“I enjoy learning both the technical and artistic aspects of photography, some of which can be challenging. Seeing how light brings an object to life, the direction of its shadow and how one can be creative with the light and shadows.”
This is Eric Hildebrandt of Boissevain explaining what attracts him to photography. The winner of the photography class at the Boissevain Fair in June sponsored by The Recorder, he has a great love for capturing the image, with several favourite subjects, and that love is growing. His winning entry shows how his passion can inspire and be enjoyed by everyone.
Hildebrandt said he took the photo of a ruby throated hummingbird in May of this year. He was sitting on his front step with his camera waiting for the doves to return to their nest in the cedar tree. Something else grabbed his attention.
“Out of the corner of my eye I see this hummingbird flying around a couple of our bushes,” he stated. “So I went from watching for the doves to watching and photographing the hummingbird. For the next couple of hours I sat there watching and getting the odd shot off as it was flying blossom to blossom.”
For the next week, he kept an eye out, with the hummingbird returning to the area, chasing other males away and introducing his mate to the feeding area. On the night he took the fair photo, he was trying to get in position, as the bird would usually fly in and visit the feeder or blossoms. This time, he perched on one of the branches of the cherry bush.
When the final out was made on July 30 at the Centennials diamond, the Boissevain squad completed not only a finals sweep, but also reached a major milestone.
The Cents shut out the Oak River Dodgers 6-0 in the third and deciding game for the South West Baseball League championship at home. This is their fifth consecutive title, which is incidentally what the New York Yankees did from 1949-53, the longest run in Major League Baseball history.
In game three, Connor Martin of the Centennials pitched a complete game (seven inning) shutout, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out 10. In contrast, the Dodgers used three hurlers, with starter Riley Shamray taking the loss, allowing nine hits and five earned runs in three and two thirds innings of work. Dylan Schroeder and Mitch Battersby finished up on the mound.
Tyler Robertson led Boissevain in hits with three, all singles, and drove in one run. Tanner Clyne and Jay Pringle chipped in a pair of singles apiece, with Jordan Foote showing speed with a triple and two stolen bases. Austin Clyne and Griffin Albrecht each had a hit with Foote, Pringle, Robertson, Zane Sawyer, Bryan Laing and Drew Hilhorst driving in single runs.
The series started in Boissevain on July 27, and set the tone for all three games. The Centennials won the opener 5-0, with Zane Sawyer getting the complete game shutout. He scattered five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Oak River starter Kaden Rozdeba was hung with the loss, allowing five hits and four earned runs in two and two-thirds innings. In relief, Dylan Schroeder allowed the final run.
Jordan Foote had a pair of hits, including a double and drove in a team leading three runs. Tyler Robertson also had a pair of hits and Tanner Clyne had a double. Skylar Canada had one hit but made it count, taking a pitch deep. Drew Hilhorst also had a hit and an RBI.
The community of Deloraine came out in droves for the red carpet premiere of a short film made by a few of their own.
On July 23, “Whitetail” a film by Nick Dietrich and Laughlin McKinnon, made its debut at the Deloraine Theatre. The cast, crew and much of the town were out in full force to see a locally made movie. It was everything they were looking for, McKinnon said.
“It was awesome,” he stated. “We hoped to have a full house and we did. You couldn’t ask for more. That was the dream, to have a premiere of a movie in Deloraine, raise some money for the Ag Society, and we met those goals.”
As McKinnon explained, the venture started when Dietrich, a Deloraine native who is a filmmaker in BC, was on the cusp of a larger film project. He wanted a smaller one to practice putting all aspects of it together. He asked McKinnon if he would help with it, to write a short film.
“We were thinking maybe three to seven minutes. He has an impressive career in videography, but he was going to be looking after everything, editing, directing, cinematography. He wanted to try something short, low stress, before he moved on to something bigger.”
McKinnon said it caught him off guard, as he had not done anything like that. He got a skeleton of what Dietrich was looking for, and a story including a storm-stayed drug dealer, a deer hunter and more came into focus. There was an immediate desire to have a local feel with local place names used. There would be a hunting cabin, a gun, some tension and what McKinnon referred to as a “twisted re-telling of the Hansen Buck (world record typical whitetail shot) story.”
With the great response from the community, admirers of a local rugby phenom were able to honour her twice in Souris.
Emily Tuttosi has been a great source of pride in her home community, bringing Souris positive attention on the national and international stage. As she moved on further in her rugby career, the time was right for a pair of signs in town honouring her. Barb Murphy, who spearheaded the project, said it started last year. Tuttosi graduated with Murphy’s daughter and they played together on the Souris rugby team.
“When Emily played in the latest World Cup (2025), we were excited as a whole town,” Murphy said. “It was amazing to have someone from Souris in the World Cup. When Canada won silver, it was extremely exciting.”
Murphy said it was simple to set up. They partnered with the Souris rugby program and coach Brian Yon, and began appealing for funds for a sign honouring Tuttosi. Starting last summer/fall, they were hoping to raise about $3,000 for one sign. The first donation came in October 2025, and they just kept coming. With local individuals and businesses chipping in, they eventually raised around $5,470.
