Costume Closet, RM Pipestone win tourism awards
Southwestern Manitoba sent four nominees to the Tribute to Tourism awards Wednesday night in Brandon. And two of them came back with awards that testify to their contributions to tourism in Westman.
The Costume Closet of Virden won in the category of Volunteer of the Year, for its hard-working and dedicated core group of volunteers who organize and update the costumes, rent them to performance groups and individuals, and ensure they come back.
The RM of Pipestone and Town of Reston won in the Partnership category for working together to create the region’s new recreation area. Guided by the RM’s economic development officer Tanis Chalmers, the partnership has in very short order developed a destination centre in Reston: golf course, spray park, water slide, campground, and a lake with sand beach, the latter scheduled to open June 15.
Also nominated were the Virden Lions for Service Excellence and Samantha Cluett for Aspiring Youth. You can see the full list of winners from across Westman below.
The 16th Annual Tribute to Tourism Awards Gala was organized by Tourism Westman and held at the Prairie Firehouse in Brandon. This year, 24 nominees were recognized for their excellence in the Westman tourism industry.
Another highlight was a horn performance (!) led by emcee Mark Humphries, the band leader and owner of Westwood Ranch and Garden Centre of Kola, and including solos by Liza Park, economic development manager for the Town of Virden. The video is on our Facebook page!
Category award winners:
Marketing Excellence - Chantelle Parrott, Valley Life Place Brand
Service Excellence – Prairie Firehouse
Volunteer of the Year - The Costume Closet Volunteers, Virden
Aspiring Youth - Maddy Grant, Minnedosa
Partnership - RM of Pipestone Recreation Development Area, Reston
Event of the Year - Tim Hortons Brier, Brandon
Indigenous Tourism - National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration, Brandon
