Bourkevale supports bike-to-work day

Bourkevale Community Centre was one of many official "pit stops" during Bike to Work Day on Friday June 21. Located along a busy biking/walking/jogging trail, the club recognized it was a natural location to set up a pit stop to help encourage people to leave their cars at home and get cycling to work. The club serviced 53 cyclists between 6:30 and 9 a.m. Stella's donated two dozen muffins and Tim Horton's donated two boxes of coffee. A big thanks to volunteers Elaine and Scotty Nystrom for organizing the pit stop and manning the station.

Ice rink season comes to a close

Well, it was bound to happen. Bourkevale's ice rinks officially closed March 26 in 2013. Our talented ice makers kept the south rink going as long as possible this season, with early-morning floods, patch jobs and the tender-loving-care they're famous for. But the late-March sun rays finally took over.
A big thanks to our ice makers Ron Templeton, Jeff Valgardson and Scotty Nystrom — and everyone else who helped along the way, including Mike Templeton — for the outstanding work they did this year. It was a very challenging season with twice the amount of average snowfall.
As far as we can tell, being open until March 26 is a modern-day record for Bourkevale. We normally shut the ice rinks down in the first week of March.
The canteen/skate room will open again for the spring soccer season in May and June.

Bourkevale skaters enjoy great ice well into March

Track project gets thumbs up

Bourkevale residents have thrown their support behind a proposal to build a new running track at St. James Collegiate.

In a 57 to 25 vote, the majority of Bourkevale residents who cast a ballot in a two-day vote held at the club this week expressed their support for the proposed project.

In percentage terms, 69.5% of voters supported the project while 30.5% opposed it.

 “Our goal was to get area residents involved in this project and to allow them to decide the fate of the proposal in a democratic fashion,” said Bourkevale Community Centre president Gary Kristiansen. “I think we succeeded in doing that.”

At the request of Bourkevale Community Centre, St. James-Assiniboine School Division recently held two, well-attended public information meetings on the proposed project. Bourkevale’s volunteer board of directors decided last year to hold a community vote on the proposal to allow area residents to express their will on whether it should proceed or not.

The school division is seeking to build a regulation-size running track behind St. James Collegiate which would require a portion of Bourkevale’s land to complete the project. The track would encroach 35 metres onto Bourkevale property.

“It’s important the community has a voice in decisions like these and we’re happy to announce our residents were granted that voice,” said Kristiansen.

A total of 82 area residents cast their ballots in the vote. There were no spoiled ballots. Two independent scrutineers who do not live in the area and who have no vested interest in the outcome of the vote volunteered to count the ballots for Bourkevale. The scrutineers were David Kuxhaus and Bob Weselowski, both of whom work for the Manitoba Ombudsman’s office.

Results of the vote will be confirmed by Bourkevale Community Centre’s board of directors at its next meeting February 21. Board meetings are open to the public.

Bourkevale Bruins win gold in Altona

The Bourkevale Bruins 10A2 team won gold in the Altona Atom Bronze tournament Jan. 20, going unbeaten in the competition and defeating the Teulon Tigers 5-2 for the championship. Great job Bruins!
Check out tournament video here.

Big thanks to our volunteer ice crew

A big round of applause to our volunteer ice crew and their tireless efforts to provide Bourkevale Community Centre with the best outdoor ice in the city. Despite 20 centimetres of blowing snow and frigid temperatures this past weekend, our ice crew had both rinks cleared and ready to go for skating by Saturday afternoon. We were one of the few community centre ice rinks open this weekend. In case you don't know, all the work putting in the ice and maintaining it throughout the season is done by local volunteers. A big thanks to Ron Templeton, Jeff Valgardson, Scotty Nystrom, Andrew Kelch and Mike Templeton for their great work on the ice this season. From those of us who use and enjoy the ice regularly, we salute you!

River sliding a tradition at Bourkevale

Ice sliding onto the Assiniboine River at Bourkevale in the 1930s. These guys knew how to have fun!

