex, Wild & Wonderful Words, Ukrainian festival, VVonder, Grad Walk 2025
NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS files Of course you want to go faster. The Red River Ex opens Friday and runs for 10 days.. NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS files Of course you want to go faster. The Red River Ex opens Friday and runs for 10 days.. Tickets $10-18; ride-all-day wristbands $60 at Hold on to your hats, it's that time of year again! The annual June fair is back with carnival rides and games galore, as well as a plethora of food trucks slinging all manner of fairground faves. Fill your tum with Philly cheese steaks, ice-cream tacos, fried pop tarts, Flamin' Hot Cheeto pickle pizzas, caramel apple nachos, barbecued meats, pickle fries and grape jelly-glazed crispy chicken served in a waffle cone. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. Friday with activities taking place at Kiddie-Land, Kids' Stage and the free Family Fun Zone. If you're there for the music, the first band on the Central Park Stage, Motley Crue tribute act Looks That Kill, start at 5:30 p.m. while Red Barn Stage's music starts 15 minutes later as You and What Army play a 45-minute set. A full day of begins on Saturday when gates open at noon. Head straight for the rides, but remember to snag a spot before the Caribbean Day parade starts at 3 p.m. near Central Park Stage. And mark your calendars if you're looking for savings — there is free gate admission for one hour only from noon to 1 p.m on Sunday. Festivities continue throughout the week with different themes running each day until the fair wraps up on June 22. Check for more information and updates. — AV Kitching Local authors will convene at Sookram's Brewing Co. (479-B Warsaw Ave.) on Wednesday as part of the fourth Wild & Wonderful Words reading event. Mike Deal / Free Press files Have a drink and listen to Ariel Gordon read Wednesday at Sookram's. Mike Deal / Free Press files Have a drink and listen to Ariel Gordon read Wednesday at Sookram's. Hosted again by creator and local author Sheldon Birnie (Where the Pavement Turns to Sand), the event will feature a pair of established writers and a couple of up-and-coming authors. In the former category is Winnipeg's Ariel Gordon — author of essay collections Fungal and Treed as well as volumes of poetry (Stowaways, Siteseeing) — and Mitchell Toews, author of the short-story collection Pinching Zwieback. The pair will be joined by writer/musician Antonio Marrazas Luna and Zoë Mills. After Wednesday's event, the series takes the summer off before returning in the fall. The event is free and all ages; in addition to serving up all kinds of beer, Sookram's also offers non-alcoholic options. — Ben Sigurdson Eva Wasney / Winnipeg Free Press files Pick up some perogies at the Ukrainian Village Festival this weekend. Eva Wasney / Winnipeg Free Press files Pick up some perogies at the Ukrainian Village Festival this weekend. Budmo! Winnipeg's inaugural Ukrainian Village Festival is bringing the spirit of Ukraine to The Forks this weekend with three days of community, connection and culture. Enjoy family-friendly activities, live music, dance performances and interactive workshops at CN Field. And definitely go hungry: baba-approved homemade borscht, perogies, deruny (potato pancakes) and cabbage rolls will be on offer, as well as a variety of traditional Ukrainian drinks such as medovukha, a honey-based alcoholic beverage, uzvar, a non-alcoholic compote-style winter punch, and kvas, a sweet-sour ale. — Jen Zoratti Supplied VVonder releases its new album Friday at Blue Note Park. Supplied VVonder releases its new album Friday at Blue Note Park. Give VVonder three minutes of listening time, and the Winnipeg quartet is bound to fill it with perfectly crafted catchiness. Led by the acrobatic vocals of Micah Braun, with groove-ready harmonies by Steve Martens, Joey Penner and Nate Sheridan, VVonder — prefixed by two Vs but pronounced with a single W — has spent the last three years finishing its followup to 2022's Now and Again, a squeaky clean jangle-pop time capsule about the messiness of living. Free Press reviewer John Kendle called the band's sound a perfect distillation of upbeat indie rock and melodic psychedelia, name-dropping both the Beatles and ELO. Those comparisons aren't overblown, but VVonder has still flown under the national radar. Could that change with Stumble On, a sophomore record whose name gives a directive for unexpected discovery? Based on the strength of lead tracks Don't Turn Around, Dr. Says, Shanana, My Choice and Invisible Man, it's safe to assume VVonder has added a dozen timeless tunes to its catalogue, and one can hope a much-deserved breakthrough is around the corner. See what all the fuss is about Friday at the Blue Note, where VVonder will be supported by openers Juvel and the Full Benefits. — Ben Waldman What started as a pandemic work-around has become a North End tradition. Students, family, friends and civic-minded Winnipeggers are invited to get together today for the North End Grad Walk, a neighbourhood celebration of local high school grads. Kicking off at St. John's High School and wrapping up at R.B. Russell, where a community barbecue and party await, walkers will stop along the way at the Bell Tower and Children of the Earth. 'One year the mayor, Scott Gillingham, came out and served hot dogs to the students and community,' writes organizer Michael Champagne on his blog. 'But most important of all the guests, were the smiling parents, the neighbours and, of course, the graduates themselves.' The loud, proud celebration includes an award portion, with $500 memorial bursaries going to two students, one from R.B. Russell and one from St. John's. — Conrad Sweatman
