Flin Flon’s
beloved
stack
Flintabbatey—
dubbed “Flinty”—
greets visitors as
they enter the town
from Highway 10. (The
statue itself is another
source of barroom trivia: It
was designed in 1962 by cartoonist
Al Capp of Li’l Abner fame.)
In the nostalgia-filled stories of local
residents, I hear of summers around
lakes and winters lit by the northern
lights. But I also learn about an arts
and entertainment scheme established
by the still-operating Hudson Bay
Mining & Smelting Company. Owned
by the Whitneys, a family of wealthy
American industrial-
ists, the company set up
affordable cultural diver-
sions to keep Flin Flon-
ners happy and living in
the area to man the mine:
ballet lessons for a dollar
a year; cheap and plen-
tiful ice time for hockey
and figure skating.
Of course, life in Flin
Flon wasn’t all pirouettes
and slap shots. The town
is built on nearly impen-
etrable bedrock, on ground that is fro-
zen half the year. I marvel at one local
innovation: Rows of raised wooden
boxes that are used as sidewalks, to
mask the city’s above-ground sewage
system. The system was designed in the
1930s as an alternative to underground
sewers. The handsome raised walkway
resembles a modernist architecture
feature—at first glance, you’d never
guess the “dirty” secret it hides!
I set out on a sunset hike along Flin
Flon’s lakeside path, a.k.a. Flinty’s
Boardwalk. As I wind my way around
Ross Lake, I stop to chat with locals
out for an evening walk. Crystal Kolt,
who moved here from Winnipeg some
20 years ago, is now director of the Flin
Flon Arts Council. “To walk to work,”
she says, “I stroll past a babbling brook,
through a forest, up a cliff and past the
lake. I can even pick up blueberries
along the way.”
There’s no shortage of natural won-
ders outside the city either. The Grass
The Grass
River rapids
A town built
on rock
we have a professional lift-rigger from
the mine to help with sets. The choir,
which has performed at Carnegie
Hall, also belts out “O Canada” at local
hockey games. We’re truly a one-stop
shop in Flin Flon.”
The
Essentials
GettinG there
River canoe route—adaptable to
novice or experienced canoers—boasts
a series of falls and rapids, a sus-
pension bridge, petroglyphs and an
underground spring. During summer
months, red fruit-laden bushes pop
against lush evergreen trees, creating
a spectacular scene.
The region is also well-known for
Culture Days, a Canada-wide festival
with about 80 events in and around
Flin Flon. Spectators can take in the
area’s world-class arts scene with
performances by the Ham Sandwich
theatre group, offerings from the
Northern Village Art Centre or con-
certs of classical and choral music.
As Kolt points out, the heritage of
arts and sport combined with the
mining industry has proven to be a
valuable collaboration, establishing
Flin Flon as a cultural hub. “Because
we’re a mining community, we have
a lot of educated and skilled people
here. So when we’re mounting a play,
From Saskatoon:
5.5-hour drive via
saskatchewan
Highways 5 and 106
thinGS tO DO
Flin Flon Homecoming:
a city-wide, weekend-
long celebration of
Canada’s 150th birth-
day (June 30–July 2)
Geocaching: Hundreds
of hidden caches in and
around the city
eAt & DrinK
Mike’s Ice N’ Burger
Hut: Charbroiled
burgers and soft-serve
at the entrance to
flinty’s boardwalk
Orange Toad: a book-
store and coffee
shop stocking tasty
manitoba teas
AMA
CAA insider
manitoba
summer
fall 2016
51