Anyone wanting to appear on screen while enjoying the beauty of the International Peace Garden will have their opportunity on July 30.
An international video crew will be out at the Garden creating footage of the local attraction. According to Peace Garden CEO Tim Chapman, they are looking to promote the area now and into the future.
“This is a different type of promotion this year,” Chapman explained. “We want to get some footage made up, some deeper footage we can use for 10 years down the road.”
Chapman said the Garden receives a lot of outreach from video production companies who want to be hired to film promotional material. This year, a company made a positive impression and they are moving forward.
“They can do these films that can go on US and Canadian cable TV and web versions. They make a five minute piece that can be picked up by stations.”
As well as the film itself, the company will be shooting the whole day of July 30, with footage going to the Peace Garden. As they hired them, the Garden will decide where the shooting will take place, who they will talk to – staff and supporters – and this will be used by the Garden for their own promotions. Chapman said it could be for something as simple as a small feature on their website.
“The way the internet has changed, if you have good footage, you can cut it up for 15 second clips, or still pictures. It will make a nice library of film to access.”
Round one of Mother Nature’s wrath upon the area left the area soggy, disheartened but strangely resilient.
In the early evening of Monday, June 29, Boissevain was shaken by a sudden and explosive rainstorm. In around an hour and a half to two hours, the community and surrounding area received a whopping six plus inches of water. Coming at that speed, there was nowhere for that amount of moisture to go except everywhere. Within minutes, basements were flooding and in some cases, sewers were backing up. Results varied around Boissevain, but the majority of homes had a least some water, and for many, the results were catastrophic.
“It was huge,” said Boissevain-Morton Head of Council Judy Swanson. “It had a huge impact on all of us. I don’t know how many people had problems, but it sounds like everyone.”
Streets were awash shortly after the storm began, with some being under enough water that people could swim or in at least one case, kayak. Swanson said the town has a good system of storm sewers, but they cannot handle this level of water.
“The system is built for regular rain. I have never seen rain like this, so much in so short a time.”
A private collection is bringing fascinating light history to the Beckoning Hills Museum in Boissevain.
The 200-plus kerosene lamps of Brandt Bessant are currently the featured display at the museum. According to Beckoning Hills Board Co-Chair Sandra Pearce, although not a member of their board, Bessant has been a key person in helping with identifying items. They discussed a possible display from the antique collector, but put it aside initially as they were doing their veterans showcase last year due to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
“After that was over, we decided this would be Brandt’s year to do his display,” Pearce explained.
Bessant said the museum had talked of bringing in “guest exhibitors” as a new way to bring new people in. Something new grabs their attention, then they see the rest.
He said he became interested in lamps when he was young through his association with auctioneer Bob Wright. Working with the family on live auctions, he remembered the annual antique sale in Souris. He went to help and there the antiques grabbed his attention. He asked Wright how to figure out what to collect?
Should he secure the nomination, Mark Custance will be running in the next provincial election to try to secure a great future for Turtle Mountain.
The entrepreneur from the Pierson area threw his hat in the ring for the Progressive Conservative nomination in the riding this spring. Longtime MLA Doyle Piwniuk announced he would not be seeking another term in the Legislature, opening up the spot for a new Tory candidate. Custance said it is all about serving the area.
“To me, it was never about being a politician, it was more about stepping up and representing our region,” Custance explained during a visit to Boissevain. “My wife and I raised our family here, started businesses here. This is home for us.”
Custance is just finishing his first term as a councillor for the Municipality of Two Borders. He said he wanted to bring his life experience to another level of service. He wanted to have an election for the party in the constituency. Custance said he came from a different background from the other person running, former PC leadership candidate Wally Daudrich. He wanted to represent a new generation of conservative coming up in the region. Daudrich was later disqualified.
Custance said his family has always been involved in communities, and he wants to carry this on. He learned from his grandparents and parents that it is not about the title, but how you treat people and what you do.
A break in the weather and a few changes made for a successful Boissevain Fair in 2026.
The annual running was held on June 20-21. According to Turtle Mountain Agricultural Society President Chris Walker, all went well.
“We couldn’t ask for better weather,” Walker stated. “It looks like our gate numbers were up from last year, and we added some events that worked well.”
The two days were marvelous ones, with plus 20-degree temperatures and plenty of sunshine. This was a great benefit as the days preceding and following saw cooler temps, darker skies and some rain.
“Everybody was in a good mood this year. The sun was shining and everyone was feeling good. It was just perfect.”
This year’s adult ed graduation in Boissevain was not only a farewell for the students, but also for their longtime mentor.
There were 40 students who graduated with their high school diplomas from the Adult Learning Centres in Boissevain, Killarney and Swan Lake in 2026, with a strong number attending their ceremony at the Living Hope Community Church in Boissevain on June 11. This was one of the biggest graduating classes in the centre’s history. It was a big moment for them, as their hard work was rewarded with their passport to a better future.