WPG Pennant Weekly

Happy Hump Day, WPG! With all that rain and the cooler weather we’ve been having, it’s starting to feel a little more like October. But with that comes Thanksgiving weekend — and hopefully a lot to be thankful for.

Here’s to good food, good company, and some good news you can use.

In today’s edition:

Let’s get to it!

— Ryan Bowman

🌡️ High 16 Low 3 ☀️ Mostly sunny, chilly overnight

🌡️ High 18 Low 9 ☀️Mostly sunny

🌡️ High 16 Low 6 ☀️Mostly sunny

Ah, October. The season of falling leaves, pumpkin spiced everything and a renewed sense of hope for our hometown Winnipeg Jets (not to mention their, shall we say, fanatic fandom).

While every year feels like it could be THE year, this season truly feels a bit different.

For starters, the Jets are coming off their best regular season in franchise history, with 116 points, a Central Division title, and a President’s Trophy (awarded to the league’s top team) to boot.

Add to that the team’s deepest playoff run since 2018, a trio of trophies for our all-star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and the off-season signing of local legend Jonathan Toews, and expectations are naturally pretty high for a team still searching for that elusive first Stanley Cup.

Here’s to hoping THIS is the year 🤞

A pair of longstanding local photography shops have become one, with Photo Central and Don’s Photo joining forces. You’ll still see the same friendly faces and get the same excellent customer service, just with more gear, more printing options and more expertise — all under the same roof.

The provincial government is stepping up to help communities bounce back from this summer’s wildfires, launching a new Disaster Financial Assistance program to support recovery and rebuilding. It’s a welcome boost for municipalities hit hardest by the fires — and a reminder that even after the smoke clears, Manitobans have each other’s backs.

In a recent Facebook post shared almost 1,000 times, the Bekios family announced that their cherished Maxime’s Restaurant and Lounge will serve its last meal later next month. Since opening its doors back in 1984, the restaurant’s elegant setting and warm hospitality (not to mention the fanstastic food) have made it one of the city’s most popular spots for family traditions and special occasions.

Last call is expected sometime around the third week of November.

Let’s hear it for local chef Emily Butcher (Nola and Bar Accanto), who recently cooked her way to the top of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party.

Her creative dish — a fusion of prairie flavour and Chinese heritage — earned her the gold medal at last week’s regional competition and a ticket to the national finals in Toronto next February.

Thermea Spa’s Darnell Banman took home second place, while Norman Pastorin of Basta! Filipino Kitchen rounded out the Top 3.

We’re a little late to the party on this one, but the new snack spot stashed inside of Low Life Barrel House is getting a lot of buzz. Brought to life by Winnipeg's own Dustin Pajak (best known for the acclaimed Close Co.), SNACK HäUS is serving up taproom staples like olives, nuts and Hawkins cheezies alongside more inventive handhelds and small plates like trout tostadas, broccoli empanadas and heirloom beetroot. All of which are best washed down with local beer, of course!

Want to see your small business (or your favourite small business) featured here? Reach out to [email protected]

Despite the disappointment of last year’s playoff exit, you can be sure Canada Life Centre will be rocking on Thursday night.

Not only is it the Jets’ home (and season) opener, but fans will have pregame photo ops with the abovementioned trophies and experience firsthand the banner(s) raising ceremony before they face off against the Dallas Stars (yes, the same Dallas Stars responsible for that disappointing playoff exit). The celebration will also include live music, a light show and free toques for everyone in attendance.

Then on Saturday, the team will continue its Opening Weekend Celebration with a mini banner giveaway for the first 5,000 fans and a matinee matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

It may have seemed impossible mere weeks ago, but thanks to two straight wins and a little help around the league, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers can clinch a playoff spot this Saturday.

At 8-7 with three weeks remaining, a win in Edmonton will mathematically eliminate the Elks and assure the Blue and Gold at least one game in the postseason. As the host city of this season’s Grey Cup, we’ll be behind them every snap of the way.

This is one of those moments where we need to give credit where credit is due. With every intention of dropping our very own Local Guide to Spooky Season this week, our research led us to Tourism Winnipeg’s guide, which is downright fangtastic. So instead of competing for clicks and regurgitating a lot of the same information (not to mention a lot of the RIP-etitive puns) we’re more than happy to send you their way for all things Halloween. Check it out here.

Explore the colonial history of botanical art with Backyard Florilegium at WAG-Qaumajuq. The exhibit runs until Oct. 18.

Hot tip: Entry to WAG-Qaumajuq is free the second Sunday of every month ie. Oct. 12 (11 am to 5 pm)

Settle in as the sun slowly disappears beyond the horizon and thousands of birds begin landing on FortWhyte Alive’s lakes at sunset. Wednesdays through Sundays until Oct. 19. More info here.

To submit future event listings, shoot us an email at [email protected]

In addition to publishing our weekly newsletter, we’re working hard behind the scenes on a local directory of sorts to bring you the best of WPG, all in one place. Covering everything from the best burger in the city to unique date night ideas, it will be the ultimate resource for everything you need to eat, drink, do and know in Winnipeg.

But instead of choosing all the top spots ourselves, we’re hoping you can help us out.

This week, in the spirit of the season, we’re looking for your favourite soup spot in Winnipeg. It could be a restaurant in general or a specific bowl of soulwarming goodness from a certain place.

Spoons up, WPG!

Thanks for reading, WPG! We wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings and the tastiest of turkeys (and tofurkeys). As always, feel free to forward this email to a friend and submit your story ideas.

GO JETS GO ✈️