A teenaged farm boy from Manitoba uses an icy adventure in the mid-1970s as a way to test himself against the elements
It had to happen. Combine a mile-long lake, glazed wind-buffed ice, a cold prairie wind and a moonlit surface and for one evening in December 1976, Manitoba had its own Hans Brinker. The fictional young Brinker skated the canals of Holland in a bid to win the “Silver Skates” prize. I skated the lake’s length […] Read moreStories by Mark Kihn
Potato harvest turned into an act of giving
An acre of freshly manured soil produced an abundance of spuds, which prompted a practical lesson in sharing the bounty
What would you do with a 30-year old massive manure pile at the edge of a field? Most of us would only give it a passing glance, but Mom and Dad had an idea. It was spring 1967, and my parents had just bought a three-quarter section farm at Basswood, Man. We had moved out […] Read more
On the hunt for elusive Americans
For a farm kid growing up in Manitoba in the 1970s, every trip across the border was a chance to check out the mystery
I didn’t know what to expect. I was only 12 years old and had only vaguely heard of these so-called “Merikans.” In 1972, cable TV, cellphones and the internet did not exist. Did these people speak the same language? Might they have a sixth finger? Were they taller than Canadians? Who were these Americans? We […] Read more
Farm produced its own drive-in entertainment
There was nothing like a stuck tractor, especially one driven by Dad, to create instant drama for these Manitoba farm boys
I just don’t know why. I can’t explain. I do know, though, that as a young farm boy in the 1970s, a stuck tractor, especially in the mud, meant instant entertainment and excitement. It was even better if Dad was the one who got the tractor stuck, but I don’t know why. As farm boys […] Read more
Reunion evokes memories of good old days
Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion introduced next generation to a world of worn-out tractors, tired horses and old farmers
The first reunion I ever attended did not highlight old teachers, former students, and long speeches about the good old days. Instead, this reunion featured worn out tractors, rusting farm machinery, tired horses, and old farmers. They all came together at the Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion in 1971. Dad and a church friend, Cecil Sundmark from […] Read more
Hardy Boys no match for 1970s farm action
The adventurous life of these fictional sleuths had a certain appeal but couldn’t rival the exploits of four real-life brothers
Who wouldn’t want the life of a Hardy boy? They caught the villains, they flirted with the pretty high school girls, and they were never chastised for homework left undone. Plus their doting mother Laura (or Aunt Gertrude) always had “hearty” meals ready for them. Their lives were too good to be true — too […] Read more
Remembering a promising future that never happened
Fort Ellice had a lot going for it, but major transportation routes weren’t enough to turn it into a booming metropolis
Fort Ellice was the hub of the wheel. The spokes were the seven Red River cart trails that intersected there. In fact, in the settlement of the Canadian West, Fort Ellice should be a large city in Manitoba. It’s not. No buildings, no hustle, no bustle. An over-grown cemetery lies silent. Located five kilometres south […] Read more
Radio widened Manitoba farm boy’s horizons
By the time they tired of this new obsession, the brothers knew everything there was to know about the big city of Chicago
During winter evenings in January of 1976, a new world revealed itself to four Manitoba farm brothers. After we heard the radio waves from faraway, we began to experience the bigger world out there — Chicago. My older brother David had become fascinated with radio and the news it could bring to us. We were […] Read more
Tobogganing thrills helped heat up winter
One day in particular remained something to remember, thanks to hard-packed snow, gravity and a polished ice surface
I’ve had my share of life’s downhill experiences: relationships, careers, black diamond ski hills, and skidding out-of-control cars. They’re terrible. They can be dangerous. Yet there is one downhill run that I welcome — tobogganing. I can’t explain it. In the deep mid-winter, my three brothers and I would walk endlessly in the cold and […] Read more
Christmas pageant fitting sendoff for school
There was nothing special about that November afternoon in 1968 — cold, windy and snowy. Then Mrs. Templeton returned from the school office with an announcement. She proceeded to say she had chosen a Christmas pageant and she would list off who would get what part. Whoa. The long-awaited, much anticipated Christmas season must be […] Read more
