Martensville Welcomes Rabbit and Bear Paws
Ciara O ’ Reilly , Martensville Messenger
ABOVE : Chad Solomon presented Rabbit and Bear Paws at Valley Manor School on January 2nd . ( Ciara O ’ Reilly / Martensville Messenger )
Special guest appearances were made to the Pre-K to Grade four students of Valley Manor Elementary school on Thursday , January 2nd . Two brothers , Rabbit and Bear Paws , along with their puppet family hitched a ride with storyteller and puppeteer Chad Solomon on a quest to introduce the students of VMS to Aboriginal culture using traditional Native Storytelling and Teachings . Rabbit and Bear Paws are two mischievous Anishinabek brothers who take pride in playing pranks and learning through their mistakes together . In particular , the theme of this story was about only taking what we need from Mother Earth and leaving the rest for others and earth ' s creatures , now and in the future . It also focused on the importance of keeping our promises . The presentation was kept light and humorous in order to keep students engaged . Students were also called on and even requested to take part as a major character in the interactive storytelling event , and even the teachers got involved !
Aboriginal storytelling has always played a major role in Aboriginal culture , as the stories often obtain noteworthy morals and life-lessons . Storytelling is an excellent way to entertain , teach , and remember while keeping customs alive . “ Wheatland Regional Library along with the Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal People ( LSSAP ) and their sponsors provided funding for the performance and we are very appreciative that one of our local schools was able to host the performance ,” said Marla Skomar , Head Librarian of Wheatland Library in Martensville .
ABOVE : Chad Solomon and Marla Skomar , Head Librarian at Martensville ’ s Wheatland Regional Library introduce themselves and the premise of Rabbit and Bear Paws during the January 2nd presentation at Valley Manor School . ( Ciara O ’ Reilly / Martensville Messenger )
mARtEnsvillE mEssEngER - FEBRUARY 9 , 2017 - Page 11
Local “ Good Deed Doer ” Donates to Charity Close to Heart
MR MIKES ® annual “ Deeds Well Done ” program kicked off between November 14th and December 31st , and nominations were accepted on behalf of the ‘ good deed doers ’ across Western Canada . One winner was chosen from each of 32 communities and Martensville ’ s own , Amy Novakovski , was chosen as the prized candidate for the program . Novakovski received $ 500 from the program to donate to the charity of her choice , and also received a $ 100 MR MIKES ® gift card as a reward in recognition of everything she does within our community . “ I was stunned to have been nominated and even more shocked that I had won ,” said Novakovski . The organization since chosen to receive
Ciara O ’ Reilly , Martensville Messenger
the $ 500 donation is Bloom , Children ’ s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan . This organization was founded and built from the ground up by Novakovski herself , “ seeing as my son spent some time in the NICU , it was important for me to give back ,” stated Novakovski . Thank you for all that you do , Amy !
MR MIKES ® “ Deeds Well Done ” program takes place annually in order to recognize those that go above and beyond in local communities . MR MIKES ® takes pride in recognizing those who are truly selfless , and took part in the goodness by donating $ 16,000 to charities in 32 communities across British Columbia , Alberta , Saskatchewan , and Manitoba this season .
ABOVE : Amy Novakovski was the recipient of the MR MIKES ® annual “ Deeds Well Done ” program and chose to have $ 500 donated to the annual ‘ Bloom - An Evening of Love ’ fundraiser . ( Ciara O ’ Reilly / Martensville Messenger ) Martensville Co-op Grocery
Store Celebrates Grand Opening
Shanine Sealey , Martensville Messenger
The Martensville Co-op Food Store held their grand opening celebration Friday , February 3rd . The public was invited to attend and indulge in some delicious cupcakes and coffee following the ribbon cutting . Throughout the week , and through other weeks in February and March , shoppers will be offered a variety of grand opening celebration sales , all of which will be included on a wrap on the Co-op weekly flyer .
Harley McClughan , the Operations Manager with Saskatoon Co-op , welcomed those in attendance and thanked everyone that had a part in making the grocery store in Martensville the beautiful location that it is today , adding that the construction was completed a month ahead of schedule . “ We are excited to be able to create approximately 80 jobs in the community with annual salaries of approximately $ 3 million per year ,” McClughan stated . McClughan added that the first few months of sales in Martensville have shown that the community is appreciating the new store and taking advantage of the convenience of shopping at home . “ Sales are already trending around what we anticipated as year three sales in our feasibility .” Additionally , it was explained that prices in the Martensville location match those that are found in Saskatoon Co-op locations , “ so that you can feel confident you are getting the best value out of your hard earned dollars .”
Martensville ’ s Mayor Kent Muench was also in attendance and was invited to say a few words during the grand opening . “ I would like to thank Saskatoon Coop for believing in Martensville and investing in our community . On behalf of City Council , City staff and all of the residents , welcome to the City of Martensville ,” said Muench . Muench then continued on to congratulate ABOVE : From L to R - Jackie Southam – Store Manager , Martensville Saskatoon Coop on their grand Harley McClughan – Operations Manager with Saskatoon Co-op cutting the
Mayor Kent Muench , Grant Whitmore – President of Saskatoon Co-op and opening . ribbon at the grand opening . ( Marcy Cross / Martensville Messenger )