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THE BRANDON SUN • WINTER FAIR • MARCH 2024
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University of Winnipeg, and the Uni- versity of Alberta. And when asked if his celebrity sta- tus was a surprise to him and if he sees himself as a “humble guy”, Penner an- swered, “yes,” to both questions. “I’ve taken none of this for granted. I am so honored and blessed that I’ve been allowed to make music, travel the country, travel the world, and do a 13- year tv series. “It’s all absolutely a miracle that I’ve been able to do this amount of time. “When you go to a Down syndrome conference, it’s check your ego at the door and prepare to be loved, and I learned that from Susie. “We’re all in this together, let’s just try and get along, be a little more toler- ant, a little more understanding, a lit- tle more accepting a little more loving in this world,” Penner said. » mmcdougall@brandonsun.com with files from Matt Goerzen » X: @enviromichele
army and stationed at Canadian Forc- es Base Shilo. “I love Brandon, and still have rela- tives in the area, so, I’m really excited to come back again,” Penner said. The entertainment committee at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is also looking forward to having Penner perform at the winter fair, said Mark Humphries, general manager of the organization. “We’re always looking for that good, clean family entertainment and Fred ticks every box. It’s good clean fami- ly fun and I think that - to be honest - is worth a mint, and that’s why we reached out to him. “Because families make up a lot of history at the fair and it’s one of those things that people like to pass on. It’s that bit of nostalgia factor, building that bridge from one generation to an- other. And Fred did that for us,” Hum- phries said. Past honours that Penner has re- ceived include three honourary doc- torates from Canadian universities including, Brandon University, the
“I’m singing to the parents and the grandparents, the ones who came to see my shows years ago, so, I’m singing to them, and I and I’ll make comments to the parents along the way, so they feel like they are heard. “Then when the families are going home after the performance, the care- givers can talk to the kids about what they just experienced, like ‘what was your favorite song, did you did you en- joy the show, and how are you feeling’. “So, I take that as part of my re- sponsibility to share a song, a story, a thought, a feeling, and an idea. Some- thing that you will take home with you, and it may encourage discussion with your family,” Penner said. Penner is scheduled for two perfor- mances March 27 at the RMFW, one show in the morning, and one show in the afternoon. He has family in and around Bran- don, with cousins in Oak Lake and Gladstone. His knowledge of Westman comes from his dad who was in the
Famed children’s entertainer Fred Penner performs in a full amphitheatre during an afternoon session of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in 2014. Fred will be returning to the 2024 edition of the Royal for a one-day performance. (File/Brandon Sun)
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