News story

Oh, Canada!!!! -- Winnipeg Welcomes AA Worlds

Sept. 1, 2003 – Jack Sirard contributing writer

Senior softball players from across the United States will be crossing the border in big numbers this month to compete in the AA Championships hosted by Winnipeg, Manitoba.

For many athletes, it will be a return visit to the Canadian city which hosted the championships in 2000.

The tournament will be played from Aug. 29 to Sept. 4 at the beautiful John Blumberg Softball Complex, just off the TransCanada Highway. The complex consists of seven lighted softball diamonds surrounding a two-story facility that houses concessions, a lounge area and offices. In addition, some games may be played at the nearby Optimist Park Softball Complex.

The Canad Inns Polo Park will serve as the headquarters hotel.

For first-time visitors, Winnipeg offers a number of surprises. It's a city where on any given day, you may hear 40 different languages spoken. Winnipeg citizens are known for their friendliness, generosity and creativity. The city has a thriving entertainment, arts and sports scene, recreation and shopping that is both affordable and easily accessible.

One of the real pleasures of visiting Canada is the favorable exchange rate where the American dollar buys a lot more. That translates into bargains. Fortunately, U.S. currency is accepted at Winnipeg establishments. However, it is recommended that you exchange your currency for Canadian dollars at a bank or other financial institution.

Goods and services purchased in Manitoba are subject to the provincial sales tax (PST) and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Tax rebates are available to non-residents of Canada by completing the required forms available at duty-free shops, hotels and other locations.

Winnipeg offers an incredible variety of restaurants with cuisine from around the world. In addition, it has wonderful river walks and a host of activities ranging from its renowned Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to lively night clubs and bistros.

Winnipeg has a million stories and a rich and colorful history. City officials urge vistiors "to take their time to explore our city - the deeper you look the more interesting it becomes."

From the 1919 General Strike to the 1999 Pan American Games, from new discoveries like canola to the city's beloved Guess Who, Winnipeg is as diverse and appealing as cities twice its size, officials say. For the 2000 AA Championships, the city had an army of 300 volunteers eager to help players and their families. Ross MacIver, co-chairman of the event that is being sponsored by the federal Canadian Government, the province of Manitoba and the city of Winnipeg, said those volunteers - and more - are more than ready to help out again this year.

MacIver points with pride to the city's first-class softball diamonds not that "we have a 300-capacity Veterans Centre that will become the "Dugout" for players to meet, eat, have a few brews, swap stories and generally have a good time."

Terry Hennessy, CEO of Senior Softball-USA, said that his organization "was pleased to be returning to Winnipeg, the site of one of our most successful World Championships tournaments."

The tournament will consist of AA men's and AA/ Canadian women's teams. Men will play in the 40, 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 age groups and women will play in the 40, 50, 55 and 60 age brackets. Teams will be scheduled to play six games.

Among the many, many things Winnipeg has to offer are:

Assiniboia Downs, which offers live thoroughbred racing. Sundays and holidays are Family Fun Days with a petting zoo, pony rides, and giant inflatable games. A licensed terrace dining room overlooks the racetrack and year-round simulcast wagering on races from tracks around the globe is available.

The Costume Museum of Canada. The 2003 exhibition Once Upon A Time ~ The Stories Clothes Tell features some of the museum's most fascinating artifacts from its 35,000-piece collection of clothing, accessories and textile artifacts that spans 400 years. On display is CMC's oldest artifact, a damask linen table napkin from a household of Queen Elizabeth I. Visitors to the museum, just 25 minutes from Winnipeg, can browse the gift shop and enjoy cream tea in the Tea Room.

CAAA MILLENNIUM COLLECTION at the Western Canada Aviation Museum until Sept. 30. This is an exhibit of 37 original paintings by members of the Canadian Aviation Artists Association, a group honored last year by Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. It contains a variety of works featuring a wide range of aircraft, from the Wright Brothers historic flight to images of the Concorde and Space Shuttle.

Did you know . . .

In 1914 a WWI Winnipeg Captain, Harry Colebourn, took a black bear cub to England as his Regiment's mascot. When Colebourn shipped out for France, he donated the bear named "Winnipeg", after his home town, to the London Zoo. Author A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin loved "Winnie" and his father later crafted stories about a boy and his bear, "Winnie the Pooh.

Winnipeg's French theatre company Le Cercle Moliere is Canada's oldest continuously operating French theatre.

In 1909 the Grain Exchange was recognized as the largest cash wheat market in the world.