This article appeared in the March 7, 2018 issue of the Interlake Enterprise…By Teresa Carey
The Town of Arborg recently made Travel Manitoba’s list of “5 cute and quaint towns in Manitoba”, a list that was compiled to inspire Manitobans to take road trips and explore the province during spring and summer.
“We’re very proud of Arborg. It’s a great place for people to visit and is becoming more of a tourist destination,” said Arborg Mayor, Randy Sigurdson.
Sigurdson was at first a little surprised by the honour, and the perception of Arborg as “cute and quaint”.
“Maybe that’s a good way to describe it. I never thought of Arborg in that light before. We think of it as a business centre, a moving and shaking place,” he said.
“We spent a lot of time helping to make this a good place. I know we have some wonderful (destinations)—the aquatic centre and nice eateries and bakeries. I think the big one was the Heritage Village and the campground. Lots of people come from a wide area during summer,” he said.
“We love anything that helps to promote our town and that adds to our image,” Sigurdson added.
Breanne Sewards, Editorial Content Specialist who wrote the Travel Manitoba blog, based her selections on places in the province which she has been to over the years. Arborg especially stood out in her mind since radio personalities Ace Burpee and Chrissy Troy stopped into town during the Ace & Chrissy Roadshow in June of 2017.
“Chrissy’s love for her hometown of Arborg and the bakery is what inspired me to look more into the town and include it in the article, even though I had only passed through it a few times in my life,” said Sewards. “I definitely plan on trying to stop in this summer on an Interlake road trip. I would definitely stop in at the bakery. Chrissy Troy always talked about it.”
Sewards said she was searching for small towns which were within driving distance from Winnipeg which have unique and interesting stops for a road trip, including roadside attractions like restaurants, festivals and museums.
“Arborg fit the bill,” she said. “It has the giant curling rock, the famous bakery and the Arborg & District Heritage Village and, of course, natural features like the Icelandic River.”
The Travel Manitoba blog calls Arborg’s curling rock a “frighteningly large statue” and Arborg as a whole a charming town. It makes mention of the historic CPR station which now houses the public library, the bakery, and the many trails and paths along the Icelandic River.
This year, Arborg shared the “cute and quaint towns” honour with Carman, Holland, Altona and Boissevain.
Last year, Travel Manitoba named Winnipeg Beach, along with Carberry, Minnedosa, Souris and Neepawa, “5 outrageously charming towns in Manitoba that you’ll want to move to right now”.
