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THE BRANDON SUN • WESTMAN BUSINESS • OCTOBER 26, 2023
I think this season, more
than any other, we’re focusing on trying to do some new things. ” – JARED McKENZIE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & TICKETING KEYSTONE CENTRE
Keystone enhancing the community experience
members and organizations. Several ti- pis, each with a unique teaching, have been erected at locations across Bran- don, including the Keystone Centre. Another way is through art. The centre recently unveiled a new mural above its main entrance depicting the Anishinaabe creation story, painted by Rolling River First Nation artist Jeannie Whitebird, who lives in Selkirk, Man., and her collaborator, international mu- ralist Charlie Johnston. A plaque will soon join the artwork, which is titled “Bimaadiziwin,” the Anishinaabemow- in term for “the journey.” The mural was just one of the many highlights at the Keystone Centre this summer. On top of its more familiar of- ferings, such as the Manitoba Summer Fair and Food Truck Warz, the Keystone Centre also hosted a Stanley Cup visit and, for the first time ever, the World Clydesdale Show. With summer drifting into fall, the Keystone Centre is now gearing up for its busiest season, chock-full of ice sports and winter fairs. Some notable events on the horizon are the Stars on Ice Holiday Tour (Dec. 17), Skid Row Swift Current Broncos forward Braeden Lewis of Virden skates across the Brandon Wheat Kings zone with the puck with defenders Andrei Maliavan and Carter Klippenstein in hot pursuit during Western Hockey League action at the Keystone Centre’s Westoba Place on September 30, 2023. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun)
BY SYDNEY HILDEBRANDT
Anyone who frequents the Keystone Centre in Brandon knows how popular the venue is for hockey games and a swath of agricultural shows. And while those events are the ven- ue’s bread and butter, the Keystone Centre wants to diversify its offerings to keep up with Brandon’s growing and evolving population. “This is a community centre for the entire community. If you don’t fit into that agricultural demographic, or you’re not a diehard hockey fan, we are still thinking about ways to bring you entertainment,” says Jared McKenzie, director of marketing and ticketing at the Keystone Centre. “There are naturally some commu- nities that go underrepresented when we bring in concerts and any sort of other show. We’re really looking at ways to engage with those communities and bring acts to the centre that would be of interest to them.” One way the venue is expanding representation across the facility is through the Tipi Legacy Tour project, a partnership between community
A mural entitled “Bimaadiziwin,” the Anishinaabemowin term for The Journey, was painted last week above the main doorway at the Keystone Centre (Geena Mortfield/The Brandon Sun)
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