Ice slides and toboggan runs have been a tradition at Bourkevale for many years, as evidenced by this historic picture that was just submitted to Bourkevale Community Centre. This slide was built by the Bourke family and friends circa the 1930s on what was then the Bourke family farm, about 20 years before Bourkevale Community Centre was established. It was located approximately 50 feet west of the current toboggan slide. Look for more historic pictures and information in the New Year about the Bourke family, their farm and the events that led to Bourkevale becoming a nine-hole golf course, a park and eventually a community centre.

City helps Bourkevale mark anniversary

Coun. Scott Fielding presents Bourkevale president Gary Kristiansen with a commemorative plaque

Bourkevale Community Centre celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the official opening of its clubhouse this month. The main clubhouse officially opened Dec. 5, 1952. Coun. Scott Fielding (St. James-Brooklands) was on hand to present the club with a commemorative plaque Dec. 14 to mark the occasion during Bourkevale's monthly board of directors meeting.
"I'd like to congratulate Bourkevale for 60 years of service, it's fantastic," said Fielding. "We should be proud of all the hard work volunteers have done over the years to keep the centre going."

Bourkevale celebrates 60th Anniversary of clubhouse

Joan Jackson, circa 1953 at new clubhouse

Sixty years ago, Bourkevale Community Centre officially opened its clubhouse on Dec. 5, 1952. It was a grand affair whose presence included then-mayor of St. James Reginald Wightman who cut the ceremonial ribbon with club president Art Stephens and past-president Bob Pyne. The club was packed with area residents on that Friday night and folks enjoyed a night of dancing, a live band and good times with neighbours and friends.
Bourkevale Community Centre has a rich history dating back to 1949, three years before the club finally got its own clubhouse, which was dragged down Ferry Road from the airport and installed at the present site.
We have launched a new Bourkevale history website which chronicles the early efforts of area residents to establish their local club, the struggles and challenges they encountered — including the tragic death of a young boy — and the success they ultimately enjoyed.
It's a remarkable story. Click here to explore the early days of Bourkevale and discover why this club, 60 years later, is still so important to our community.

Rinks are open, new season begins

First game of shinny of the season on the north rink, Dec. 1, 2012.

Bourkevale's rinks officially opened Saturday, Dec. 1. And it didn't take long for players to toss their sticks into centre-ice to kick off the season with the first shinny game of the year. With puck-board installed behind the nets this fall and new Bourkevale logos on each end of the ice, the rinks are looking fabulous. A giant thanks to our volunteer ice-makers Ron Templeton, Jeff Valgardson and Scotty Nystrome for their tireless efforts over the past two weeks to get the rinks ready.

New puck board installed on ice rinks

Bourkevale's volunteer ice crew was busy installing some new product on the north and south rinks this past week. The club is putting in new "puck board" material to help strengthen and enhance the look of the boards behind each net. Look for new "Bourkevale Bruins" logos on the boards, too.
The project has a budget of $4,000, which is made possible by all the fundraising and other revenue-generating efforts by volunteers at the club.  Thanks to volunteers Ron Templeton and Jeff Valgardson for their tireless efforts keeping our rinks in tip-top shape.

Have you checked out our photo gallery?

Few events at Bourkevale's Hoedown are more memorable than the "Wild" dog show, a favourite at the club's biggest annual event. If you like this shot, check out our photo gallery which you can view any time by clicking on "photo" in the icon at the top of this home page. It goes back several years. If you have any great shots of Bourkevale events and would like to share, please send your photos to bourkevale@gmail.com. and we may add to them to our gallery.

Video: Hoedown 2012

Remember this Hoedown video?

This is from 2008. Click the picture.

Happy Days: Water slide and soccer social was fun for everyone

Bourkevale's water slide and soccer fundraising social was a huge success this year. Kids — and parents — couldn't get enough of the water slide on the north side of the building. Throw in water gun fights and water balloon contests and most kids didn't want to leave Saturday. The evening was capped off with a fundraising social at the club where everyone in attendance had a great time. The event raised approximately $1,200 for the club's soccer program. Thanks to Cam, Cindy, Joan and everyone else who made this great day happen.

Social raises over $4,000 for Bourkevale

Roy and Bill Johnstone present BCC's Jeff Valgardson with event proceeds

P.E.I fiddler Roy Johnstone brought the house down at a May fundraiser for Bourkevale Community Centre, raising an impressive $4,190 for the club. Johnstone, the brother of board member Bill Johnstone — who organized the event — is an accomplished musician from the Maritimes who has roots in St. James. The event was so big we had to hold it at Deer Lodge Community Centre, which has more space. Big thanks to the fine folks at Deer Lodge for accommodating us.

Ball hockey instant hit on north rink

What happens when you put out two hockey nets on an outdoor rink in Winnipeg and invite people to bring their sticks and play ball hockey? Spontaneous hockey games usually break out almost immediately.
That was the scene on the north rink at Bourkevale this week with kids taking advantage of the new ball hockey opportunity at Bourkevale.

Soccer program continues to grow

Nothing says spring like soccer at Bourkevale Community Centre, including immaculately-groomed fields, freshly-painted lines and ambitious, jersey-donned players. That was the scene this week at Bourkevale, where the sport of soccer continues to be the fastest growing activity at the club.
Bourkevale is fielding seven soccer teams this season, including two 5/6 teams, two 7/8 teams, a U9 girls team, one U12 boys team and a U13 boys team.
The club's soccer program is driven entirely by volunteers, led by our tireless soccer convenor Sarah Swanson and our volunteer coaches. Bourkevale's soccer fields are maintained by dedicated volunteers who put in endless hours to ensure our kids have quality fields to play on.

Pleasure skating a big hit at Bourkevale

No stick, no puck? No problem. We have plenty of ice time for you. Bourkevale has reserved two time slots per week on the south rink for those who want to skate without hockey sticks and pucks on the ice.
And it's been a big hit this year, with skaters of all ages enjoying some of the best outdoor ice in the city. Pleasure skating is held every Friday from 6-7 p.m. and Sundays from 2-4 p.m. Bring the kids and bring the grandparents. It doesn't get much better than this.

Carolers brighten up Bourkevale skate room

Photo: Hailey Yozenko

It's a tradition neighbourhood families have kept up for 21 years. Christmas caroling door-to-door may be a bit of a dying activity over the years. But not in this St. James neighbourhood, where families have been lighting up their community in the days leading up to Christmas since 1990. This roving choir made sure to stop in to Bourkevale Community Centre's skate room Friday night to spread their Christmas cheer. Nice job and a Merry Christmas to all.

Skaters jam Bourkevale ice on opening night

Bourkevale Community Centre was once again one of the few outdoor rinks to open early during the skating season this year in the St. James area. And as usual, the club drew a huge crowd on opening night, with shinny games breaking out on both the north and south rinks. The club kept both rinks open until 11 p.m. Friday as skaters continued to show up late into the evening.

It didn't hurt the mood when the club pumped the Winnipeg Jets radio broadcast through the outdoor speakers during the final minutes of the team's fourth consecutive win.
We would like to thank our volunteer ice makers Ron Templeton and Jeff Valgardson — and the extra volunteer support from Ed Toews and Scott Nystrom — for doing such a phenomenal job getting our rinks up and running as quickly as they did. Nice work guys.
Skate room is open Saturday and Sunday, 1-9 p.m.

How we make ice at Bourkevale

Halloween Howl Rocked!

What do you get when you have an exceptionally decorated hall, an unbelievably scary haunted house and some really cool DJs for a Halloween party? Probably about the best Halloween party in town, which is what Bourkevale Community Centre enjoyed Saturday Oct. 29.
The kids had a great time, parents had fun and organizers were impressed with the turn-out.
Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event happen. These events do not happen without the commitment of volunteer staff.
Special thanks has to go to our volunteer club president Gary Kristiansen who, without his leadership and grunt work, there would not have been a Halloween party this year.
Parents should think about their future contribution if they want these events to continue.

Bourkevale U9 Boys Soccer had a great year

Hoedown a huge success

Nothing says fun like a Hoedown at Bourkevale Community Centre. It starts with giant bouncers, face painting and delicious food. And it ends with kids games, soccer medals, the best dog show in town and finally, Bourkevale's famous fireworks. And that's exactly how it went Saturday, Sept. 10 with well over 200 people attending the 2011 Hoedown, which for the second year in a row included a live band.
Thanks to all the volunteers who made this event happen. It was a hoot. And it was a great fundraiser for the club, raising over $1,000.